Thinking about a monitor

[aunt jemima92]

i really love monitors so im deciding to get one.

thought id study up before a purchase id like to know what one to get what ones the most friendly and will like being handled i like the savannas but some told me black throat are the best to get along with

also whats the min cage specs + lighting ect

[Kazzy]

Savs are cool, but I really don't suggest them for first time monitor owners. Typically the ones sold are all wild caught, and most can become aggressive with food, even if captive bred and born.
Black throats are awesome, but they get about 6 ft in length or so.
Tegus are fantastic! Bit more expensive (don't get a gold/columbian!) but are so much fun. I know a great breeder that will have babies hatching in June/July. I'd suggest an Argentine black and white or Giant, but the Reds, and Blues are nice as well. Min. size enclosure for an Arg. is 6ft X 3ft X 3ft as adult, but 8ft X 4ft X 4ft is much better. With Arg., the males grow to about 4 ft, and the females 3 ft. A baby can be housed in a 20 gal, but will outgrow it fast. The biggest downside to tegus, in my opinion, is they hibernate during the winter. BUT, they are WAY worth it. I'll send you a PM with a great forum for tegus, who is run by the breeder I was talking about.

[aunt jemima92]

ive read that taming isnt hard if you get them when there young but ill definitly check out the tegus and the 6ft monitor sounds just like what i was looking for, but is there temperment the same as savanahs
anthoer worry i have is international shipping usually i get dicked around with shipping and it takes for ever but is it possible to have it deliverd to me in a day or so because if it gets held up in qubec becuase they are complete *insert verb here* and held my lights up for 4 days beucase it said reptile supply on the box

[Veggieburger]

alewis on this forum has a sav. I'm sure he'd love to share info

[Kazzy]

Hmm, you'd have to talk to Bobby about shipping his tegus internationally. I think he does ship to breeders or whole sellers maybe over-seas.
Savs CAN become tame, yes, but even the tamest sav will have a huge feeding response. I worked with this puppy dog tame male, sweet as can be, but if you were in his cage, or had food, he'd charge you. He almost got my hand one day, but I quickly balled my hand into a fist so he couldn't get a hold of me.

[Veggieburger]

yikes! scary!!

[Kazzy]

lol very!!!

[aunt jemima92]

ive only be bitten by a bearded dragon and a corn snake. The beardie that bit me wasnt taken care of very well and i kinda stole him from my no longer friend, and stuffed him in my hoodie pocket and i stuck my hands in there to seem casual and he clamped on my finger on the way out

[Veggieburger]

LOL... at least it was for a good cause... I thought u were wanting to get a guinea pig?u sound like me, you want everything! lol

[Kazzy]

I've been bit by so many different animals, it's insane. Even have a tattoo where you can see the teeth marks left by a 16 ft anaconda that bit me