So for context, I have a bit of a collection of animals already. I've got a bunch of snakes and a handful of invertebrates, and while I'm happy with all my animals, there's one thing I've always wanted to round it all off, a huge lizard.
I've had a few lizards in the past. As a kid, I had a leopard gecko and a crestie. In more recent times, I had an ackie who I absolutely adored, but he was just a bit too small to scratch the itch I have.
I also watched a friends juvenile argus monitor for a bit over a year. She was fun at times, but was really cautious around people's hands. I never touched her if she hissed at me, or forced handling. I don't know why, maybe she just didn't like hands or something. While it was fun feeding her and watching her dig around and climb, I wouldn't be very satisfied if she was my own pet from the lack of interactivity. Also, a bit too high energy for me. Whenever I fed her, she would act like she's never eaten in her life, and tried to eat my tongs on several occasions.
I wanted to come here and ask everyone: what would you say fits me best? Size wise, I'm looking at 4-5 feet, ideally closer to 4 than 5, but I'm flexible within that range. I want something really interactive that actually wants to engage with me, not just something that tolerates being handled.
With some research and input from friends, my top candidates right now are female Argentine black and white tegus, celebensis water monitors, and female black throat monitors. Tegus would be my first choice, but I'm not big on brumation, and guberty sounds like a nightmare, but their temperment is pretty hard to beat from what I hear
What do you all think? For reference, the largest space I can provide is 8x4x4. I'd love something like an Asian water monitor if I had the space and money for the enclosure it would need lol.
