Monitor Lizard : Found in California Neighborhood

5-foot Monitor Lizard:

Riverside California Animal services officers often get calls reporting "huge," monstrous reptiles, only to arrive and find an itty-bitty garden snake.The 5-foot Monitor lizard wandering around a condo complex in the city of Riverside was way bigger than animal control officer Jenny Selter could have imagined.

"She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," said John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk."Jenny Shelter, Animal Control Office, was on the scene and couldn’t believe how monstrous this lizard was:

In a related story, my mother just emitted a knowing smile while cemetery officials report that my father has turned over in his grave. I should have mom call John Welsh. She could likely provide him with a spot-on description of who Walsh should be on the lookout for.You see, as a youth, I developed a fascination for odd pets. It started with an exotic frog named Uncle Mingo who one day hopped out an open door to a life of freedom. I was heartbroken, but not deterred. I would own another exotic pet, only I vowed to do better job taking care of the next one.

Monitor lizards have become a staple in the reptile pet trade. The most commonly kept monitors are the Savannah monitor and Acklin's monitor, due to their relatively small size, low cost, and relatively calm dispositions. Nile monitors, white throated monitors, water monitors, mangrove monitors, emerald tree monitors, black tree monitors, acanthurus monitors, quince monitors, crocodile monitors and komodo dragons have also been kept in captivity. Like all reptiles that are kept as pets, monitors need hiding places and an appropriate substrate.

Monitors also need a large water dish in which they can soak their entire bodies.In the wild, monitors will eat anything they can overpower, but crickets, superworms, and the occasional rodent make up most of the captive monitors' diet. Boiled eggs, silkworms, earthworms, and feeder fish can also be fed to them. However, due to their predatory nature and large size some monitors can be dangerous to keep as pets; adult Nile monitors and water monitors, for example can reach seven feet in length.

When I was in my teens (14?), I announced to my parents that I wanted to buy an iguana. They were (obviously) reticent to welcome such a creature in their home with open arms. I assured them that, Uncle Mingo notwithstanding, I’d take excellent care of it. I must have been awfully persuasive because the following day, my mom took me to Amazon Pets and I selected a cute little iguana. I named him Stan.