Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My boyfriend wants to get a nile monitor. We know nothing about them, so we are researching...How big tank, what do they eat, how often do you have to hold them for them to be tame? what type of lighting and heat do they need? substrate? logs to climb on?? HELP PLEASE! Also my boyfriend works alot and gets home at 9 at night can could hold the lizard for a while then otherwise he would hold it on his days off, is this enough attention for it to be tame? the one he wants is pretty small about the size of his hand and the tale goes to mid arm if the lizard is in his hand...any info would help alot thanks! pictures of setups too please? thanks in advance!

Mr. Robert Faust authored a book on keeping Niles. I purchased it online. Paperback, less than $20. And get a 1st aid kit.
Cheers

Mr. Robert Faust authored a book on keeping Niles. I purchased it online. Paperback, less than $20. And get a 1st aid kit.
Cheers

Mr. Robert Faust authored a book on keeping Niles. I purchased it online. Paperback, less than $20. And get a 1st aid kit.
Cheers

TN's suggestion to get Faust's book is a good idea. It is even less than $10. In fact, I think it was $6.95 and I went to Borders or Barnes and had them get it for me (no shipping charges).

That said. If your boyfriend wants a tame monitor, then a nile monitor is not a good choice. Niles, in general, do not become tame. There are a few out there, but most are not tame no matter how much you hold it, play with it, interact with it. Many niles remain highly aggitated, defensive animals that struggle, whip, bite, scratch, and resist. That happens even if you hold it everyday for long periods of time.

Keep in mind also that nile monitors can reach 4-6 feet with some even bigger than that. That means that the cage you get for a small nile today, will be too small for a big nile later. My niles were kept in a 6x10.5 room, and even that was too small at times. So you need to think big and think down the road. You can put a baby nile in a 20 long aquarium, but chances are that won't be very good for more than a short bit of time. You would probably want to start with a 55 gallon aquarium, and look into building something much bigger for him in the future.

As for food, I use rodents primarily. A hatchling will eat crickets and other insects and pinkies. As it grows the food items get bigger.

Based on what you described, a nile monitor is not the right monitor for your boyfriend. However, read the nile book and take a look. If you and your boyfriend are willing to change your expectations of a nile monitor and you can provide what it needs, then maybe a nile monitor is a decent choice.

I dont know how much experience your boyfriend has with reptiles, but you need quite some to keep a nile,
these guys get BIG and they can do serious harm when they are adults. I know a friend of mine who used too have 3 he sold them when the where about 70cm (little bit more then 2ft because he had diffuclty handeling them...) If i was your boyfriend i would purchase an exanthematicus or dumerilii or panoptes horni(these kinda look like niles) all of these are a little bit smaller and much easier too handle, but remember monitors are not kuddeling animals and they will never be, before you you start taming one, make sure he is used too people in his envoirment, start with feeding him from thongs, once he lets you watch when he is eating.

my advise DONT get a nile(niloticus or ornatus) no matter what the guy in the shop tells you,

regards danny