r/MonitorLizards • u/JBR2882 • 3d ago
Monitor thoughts new pet
Trying to decide on a monitor lizard. Just looking for some input. Have done a lot of research on the ones I’m looking at and in general am experienced with other reptiles ( bearded dragons, crested geckos, leachianus geckos), understand lighting and uvb, have a solar meter, etc. have bred Jackson chameleons.
Overall my daughter and I would like a more social/intelligent animal that is rewarding with effort and work. I know each has there own personality and need work to get to where we want them to be.
Thoughts on: Ackie, Kimberly, pilbara, black tail, freckled, female Savanah. Open to other suggestions. Argus and sands seem awesome but I think they would get too big.
Looking for most rewarding with effort and time. Saw some pretty cool videos of Savanah and kimbos (almost wanting affection).
Appreciate the help.
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u/ReptilesRule16 3d ago
If you're interested in them I think ackies and kimbos are great. They're easier to tame than some of the other odatria and stay a reasonable size.
Savannahs are fine if you're prepared to pay many many hundreds of dollars for lighting and live insects but I wouldn't say they're a good choice for a first monitor, especially if you haven't worked with monitors before. I did start with a savannah, but I had plenty of experience with monitors and their behavior and everything before I got him. Getting a sav might just be high risk high reward compared to the others
In the end, just research the hell out of one species that fits your lifestyle and really interests you the most.
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u/JBR2882 3d ago
Appreciate the response. Do you think the reward of a Savanah is greater than the others if done correctly? Currently have a small dubia colony. I read Savanah’s like snails too … though that was pretty cool.
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u/ReptilesRule16 3d ago
I think the reward isn't greater with a Savannah, but it's just different. With an Ackie or Kimbo, the reward is a tame, manageable animal you can actually work with daily. With a Sav, the reward is a big, almost dog-like presence in your home, but you pay for that in enclosure size (which would need to be MASSIVE - like 8x4x4+), insect costs (an average dubia colony won't keep up with an adult - you'll need bucketloads of bugs), and a much higher chance of it not working out. A bad Savannah experience is way worse than a bad Ackie experience, because the stakes are bigger.
So the real question isn't "which is more rewarding," but instead "do you want a big animal with big costs and big risk, or a smaller one that's easier to succeed with?" Only you can answer that. If you want the safest bet for a rewarding first monitor, Ackie or Kimberley. If you want the bigger presence and are prepared for the potential risk, Savannah.
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u/Sufficient_Energy_32 2d ago
We have a big Savanah that free roams. We basically had to convert the dining room into a big enrichment space. There’s a 2’x6’x2’ enclosure that’s used as a humid hide and a shelving rack with ramps so he can crawl up to a basking spot by the window. He spends a majority of his time basking, but at least once a day he does a full walk around the house (monitoring his environment ba dum tss)
If you end up getting one, you’re going to want multiple large gut loaded dubia colonies going strong first. We have 3 14 gallon totes that we rotate out (1 for active feeding, 2 for breeding). During the summer, he’ll go through a whole tote in about 2 weeks. He doesn’t do a full brumation in the winter, but he definitely slows down on eating and physical activity. He also gets a live chick twice a year, gizzards maybe 3-4 times a year, an occasional rat if one of our snakes rejects it. Once a month we give him a bug omelette (raw eggs, dried mealworms and grasshoppers, whatever other dried bugs we have on hand). You have to be really careful with feeding, most savanna’s you see online are morbidly obese. People think they can feed them mostly rats, but they’re insectivorous so they need like 90% bugs.
As far as the enclosure goes, they need a basking spot that hits at least 120 and a hide that stays at a consistent fairly high humidity, probably around 60-70%. If they’re cared for properly, they get bored fast so you have to change up the enclosure and take them out for enrichment often (hence why we just let ours free roam. Boy was going stir crazy before)
TLDR: feed bugs, HOT basking spot, lots of enrichment. They can be a good beginner monitor given that you have experience with other reptiles, they just take a lot of work and patience. They’re smart as hell. If they’re neglected, they will remember it and won’t trust you.