argus monitor care sheet wanted?

[mike97]

hi guys. i wanting to research argus' so is there any up to date care sheets?
ive researched many different animals and im stuck between argus' and tegus! lol!
i know people say 8x4x4 is minimum but the best i can offer is 6x5x7 with 3 extra levels 12 shelves will be 5x3 and the other will be 3x2

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

I have 6 tegus and 3 argus's...... tegus are better IMO.
Argus are very high strung, and often called the ADHD lizards, as they are always on the go, in your face and VERY food aggressive. Ready for a 5ft monitor rushing at you with its mouth open ready to eat anything that moves? lol
They also MUST have 2-3ft deep of burrowable substrate as they are the diggers and burrowers of the monitor world, even more than most species of varanids. Keep in mind, while they dont get as big as niles, black throats or waters.. because of their actively level they do need very large cages.

Heres a few links about them but neither are really complete telling all info, feel free to ask me questions though.
http://www.reptilechannel.com/lizards/lizard-care/argus-monitor.aspx

http://panoptesv.com/HBD/argus.html

http://panoptesv.com/HBD/tricks.html

 

[mike97]

I have 6 tegus and 3 argus's...... tegus are better IMO.
Argus are very high strung, and often called the ADHD lizards, as they are always on the go, in your face and VERY food aggressive. Ready for a 5ft monitor rushing at you with its mouth open ready to eat anything that moves? lol
They also MUST have 2-3ft deep of burrowable substrate as they are the diggers and burrowers of the monitor world, even more than most species of varanids. Keep in mind, while they dont get as big as niles, black throats or waters.. because of their actively level they do need very large cages.

Heres a few links about them but neither are really complete telling all info, feel free to ask me questions though.
http://www.reptilechannel.com/lizards/lizard-care/argus-monitor.aspx

http://panoptesv.com/HBD/argus.html

http://panoptesv.com/HBD/tricks.html

thanks! 2ft is fine with an extra ft of mulch so 3ft??? argus' are more of a challenge lol! so more fun. i have thought of this carefuly

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

no mulch for monitors. sandy loam dirt mixed with riverbed sand is best. for an adult argus, your going to need more like 30-36inchs deep. PLEASE do a lot more research, argus' are not for everyone. they are a big step up from tegus.

 

[mike97]

i know 70% soil 30% sand and 3ft of substrate is a bit of an overkill seeing that 2ft is fine according to most people who have owned them i am going to do a lot more research dont worry, i do for every reptile i get
thanks!

 

[treysik]

Any research I've read is 36" substrate for an adult.

 

[mike97]

24" for me

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

your talking a 5ft male 4ft female full grown how can that burrow in 24inches? let alone if a female, female varanids nest and lay even without ever being introduced to a male, a female will not nest in 24inches, you need at least 30 for them to properly nest and not dump the eggs or become egg bound. argus are incredibly picky nesters and really prefer a sandy loam x riverbed sand dirt over the crappy topsoil which is filled with compost and sand mix. I have about 30-36inches in my enclosure and i have had 3 back to back clutches, im not a breeder, but i dont want my female to be egg bound either. deep substrate is just a fact of life when it comes to owning monitors and again, argus are one of the top species that require incredibly deep substrate.

 

[TegusRawsome80]

Also, a 6 foot cage for a 5 foot lizard is retardedly small. However you want to explain it away, that's really not big enough. I think 8x4x4 would be alright for a female but for a male I'd go 10x5x5 personally. Maybe you should look into a different species?

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

or a cross, they stay smaller. everything about them is argus, argus appearance, argus attitude, just in a smaller package.

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

i posted a thread with my enclosure

 

[Deac77]

honestly id look into something else, if you're not ready for them argus are incredibly difficult to keep. Yes they may be a mid sized monitor lizard but their Metabolism is MUCH higher than most and they will easily eat more than most their size just to keep up. you cant honestly expect a 4-5 foot lizard to be comfortable in a 5 foot cage, that would be like putting you in a king sized closet for good. also this is not a species to "tame down" you'll have a very aggressive, very large, very bold lizard. also if this is your first Monitor lizard you couldn't ask for a worse one to begin with.

 

[SnakeCharmr728]

hey now, niles are worse than argus's! haha i love mine but I do agree, they are not a good beginner monitor. Find one to spend some time with and you'll quickly learn why.

 

[Deac77]

ill give you that but argus are a special breed, you'll never have a calm, tame, docile, what ever word you want to use one

 

[viejo]

I lovingly rescued a couple of eastern niles from deaths-door a few years ago & was rewarded with 2 of the nastiest SOB reptiles that I ever had the experience to own. I believe that they would have run a city block to nail you! 'No good deed goes unpunished '.

 

[mike97]

thanks for the replies. everyone i've spoke too said that it is a pretty decent sized enclosure, especially for a female. most people will get one not knowing the size that the animal will grow to and wont house it in any bigger than a 6x3x3. it will be better off going to me tbh

 

[mike97]

ohh and about the crosses, im in the uk so it's very hard to find a pure argus let alone a cross

 

[Tyler137]

ill give you that but argus are a special breed, you'll never have a calm, tame, docile, what ever word you want to use one

Well I found one

the .001% of argus

 

[mike97]

as above some do get pretty calm. im not looking for calmness tbh. idc about how tame it is. i like them as they are always on the go and not exactly lazy

 

[Tyler137]

as above some do get pretty calm. im not looking for calmness tbh. idc about how tame it is. i like them as they are always on the go and not exactly lazy

There is actually quite a few tame ones I have seen on YouTube. One was over 5 feet long his owners friend was able to pick him up and hold him and he didn't get aggressive at all. I know you said you don't care about the ability to be tame but it is a plus. Also that definitely sounds like a bug enough cage for one, seen multiple people who have about that size, maybe a little smaller. Especially with the multiple levels, I would think it is enough room based off their requirements.