Nile Monitors, Good or Bad Pets?

Dave and Jeremy talk about keeping Nile monitors in captivity and the unique story of how they acquired this awesome lizard. Monitors are incredibly intelligent lizards and Niles are no exception. We love working with them in captivity and enjoy seeing them in the wild even more.

[TZaluzney]

Interesting video. I worked at the National Zoo in Washington DC, where I was on the clinical veterinary staff for 15 years. I then ran a medium sized animal shelter in Maryland. I was very glad for my zoo skills when animal control brought in two, male and female Nile monitors. They were adults, the male was easily 5ft, the female was not far off, but a little smaller. We had them in a secure isolation room, for their safety and everyone else's, as these were not animals we often (or ever) received, neither oir animal control staff, nor our shelter staff were familiar with them. This left me to deal with them both. Luckily we found a reputable rescue to take them, as particularly the male repeated escaped his cage, and he did not appreciate being handled to get him back in. The female was mostly content to soak in her tub, as she was egg bound. So the kicker to the story is that these two 5+ ft monitor lizards came in through animal control as strays, in Maryland.

[francus]

Hey guys,
Here comes a comment that's probably too long, AGAIN.
1st, I saw a comedian who explained soccer in a new light. "The biggest knock on fútbol is the low scoring. But.... football is low scoring, too. They're cooking the books. One score gets 7 points. 21 -14 should be 3-2." I thought.... Hmm. He's right.
2nd... As I was watching, I was thinking about how I see them everywhere when I'm kayaking in Thailand. Then I saw your map of AFRICA and realized I'm seeing Asian water monitor lizards.
Nice clip. Great information. It assured me that I'll never have one as a pet.
I tapped the thumbs up 👍 button to feed the algorithm monsters.

[Aaydenw-qx]

6:51 so that's the same nile monitor you caught under a shed in illinois that es-capaed

[smetlogik]

I was going to go watch that video, but got the gist of it from Dave's explanation. You guys do good work.
Go Man City!

[GettingthruLife]

Good stuff. Always good and straight forward content. Question, the Cicadas, any worry of parasites? Natural caught? I'm not all that educated in parasites but am aware many insects can carry bad things. I feed big, fresh and natural garden snails to my tegus but I boil them at 180-190 degree for 8-10 min. A reptile or even dog vet visits to a vet cost upwards of $350 to $1, 000 plus. A vet visit here is insane if you have to go.

[bakersdozent]

If only you guys knew someone else who has a chill female nile monitor

[jorgepinto-velez]

Love Nile Monitors their real cool i have a Savannah Monitor

[joesaiditstrue]

Been looking for a reptile for my next pet, im nowhere near experienced in owning reptiles. Id like something that ideally doesn't require insects or frozen thawed animals. Obviously I wouldnt start with a nile monitor, are there any other monitors that are a lot more forgiving with husbandry? Ive owned iguanas, anoles and geckos and just couldnt get the animals to get used to handling

[Bobby-pg]

Approximately how old is the monitor you have in the video?

[jaimeortega]

Most lizards in captivity are probably a bad idea. For one thing depending on where you live they could be considered an invasive pest species or illegal to keep. For another it is very difficult to replicate the lizards exact living conditions. This causes many expensive trips to the vet. So the best lizard to have as a pet? One that is native (if legal.)

[brysenkelly]

Whats the best way to contact you guys?

[jaimeortega]

Right it looked "...fat and healthy although living in wilds of good ole' Oklahoma." Well who knows what it ate? Endangered or threatened species? Local birds and wildlife? Probably. But this is what happens to those unfortunate lizards who "outgrow their tanks."