Good beginner Monitor....

[BrentB]

Whats a good beginner monitor, besides a Savannah, that gets to be a fairly decent size and is a cool monitor?

[NicoleRussell]

When you say "fairly decent" what do you mean?
If you have never kept a monitor you should try and keep something smaller so you can nail cage requirements, humidity and temps on a smaller level before getting into something large. Ackies are perfect starter monitors.
Larger cages are more difficult to keep regulated.
That being said Water monitors are HUGE, personable and beautiful. They also require large cages, and are fed meat/whole prey items which can be expensive.

[herpkingdom]

It depends on your level of experience with them.

If you have some experience, then I would say a cool monitor in my opinion is a Nile or a Water Monitor. I have had both at one time or another and although they are a bit thrashy, tend to calm down after a while (a long while in some cases) and plenty of handling.

Make sure to do your research before getting any reptile. We have numerous care sheets on several species of monitor here on RTB. Here is a link to RTB's Lizard Care Sheets....
http://www.redtailboa.net/index.php?...tpages&subid=9

Another good idea if you don't have much expereince, is to find someone in your area that has one, and go hang out for a while and get familar with the animal.

Good Luck

[Ed_r]

Yeah ackies or timor monitors are great. the rule of thumb with monitors is the more expensive the monitor, the cheaper the housing and maintanance is. Ackies and Timors are more expensive to purchase, but can be kepts in smaller cages and usually on an insect/pinky diet.

Where as a Nile Monitor, you can buy for $20.00 but cagine is very expensive as well as the maintenance Minimum of an 8'x4'x4' cage takes up allot of room and gets quite costly to heat and build/buy. Feeding is large meat prey items also getting expensive.

Ackies and Timors have some specialty requirements, but if your willing to keep up with the requirements, they are quite rewarding.

[NicoleRussell]

varanus gigantus (sp?) is an awesome monitor.

[Ed_r]

varanus gigantus (sp?) is an awesome monitor

Varanus giganteus While they are wicked animals, they are far from a beginer monitor. Unless you want it to be your ending monitor too.lol j/k

Those are the same as the Perentie (sp) I agree they are really Awesome.

[LdyDrgn]

Keep in mind Niles are one the most intelligent. They will only calm down if IT decides to. Pretty much anything you do with them has to be on their terms, LOL. I don't see Niles or Waters to be good beginner monitors. Ackies are good, though. They only get about 2' long.

[NicoleRussell]

yeah the thing is any sizable monitor is going to be for an advanced herper. And this guy wanted something sizable.
I think niles are basically for advanced herpers who need to understand FULLY what they are buying. Green Iguanas are the same type of animal: readily available, inexpensive, and sold to people with no clue what they are getting into.

	Iguana Iguana

[themoononastick]

i have an ackie and they are ace. they are a very VERY rewarding animal to keep.

they are bloody quick though. like... really quick. but if you handle them right they become very tame and eat out of your hand etc.

i reckon they are pretty smart.

i became so attached to mine that when he escaped and we thought we'd lost him we were both (grown adults) in tears looking for him.

great pet. great fun. extremely active though... they'll get up to some seriosuly amusing antics so don't skimp on tank space! it's cruel! mine lives in a FIVE foot long by two foot deep by two foot high viv. it wouldn't hurt to have it a bit bigger. oh, and they like to climb. and dig.

basically, they're great. not big, but great.

[haroldo359]

so timors are good starters?