u/Classic-Fig123

Hi everyone,

I’ve loved asian water monitors since I was a kid, but their size is the main issue for me. I’m looking for something with a similar look/personality, but more manageable.

I’ve been researching Sumbawa and Celebensis/Sulawesi water monitors, but I can’t find much keeper info. I’ve also looked at ackies, blue/black tree monitors, Kimberley rock monitors, and peach-throat monitors.

I live in Scandinavia, and since this would be my first reptile, I’d prefer to buy from someone I can drive to in Sweden/Norway/Denmark/Finland rather than shipping.
I know monitors are difficult, and I’m willing to take my time, research properly, and set everything up well before buying.

Mainly looking for:

classic “water monitor” look

intelligent/curious

food-motivated

interactive

manageable size

Are Sumbawa or Celebensis water monitors actually more manageable than normal Asian water monitors? Or would an ackie, Kimberley rock, peach-throat, or another species be a better choice?

Any firsthand experience or breeder recommendations in Scandinavia/nearby Europe would be appreciated.

In short I’m curious about some of the medium to larger sized monitors and how they are as pets: specifically Asian water monitors, Kimberly rock monitors, Savannah monitors

Would love some recommendations of other monitors aswell :)

Some context: Me and wife and looking to buy a reptile so I’m looking around for the right one. My wife grew up with a green iguana pet and other lizards, we currently now own a bearded dragon and will move out to a big house in about 1 year.

So space won’t necessarily be the issue here, she is good at handling lizards and I’m somewhat a beginner (since the beardie was hers before we moved together). She wants a new lizard aswell as told me i can choose cause she is down for the majority of them. We both want a reptile that we can build a nice big enclosure for, one that is somewhat social and likes being handled / comfortable with human interaction and maybe even cuddly (not a must).

Also, I’m not intending on rushing and getting a monitor any time soon. I’m fully aware of the needs so I will be researching, meeting breeders / going to conventions to talk to various owners, store keeper etc. I would only decide if I’m aware that I can give it the right home and care.

All help is appreciated, thanks in advance. Wish you all a great weekend :)

Hey everyone, me and wife currently own a beardie and she used to own geckos as a kid. We are moving to a house in about a year and we wanted to get a larger enclosure for a new lizard since we have the space for it. We also are aware that these breeds crave more.

We have narrowed it down to 2 breeds but would love to hear from other owners what you think of said breeds or which one you’d pick :)

Asian water dragons 🐉

Tree monitors 🦎

Honorable mention is the Fiji banded iguana, I’ve heard of some people in my area (Europe) that have them so its possible.

All help is appreciated, thanks in advance!

Hey everyone, me and wife currently own a beardie and she used to own geckos as a kid. We are moving to a house in about a year and we wanted to get a larger enclosure for a new lizard since we have the space for it, we are also aware that these breeds crave more than a bearded dragon / geckos.

We have narrowed it down to 2 breeds but would love to hear from other owners what you think of said breeds or which one you’d pick :)

Asian water dragons 🐉

Tree monitors 🦎

Honorable mention is the Fiji banded iguana, I’ve heard of some people in my area (Europe) that have them so its possible.

All help is appreciated, thanks in advance!