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Anyone know Nile Monitors?

Weda737

Weda737

100% Soul free.
Been talking to someone who needs to rehome their baby Nile. How are they as "pets" I keep reading that they are very aggressive. Basically the meanest of the monitors to keep. Can anyone offer any insight?
 
I have a friend that had one and he told me this, they are large and powerful, they have very sharp teeth and strong jaws, he does not recommend them for beginners and they should be for experienced handlers.

I hope this helps
 
I would pm CMretics on here. Not sure if he is on a lot, but he has some niles.
Generally, I wouldn't recommend them as beginner pets or your first monitor. I personally would get a savannah or a black throat before a Nile. If you do get them, they need a MASSIVE amount of space. These are not critters to be kept in a tank. I think last I saw the niles Mike has (CMretics), he had them in 5 foot cages, 3 feet tall and three feet long. They quickly were outgrown. You also need about two feet of soil for digging and a pool for swimming. Basking area needs to be around 140 degrees or so, if my memory serves.
 
Space wouldn't be an issue. I will be setting up our building for my sulcata anyway, I can section off a place for the nile. It's plenty roomy and tall. I can give climbing opportunities and a kiddie pool.
I don't really want this type of monitor, these are good people who rescued the little guy to begin with. I have the space and the food for him. Just not sure I want to jump into this.
 
They are definitely rewarding animals if you really take the time with them.
They're like a lot of wild animals, you have to gain their trust and never put them into a situation that may cause them to lose it.
 
Everything I am reading says you can't gain the trust of a nile. I don't know if any of the people saying this actually have experience or if they are just parroting what they read.
 
You can definitely gain their trust!! If people are saying they can't, they didn't have enough patience.
 
I once had a customer ask me to order him a Nile, and I refused. He bought it at "reptiles.com" or something, and came in to let me know that. About a year later, there was a cardboard box on my door when I opened in the morning containing a Nile monitor. I put it in a 40 breeder with a MVB until I could get it to a rescue. They are very neat, alert lizards, but I wouldn't keep one if you gave me the lizard, habitat, all accouterments, and $1000 a year to care for it.
 
Ugh, I just don't know what to do. I feel bad adding anything else to this bunch, this zoo that I live in already. I just put a down payment on a home and should be moving around April. Can't afford anything else to feed. I'm keeping in touch with the current owner, she has had some pretty ugly words with rednecks questioning her about it from what I'm hearing. I'm not not really in the position to take anything else, I have too much as it is.

I'm afraid of when it gets big, I have small dogs and cats. My plan was to fix up my building for my sulcata and section off a nice place for the monitor once it is grown. Have sort of a doggy door put in so He can go outside into another enclosure where nothing can come in contact with him but he can wander the yard and sun himself during the warm months. It's not like I would have to go too much out of my way to keep him. It's just that I have so many other animals. I feel overburdened. And guilty for adding another if I do.
 
And if I'm going to do all this work, I'd much rather have a "friendlier" species. It's just that this little guy is right here and needing someone.
 
Personally, I'd avoid it.
There are other places that can offer shelter- a zoo, another keeper... something.
This is a high maintanance animal which can cause serious damage potentially.
 
Black_Throat_jumbo_2.JPG


I can't tell if this is a Nile or a black throat, but it puts grown Varanus monitors into perspective. My advice, run don't walk. It will be even harder to place as it grows.
 
I know all about the size. Housing won't be an issue. I'm okay with it not being a puppy dog and just being a look don't touch kind of lizard. It's now just come down to whether or not I want this burden. I'll feel like a real d-bag if later on I go through with getting a more preferable species while this little one is without a forever home.

They need a lot of attention and I'm maxed on attention seekers. I'm kind of scared to buy a candy bar at this point because of this moving ordeal. 600 a month house payments got me scared of everything.
 
Maybe yours will be different. He can be an experiment to see if nuture is stronger than nature.
 
*reads thread* *looks at chip's picture*, *reads thread*, *looks back at picture*

Holy hecky peck - you are a braver person than me, that is a biggie!!
 
Buzzbee said:
*reads thread* *looks at chip's picture*, *reads thread*, *looks back at picture*

Holy hecky peck - you are a braver person than me, that is a biggie!!
Click to expand...

Be sure and Google bite pictures, as well, if you want to see why these shouldn't be in the pet trade.

I wish you luck, Weda. I do not envy you in about 5 years.
 
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