The following information is very important to ensure a long and healthy life for your captive Monitor lizard. over one million monitor lizards have been imported, exported and bred over the years and sold into the pet trade. Of this huge number only a small handful have survived past their first birthday, and an even smaller amount have lived beyond 5 years. This page will address why so many captive Monitors suffer and die in the hands of reptile enthusiasts worldwide. Please read carefully because failure to provide these very basic requirements always results in a slow, excruciating death of these beautiful, highly intelligent animals.