# Water Dragon and Monitor advice needed please



## ShaunIOW (Aug 25, 2010)

I'm not totally new to reptiles having kept Burmese and Royal Pythons, Black Rat Snake, Various Garter and Ribben snakes plus Green Iguanas in the past, but I haven't kept a reptile in 18 years, and never a Water Dragon or Monitor even though I always liked them, so I could do with some advice please.

How easy are they to keep?
Easily tameable?
What size vivarium would I need for either?
What sort of prices are they?

Cheers


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## Dragon Wolf (Oct 27, 2009)

Hi mate :welcome:

Not sure what sort of Monitor you're after, but if it's a Savannah [Bosc] this is about the best care sheet around :no1:

| The Savannah Monitor, Varanus exanthematicus

Price wise, they tend to be around the £40 mark for youngsters


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## ShaunIOW (Aug 25, 2010)

Dragon Wolf said:


> Hi mate :welcome:
> 
> Not sure what sort of Monitor you're after, but if it's a Savannah [Bosc] this is about the best care sheet around :no1:
> 
> ...


Cheers for that - I think with an 8`x 4`enclosure recommended a monitor is out so a water dragon looks favorite.


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## marky0283 (Nov 19, 2008)

A Water Dragon will also need a very large setup, the bigger the better to be honest. I had my adult male in a 6ft high, 6ft long by 4ft deep. This was ok but he would have loved it to be even bigger


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## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

ShaunIOW said:


> I'm not totally new to reptiles having kept Burmese and Royal Pythons, Black Rat Snake, Various Garter and Ribben snakes plus Green Iguanas in the past, but I haven't kept a reptile in 18 years, and never a Water Dragon or Monitor even though I always liked them, so I could do with some advice please.
> 
> How easy are they to keep?
> Easily tameable?
> ...



Typically Water Dragons make great pets and are not only readily available, but also easily tamable and seldom bite. As youngsters, they can be kept in a variety of housings, however considering this highly aquatic/arboreal lizard can grow to about 3 feet, I would reccomend nothing smaller than a 125 gallon tank (if kept in aquariua) and semi-aquatic vivarium would be preferable. If housed in a cage, due to the fact that it won't hold water, a large "tupperware" of no less than 20 gallons with a submersible filter and depending on the average temperature, a submersible heater. The Chinese Water Dragon is most readily available, whilst the other 2 species are rather difficult to find.

Diet can consist of waxworms/mealworms, crickets, cockroaches, mice (pinkies, fuzzies and adults eventually), as well as fresh greens occassionally. A good UV light and another one for heat which it can bask under will ensure proper vitamins and minerals are processed by the lizard, and housing should consist of around 125 square feet or more, much much more than that for Monitor Lizards of the larger gena.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

ShaunIOW said:


> Cheers for that - I think with an 8`x 4`enclosure recommended a monitor is out so a water dragon looks favorite.


 
that's only a bosc monitor and there's plenty of others available. The Ackie only needs a 4x2x2


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## ShaunIOW (Aug 25, 2010)

marky0283 said:


> A Water Dragon will also need a very large setup, the bigger the better to be honest. I had my adult male in a 6ft high, 6ft long by 4ft deep. This was ok but he would have loved it to be even bigger


Cheers for replying, Ouch, that would mean a Water Dragon is out as well then as my space now is limited and I didn't want to go down route of needing a large vivarium like I had for the Iguana. 



Victor Creed said:


> Typically Water Dragons make great pets and are not only readily available, but also easily tamable and seldom bite. As youngsters, they can be kept in a variety of housings, however considering this highly aquatic/arboreal lizard can grow to about 3 feet, I would reccomend nothing smaller than a 125 gallon tank (if kept in aquariua) and semi-aquatic vivarium would be preferable. If housed in a cage, due to the fact that it won't hold water, a large "tupperware" of no less than 20 gallons with a submersible filter and depending on the average temperature, a submersible heater. The Chinese Water Dragon is most readily available, whilst the other 2 species are rather difficult to find.
> 
> Diet can consist of waxworms/mealworms, crickets, cockroaches, mice (pinkies, fuzzies and adults eventually), as well as fresh greens occassionally. A good UV light and another one for heat which it can bask under will ensure proper vitamins and minerals are processed by the lizard, and housing should consist of around 125 square feet or more, much much more than that for Monitor Lizards of the larger gena.


Cheers for that, as I said above a Water Dragon might be out as well now



Meko said:


> that's only a bosc monitor and there's plenty of others available. The Ackie only needs a 4x2x2


Cheers, I'll have to look into those as a 4 foot viv as about my limit.

Maybe 'll have to reconsider my choices to something that I can house comfortably like a Beardie.


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## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

*Translations...*

Hey, I hate to be a thorn in anyone's side, but I don't seem to understand a bit of the British slang and common names. While I'm familiar with a 147+ species of Monitor Lizards, I never heard the terms "bosc" or "akkie", so would someone clarify exactly what species they are? I typically use the latin/greek when I can cuz common names are sooo......blah (for example there is a Water Dragon that is a lizard and also a Water Dragon that is a FISH)....sorry, unfortunately I am American and while i try to be as cultural as I possibly can, some things I simply don't follow too well  Thanx.


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## tommy1711 (Mar 20, 2008)

Victor Creed said:


> Hey, I hate to be a thorn in anyone's side, but I don't seem to understand a bit of the British slang and common names. While I'm familiar with a 147+ species of Monitor Lizards, I never heard the terms "bosc" or "akkie", so would someone clarify exactly what species they are? I typically use the latin/greek when I can cuz common names are sooo......blah (for example there is a Water Dragon that is a lizard and also a Water Dragon that is a FISH)....sorry, unfortunately I am American and while i try to be as cultural as I possibly can, some things I simply don't follow too well  Thanx.


BBAAAWWWWBBBBBAAAAGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!:censor: Yanks at it again go shoot some1 or eat a burger!


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Victor Creed said:


> Hey, I hate to be a thorn in anyone's side, but I don't seem to understand a bit of the British slang and common names. While I'm familiar with a 147+ species of Monitor Lizards, I never heard the terms "bosc" or "akkie", so would someone clarify exactly what species they are? I typically use the latin/greek when I can cuz common names are sooo......blah (for example there is a Water Dragon that is a lizard and also a Water Dragon that is a FISH)....sorry, unfortunately I am American and while i try to be as cultural as I possibly can, some things I simply don't follow too well  Thanx.


 
no idea of the scientific names, i prefer the common names because i don't speak latin




tommy1711 said:


> BBAAAWWWWBBBBBAAAAGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!:censor: Yanks at it again go shoot some1 or eat a burger!


don't be a dick,


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## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

tommy1711 said:


> BBAAAWWWWBBBBBAAAAGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!:censor: Yanks at it again go shoot some1 or eat a burger!


Definitely not my style...lolol, I'm not very fond of the common American, male or female, personally....after you spend 30 years living in this country, you realize how lousy it is. Fact of the matter is there's screwed up people everywhere you go, stereotyping has never been my cup of tea...



but I DO love a good cheeseburger  and thanks Meko, great avatar too.


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## tommy1711 (Mar 20, 2008)

you dont have to serve beside them in there wars mind yer own ya dick


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## aaron lynch (Feb 13, 2009)

Victor Creed said:


> Definitely not my style...lolol, I'm not very fond of the common American, male or female, personally....after you spend 30 years living in this country, you realize how lousy it is. Fact of the matter is there's screwed up people everywhere you go, stereotyping has never been my cup of tea...
> 
> 
> 
> but I DO love a good cheeseburger  and thanks Meko, great avatar too.


 
... unfortunately there are some very narrow minded people on this forum!
anyway a bosc is another common name for the savannah monitor (varanus exanthematicus) and ackie is the dwarf spiny tailed monitor (varanus acanthurus)


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## Victor Creed (Aug 25, 2010)

aaron lynch said:


> ... unfortunately there are some very narrow minded people on this forum!
> anyway a bosc is another common name for the savannah monitor (varanus exanthematicus) and ackie is the dwarf spiny tailed monitor (varanus acanthurus)


Thank you, Kind Sir...I appreciate your wisdom and kind words. I used to own a Savannah and a Nile a few years back and they were truly amazing beasts, reminded me of a cold-blooded dog with a forked tongue. I even had them in full-sized Rotweiller cages...lolol.....and throughout the day I gave them the entire ROOM to roam around in. I'll never forget the day I gave the Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus) a large rat to eat and forgot to close the cage......when I came home, my walls were painted in blood and there were organs scattered around the room and it looked like an animal-themed Texas Chainsaw Massacre...*UGH*


@ Tommy1171 - once you get to know me you will realize I'm not your typical American, let alone a Yankee. I hate war and am not enlisted in the service, despite several attempts to be recruited by the armed forces, and I feel that violence can not be solved by more violence. However, when it comes to war, the thing that bothers me the most is the number of animals, especially endangered species who suffer and die in vain, as well as the innocent people who hate war as much as myself and live in fear. 

My Great Grandfather came over to American on a boat from Scotland in 1927 with $7 in his pocket looking to make it in the "Promised Land" and he made it. I am a descendant of the World famous MacGregor Clan, the same MacGregor Clan that fought under the command of William Wallace to make Scotland a free and independent country.

Much of the rest of my blood lineage is Native American Ancestry, and also Irish and a bit of English as a result of Prima Nocte`. So believe me, I come from a long line of people who have been suppressed, enslaved, killed in vain and stereo-typed as "savages", yet we were more in touch spiritually with Mother Nature than most have ever been.

I think the point I am trying to make is that, white, black, chinese, english, spanish, ......we all bleed the same color and most wars are started because of a generalized intolerance of mankind's unwillingness to accept those who are different. I say live and let live. I live by the Golden rule and treat those as I would like to be treated, and I have friends of every race, color and creed, including a best friend whose parents were born and lived in England for 1/2 of thier lives before coming to the U.S.

To me there are only 4 things that matter in life: Honor, Loyalty, Truth and Respect.


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## tommy1711 (Mar 20, 2008)

Honestly if i had $7 for everytime ive herd that from a yank id be a millionaire but anyways i'll not rant anymore. Welcome to the forum.


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