water monitor

mmebwilliams · Member Joined: Sep 13, 2006 Posts: 21

I was just wondering if anyone has a malayan water monitor as a pet and how tame can they get if bought as a hatchling? And finally do you think i could keep tegu's with one of them. At the moment i have an arg b&w and a red housed separately at the mo until i feel confident they are fine together and then hopefully get a water monitor house it separately then slowly introduce it to my tegu's as i'm doing with red now, simply because my spare room is a vivarium which gives me an 8'x8'x8' viv which at the moment hasn't got any climbing areas as such but can easily introduce?

Cheers.

blair0228 · Valued Member Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 148

The problem with this is that the Water monitor will grow to the upwards of 10feet when the Tegus will ,if lucky, only grow about half that. I would also be concerned with the fact that monitors are usually never "tame" especially the bigger ones, but usually they can learn to tolerate moderate human interaction and so it might rub off on your tegus. Monkey see, monkey do kinda thing. and even with just one full grown water monitor, I dont know if an 8x8 enclosure would even be enough let alone one and two tegus.

Flogger · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:21 am Post subject:

I guess you are speaking of V.salvator, maybe som subspecies but I don't know about that. 8x8feet will be perfect for a watermonitor, even at an adult size. I would never mix them together with the tegus though, for the safety of the tegus and I just don't see the point. Buy the monitor because you want a monitor, not because you want your tegus to have large company.
Watermonitors can become handable, but not tame like the argentine black&white. I have read about a watermonitor that was so much like a dog it would come to his owner and put it's head on his lap and wanted him to scratch it. But that is rarely the case, that owner must have been an excellent keeper and a lucky guy to find a specimen like that.

Grimlock · Honored Member Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 213

i think even 8x8 would be the bare minimum for an adult water monitor, keep in mind they are very active and intelligent and appreciate A LOT of space, and food.
i really dont' understand why people want their monitors and tegus to interact and hang out together, its just not worth the risks involved, period.
i think what all monitor owners should understand too is that tame monitors are the exception, not the rule, and they may change their minds about their feelings for you at any time for no apparant reason. if you want a large monitor thats fine but don't get one for the purpose of having a tame pet you can interact with, you may be dissapointed and possibly maimed in the process.

John · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 3:18 pm Post subject:

put simply NO you can not house the monitor with the tegus. Why people want to mix species is beyond me, atleast get animals from the same area and provide a MASSIVE place for them to co-exist. check out www.proexotics.com for water info. Your looking at 8ft 100+++ LB's in a male water, females are smaller. Yes they can be VERY calm (tame...reptiles aren't domestic). start reading
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John Light
http://www.jlexotics.com/

mmebwilliams · Member Joined: Sep 13, 2006 Posts: 21

Cheers. I think i will keep them separate, with the 8x8 viv it's basically a spare room, however eventually i will be leaving the door ajar or put a catflap on the door for them to free roam. Thanks for the advice.