The monitor lizard ranges as some of the worlds largest, strongest, and most intelligent lizards, they belong to the varanidae family and all have a very high metabolic rate too be a reptile, they also have long necks, very strong muscular bodies, and heavy claws designed for digging and ripping, very sharp teeth and powerful jaws, they range in size with the Short Tailed monitor being the smallest only reaching around 25 cm. in length and the Komodo Dragon that grows to around 6.8 to 9.6 feet in length and weighing as much as 150 to 168 pounds and sometimes much bigger, I do not recommend monitor lizards for children, I think these animals should be bought by the more experienced lizard handler, these animals have forked tongues too track down their prey and they can cover a large distance in their daily hunt, they can also deliver quiet a wallop with their tail, the monitor lizard has a strong muscular tail that does not detach like the tail of iguannids do.

Now that we have covered the above lets get into the good things about monitor lizards, first off if you are one of those people who have a thing about prehistoric dinosaurs then you are going to love a monitor lizard as just the ownership of such an animal is the closest you will ever come to owning a living breathing dinosaur, I know this for a fact because I have owned 2 of them personally and in my "personal experience" I have owned dogs that bit me and cats that have scratched me but after all the years I have handled monitors I have never been bit, I owned 2 different savannah monitors who had their own room "and new where too find it" they were also potty trained and used a cat litter box, to this day I have never owned another pet "for me" that could rise above as a better pet than a monitor lizard "for me", I truly love these animals, the monitor lizards are old world lizards, they are the oldest known living lizards on earth, they have roamed the earth for over 45 million years.

The Timor Monitor is a medium size lizard, but compared too most monitor lizards this species is a good starter monitor only reaching a size of 2 to 2 in a half feet in length, and are very active, these animals are exceptionally beautiful and if bought as babies or juveniles these animals can become fairly tame, they also are use too traveling large distances in the wild as they hunt for prey so they need to be allowed the room too exercise so it's a good idea too purchase a harness too walk your' pet with, these animals have a life span of 10 to 12 years in captivity and are very beautiful colored animals, they are usually brown to blackish with beautiful gold yellow spots, they have very strong limbs and a slender body with a pointed head it's truly a magnificent animal too own and to be a monitor it does not require as much space as many monitor species do, and since these are babies you have plenty of time to tame them.

Habitat And Caging Requirements:

This species is usually quiet easy to keep but they do require a large amount of space to keep and seem to do well at a temperature of around 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, baby animals can be kept in a 15 or 20 gallon tank or vivarium but will grow quickly and full grown will need a setup at least 4 feet long by 2 feet wide, by 2 feet high, in the wild this species is arboreal meaning they like too climb, you can keep one of these animals full grown in a 60 gallon tank or vivarium setup as long as you allow them too exercise, I always use too walk mine daily with a harness.

You can decorate the tank with wood, live plant's, sand substrate and rock's, this species seems to do best in a tropical like aquarium or vivarium type setup with a basking area and some moss, chola wood for hiding places, and a water dish large enough too climb into, and keep the water clean by changing it every other day, also keep a water spray bottle handy to mist down the setup every 2 to 3 days and this will also help with your' pet's shedding, they also enjoy a basking area, you also need a UV light to set up a basking area for your' animal, they also enjoy cypress mulch for a substrate as it seems too hold moisture, cypress mulch is a great substrate for this species.

Temperature And Lighting Requirements:

You want to use low wattage bulbs' for best results' to avoid over heating of your' pet as over heating could cause your' pet to dehydrate, these animals' seem to fair well at temperatures of (85 to 90 degrees F.), you also need a UV light set up for a basking area so the animal can move to and from heat as needed.

Sexing Your' Animal: The male is larger then the female and will have 2 bumps under the base of the tail at the vent.

Feeding And Nutrition:

For feeding your' pet it is no problem as they are veracious feeders' and will readily eat crickets', meal worms, super worms, fruit flies, and wax worms, as they grow they will also eat mice, fish, rats, crayfish, and some canned dog food and cat food should be offered.

Handling And Care:

"Alright for the care and handling of your pet", I personally have found that the trick too taming a monitor lizard is by knowing them, for instance knowing when they are in a bad mood, when a monitor does not want to be bothered it will turn side ways and draw back it's tail, it will also make a loud hissing noise and swell it's neck up, these are very important keys too know if you plan on taming one of these animals, the next things too know is that if you plan on taming one you should buy them as babies or juveniles, the more they are handled when they are small is the tamer your' animal will be after it grows up.