Monitors....NEED HELP.. !!

chrispaine · #1 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 02:37 AM

Hi... ok first of all ya im stupid for going out and geting him.. but today i went to a breeder and was looking for a good lizard type pet to get. I have had my Boa for about 2 years now and have been around lots of reps. So i would like to say I 'kind-of' know what im doing, ha. any way.. the breeder guy said that the nile gets to be about 4ft and tends to be very active and would get more calm as long as you handle them. But what little info i found on them sounds a little different.. hes a baby... a few inches long and is a little jumpy but also very nice.... didnt show any signs of agression, didnt hiss, or even open his mouth... seems to be very nice. Is this going to change???? should i keep him or take him back??????? ya i know stupid for not doing this in the first place!! thanks for any input!!

Dbutton · #2 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 03:02 AM

Well first of all niles get quite a bit bigger than 4ft. More like 7ft full grown. And yes they "can" make good pets if they are handled often and housed correctly. But it is quite a bit different than having a boa. And they can be ornery to the point of doing serious damage that a boa could only dream of. I personally am not a lizard person anymore. I had a pair of niles way back at around '78 and learned really quickly that they were not my cup of tea when the 5 1/2ft. female climbed up me while I was wearing just shorts and a tee shirt. Those 1.5in. claws didn't feel very good either!
So I would have to say that you should weigh your options here and try to figure out if you are ready for big lizards. Or maybe you would want to start with something a little smaller and more managable like a Savanah monitor which actually does only reach lengths of around 4ft. full grown, but averages well under that. Still a handfull, but a more managable handfull. Good luck.

David

chrispaine · #3 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 03:30 AM

i was thinking something like a yelloe ackie... anyone know anything about them...??? thanks Dbutton.

Jesustheherper · #4 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 03:36 AM

I have two myself they're still small people say that they can be tamed, but that is a big lie. It all depends on the Niles personality my ornate nile has a calm personality, but can be aggressive from time to time. My normal Nile on the other hand has an aggressive personality, but at times he can be non-aggessive or tolarent of me. With time and daily positive interaction they can get less aggressive or talorant of you. My normal hasn't biten or tryed in a long time because of the handling.Overall they can be good pets with much work.

chrispaine · #5 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 03:53 AM

ya... thats what i seem to be finding out... thanks.

chrispaine · #6 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 05:46 AM

Hi... ok first of all ya im stupid for going out and geting him.. but today i went to a breeder and was looking for a good lizard type pet to get. I have had my Boa for about 2 years now and have been around lots of reps. So i would like to say I 'kind-of' know what im doing, ha. any way.. the breeder guy said that the nile gets to be about 4ft and tends to be very active and would get more calm as long as you handle them. But what little info i found on them sounds a little different.. hes a baby... a few inches long and is a little jumpy but also very nice.... didnt show any signs of agression, didnt hiss, or even open his mouth... seems to be very nice. Is this going to change???? should i keep him or take him back??????? ya i know stupid for not doing this in the first place!! thanks for any input!!... ........ also does anyone know of any better monitors, maybe smaller!!??.. i like this nile he seems cool, but i dont really want to take the change to have a 6foot mean lizard you know... i herd yellow Ackies are good and also yellow tree monitors... what should i get thanks alot!!!

LdyDrgn · #7 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 05:12 PM

Ackies are great... they have awesome personalities and only get 2-3 feet.... Niles on the other hand are not good pets at all.... our full grown Ornate (sometimes called the Ornate Nile) is around 5.5-6 feet long and extremely aggressive. Her enclosure is 8x4x4 and that is the minimum size they need. I would suggest taking yours back and look into a smaller species. I hate it when people lie about the sizes reptiles get just to make a sale... grrrrr.

StevenLeeAugust · #8 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 05:20 PM

I have never seen a tame Nile.
not saying they dont exist but i dont think youll be happy in the long haul if you want a pet you can handle.

I suggest you pass on niles.

Reptscue · #9 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 05:41 PM

Rule of thumb with Niles.... if it's nice it's probably sick.
And if it is healthy the "calmness" usually goes away. I don't know one person who owns a Nile that is actually "tame".
For a first monitor I'd go for an Ackie. They stay small and they have a good temperment.

Good luck!

(I merged your two thread about this topic, no need to have it in two forums)

JuliusSqueezer · #10 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 06:05 PM

One of my favorite things to see (sarcasm) at herp shows is all the little kids running around with their new baby nile monitor in a delicup. In the off chance that any of these animals survive a year...haha boy are their parents in for a treat

TheOtherAndy · #11 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 07:04 PM

Yeah, you jumped the gun here, Chris. The big monitors can be really rewarding captives, but in some respects thats a long way away from being 'good pets'. There is a reason I keep snakes now.

As noted above, if it's "tame" as a baby, it's most likely sick. Niles generally don't take well to forced handling (but then, neither do lots of other monitors), and need a lot of room as they grow....eventually a room. It isn't like keeping a snake at all, though that doesn't stop a lot of people from keeping them that way anyway.

Ackies, however, do make pretty good pets as long as you don't mind hauling dirt. I wrote an ackie caresheet here that covers their care and breeding.

http://redtailboa.net/forums/showthread.php?t=15554

Feel free to pm or email me any monitor questions, but I warn you ahead of time, most of the answers are no fun. Again, I keep snakes now for a reason.

chrispaine · #12 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 11:21 PM

ya im going to take him back... does anyone know a good place to find baby Ackies? thanks.

NicoleRussell · #13 (**permalink**) 05-07-2005, 11:41 PM

you can try Robyn at Proexotics.com but last I looked he was sold out. Occasionally you can email him and he'll have something not on his site and at the very least he can email you when he gets some. I really feel they are a great source for monitors.

themoononastick · #14 (**permalink**) 05-19-2005, 07:05 PM

don't forget ackies need a BIG viv as they are very active! please don't get one and put it in anything less than 6ft long by 2 ft deep by 2ft high (they climb too)

rustytotten · #15 (**permalink**) 08-22-2005, 08:24 PM

Most pet stores will tell you anything to make a sale. You should maybe look into a smaller, more manageable lizard to start until you know more. A couple of years ago I bought 2 baby veiled chameleons from a pet store (they were my first lizards, having only owned snakes until then). They failed to tell me how difficult they are to keep and the female has since passed.(the male is fine now that i know more) All Im sayin is make sure you know what youre getting into before your in it.....good luck

buck2003 · #16 (**permalink**) 08-22-2005, 08:43 PM

This is another old thread..well from May Chris is fixed up and very happy with his ackie!

chrispaine · #17 (**permalink**) 08-22-2005, 10:35 PM

ha thanks buck... ya the ackie is cool, but fast......... i think he can run about 65MPH ha

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