Foreword Monitor lizards, in my opinion, make for some of the
very best reptilian captives. Highly intelligent, active, inquisitive, and
beautifully colored these lizards can be a joy to keep. However, they do require
large cages, frequent cage and water cleanings, and lots of food. If you are
looking for a pet I advise you to look elsewhere, perhaps leopard geckos or
bearded dragons would suit your needs better. But, if you are looking for
an interesting captive that you can sit back and watch for hours then please
read the rest of this FAQ and do as much research on the species your are
interested in before purchasing it. I also highly recommend that you visit
The Monitor Forum as
it is an invaluable learning tool. Before asking questions on the forum please
SEARCH THE ARCHIVES as a lot of information has already been discussed and
you may not get an answer because of this. Then if you still are unclear or
have specific questions go ahead and ask them. Don't take anything personally
and look at the information through objective eyes. The purpose of this document is to provide up to date
information on the captive care of monitor lizards as well as try to answer.
A lot of this older information about monitor lizards is very inaccurate.
Many books are outdated and new techniques in husbandry have surfaced. A lot
of information is misleading and potentially dangerous to your lizard. This
document will not contain data on wild monitors. I have not studied wild monitors
and thus feel unqualified to comment on them. I am very concerned with proper
husbandry techniques and am continualy learning to give my captives the best
life possible. I hope this will be a living document and will be updated/amended
to provide the most accurate and up to date information available. However
this is not an answer sheet. Your monitor, your set-up, and your habits are
not similar to mine. This is a rough guide that is designed to point you in
the right direction. Your answers can be found in your monitors, you just
need to listen to what they tell you. I would like to thank Adam Britton, the Author ofThe Crocodilian FAQ for both inspiring
this FAQ and allowing me to borrow a similar format. Graphic Design courtesy of Andy Sohoza. Thanks to Roman Diaz for helping create the new forum. I would also like to thank everybody on the monitor forum
for their support and invaluable information. Good Luck.