Are moniter lizards a good pet?

First ... it is not good for your python's health for you to try to make it "as big as possible". Snakes are as prone to health problems due to obesity as humans, and it's even more difficult for them to safely lose the excess weight. Fatty Liver disease and Heart disease kill many pet snakes (especially large boids). Also, it has been proven that snakes who are fed a low-calorie diet live much longer & healthier lives than snakes that are fed once or twice a week. The longest-lived rattlesnake survived quite nicely on a diet of no more than six meals per year, with a hibernation period of approximately 4-5 months during which it didn't eat at all. As for monitors ... Most monitor lizards don't make the best of pets due to their often edgy, nervous & irritable nature. Some are better in this regard than others, I've met some that seemed to be dog-tame. But lizards have a higher metabolism than snakes, and require more room than you would give a snake in order for them to get a proper amount of in-cage excercise. Also, some species require a larger bathing pool than you might expect, and like all reptiles they require a clean environment with proper lighting, heat, and humidity in order to remain healthy. Meeting these needs can take up a lot of time and money, so you need to consider this before investing either in a new pet. In short, please be sure to do your research before getting any new reptile pets. It is easy to become a "hoarder", and to find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer number of pets you have to care for, especially if you wish to lead a life outside of your zoo.

a monitor is hard to keep. They have to have a lot of room, they need to be misted and have big pools of water, and they just don't "like" people. They belong in the wild.

reptiles do better in the wild. it is no life for them living with us. plus, as a "pet", they are not very good. They stink, lay around and eat. This probably describes most of americas pets, but it shouldn't. Even though some people think they can, we cannot "bond" with reptiles. They don't think, they react. We humanize every animal, but at least dogs we can get some sort of bonding experience. So if you want a big stinky thing sitting in the corner all day, so you can look at and plop on your lap then go ahead and get one. I think you would be happier with something else.

NO

Almost all the answers are good and correct and I wouldn't get a big monitor if you are not experienced in them try a golden tegu but if your like me when I first started I didn't listen to the warnings and learned for myself. That I know of the most docile big body monitor is the water monitor of Indonesia sometimes reaching 8 feet. Must be prepared and willing to provide it with its proper environment requirements witch is quite a task. Good Luck

Get it young. Then when it does bite it won't do any damage to your apendages. If you handle it enough it should get used to you. I'm not an expert though. I like big lizards too. I wish it were possible to own an Komodo Dragon. They are so cool. get the monitor. http://exoticpets.about.com/od/monitorlizards/ Savanna monitors are pretty popular. check out this site.

I personally would not recommend any monitors as pets other than a few dwarf types such as acanthurus. There are a couple of others but due to their rarity the cost would be prohibitive.

It is not a good idea to aggressively feed (power feeding) your python. I feed mine every 7-10 days which is plenty sufficient. As for monitors, Ackies (aka Ridge Tail / Dwarf) and Tegus are great monitors.

I think their yummy!