which monitor

[myteam]

which monitors apart from accies and pygmy mulgas are considered to be pretty placid ?
im considerin buyin a monitor,id like a large size one jst not sure one the general temprements of most monitors
will anyone be able to shed some light on this for me

 

[cris]

It will vary between individuals but spencers monitors are probably the best bet IMO. That said they are a bit of a hazard when in feeding mode.

 

[myteam]

would u say lacies are pretty placid or would spencers be better

 

[PimmsPythons]

spencers

 

[myteam]

are spencers in your opinions a overall better monitor to keep over a lace, etc ?

 

[James..94]

From what I've been told Spencer's are the bearded dragon's of the monitor world.

 

[myteam]

ive been doin some research lalty and they seem quite good as pets
imo lacies have better colour and patterns but if spencers seem to be easier to handle and keep they seem to be the go
does anyone here have experience with a spencers and if so can u plz tell me how they are as pets

 

[cris]

are spencers in your opinions a overall better monitor to keep over a lace, etc ?

Lacies can become tame with lots of work and are far better suited to your climate, but they have much sharper claws and are typically far more likely to bite.

 

[Simon_Archibald]

Spencers are a hardy captive. I have kept males and females but have not bred this species. When I did introduce the male to the female, the female very aggressively attacked the male and left him with some serious gashes.

Spencers in my experience never refuse a feed, generally handle well and are interesting to watch. They are cage defensive (they ALWAYS think an opening door means food), they use every inch of the enclosure they're in (so make it big) and they eat a lot.

I've also kept lacies and they are a great species also. Again, the females were the more aggressive / skittish animals. Well fed lacies tend to be lazier than well fed Spencers.

 

[redbellybite]

I am only new to keeping monitors ,but have to say I LOVE MY METERNS ....beautiful things, get a little tail slap happy ,but over all a lovely monitor/s .....

 

[Simon_Archibald]

Mertens would be amongst my favourite species to keep. Fantastic.

 

[myteam]

i was considerin a merterns but is it hard to maintain a swimmin area for them?
does anyone also have any pics of INDOOR enclosures they have for their larger monitors?

 

[crocdoc]

I've been keeping and breeding lace monitors for quite a number of years. Although they can get very calm (I don't like using the term 'tame') they are a liability when in feeding mode. My breeding pair are incredibly calm animals, but the longer I have them the more I realise that I am always only one stupid mistake away from permanent injury. They are fantastic animals - my favourite captive reptile ever - and are full of personality, but if you're thinking beardie level handle-ability they are not something you'd want. My adult pair are calmly wandering around my feet as I type this (I'm wearing boots, not thongs), but if I had food smells on my hand and dangled it down beside me I'd be in serious trouble.

Spencer's monitors are more inclined to tail whip than bite defensively and would probably be the better option but keep in mind that most monitors do not enjoy being handled and after a few seconds of being held will usually squirm like toddlers wanting to get back down to ground level to use their own legs. If you're hoping for something that will sit on your lap while you watch TV, a bearded dragon is a better option than any monitor.

The other thing to keep in mind is that even relatively calm monitors don't start off that way and may take a very long time and a lot of patience to get there. Most monitors are shy as babies (lace monitors extremely so) and it is best not to handle them until they are older and bolder. Any force handling as you would do with a snake will tend to make the monitor crankier, more frightened of you and more defensive. One of the biggest mistakes people make when going from snakes to monitors is to assume loads of handling will quieten them down and then wonder why the monitor is refusing food, hiding all of the time and regurgitating what little it does have in its stomach when handled.
Here's my adult pair, being calm
[video=youtube;PxeB8kYPP0A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxeB8kYPP0A[/video]
Here they are, eating
[video=youtube;IYea2DgmVy4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYea2DgmVy4[/video]
[video=youtube;7NIOeF2ICmo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NIOeF2ICmo[/video]

Here's a baby bells showing why you don't disturb baby lacies. The pair in the previous videos used to be just like this, too.
[video=youtube;gAduW7A0lsU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAduW7A0lsU[/video]

 

[myteam]

see id love lace monitor jst cause of their colours and it might sound silly but i like the whole, jungle/scrub sort of enclosure compared to a sandy/desert type
id also love a lace as i like more arboreal animals, are spencers and other larger types of monitors arboreal
but if it might be safer all round and easier to maintain i might need to go with maybe a spencers :S