Varanus salvator is a highly variable species. Size has everything to do with subspecies, locality and conditions. By far the largest of the subspecies is V. salvator salvator, maximum size ever recorded was 321 cm. in Sri Lanka. Maximum sizes for the Thai and Malaysian localities are as large as 250cm., but this is exceptional. The largest that I have seen yet in the field was last week, which I conservatively estimate at ca. 220cm.

To give you a true appreciation of how large it is, here is an adult female ca. 150cm at the same location the day before.

Those available in the pet trade are often from Indonesia. They vary greatly from subspecies to subspecies and island to island; they tend to be much smaller than the mainland V. salvator, even the V. s. salvator are smaller from Indonesia. The conditions in captivity will also be a very important factor in the growth of a V. salvator; optimum conditions will favor greater size and there are methods to produce accelerated growth, but this will not necessarily produce greater overall size or health.

I live in an area which has possibly one of the highest population densities of V. salvator anywhere, so I do not provide heat except in the form of basking lights. Temperatures range from 27°C-33°C (dependent on season and time of day). Average humidity is 75%.

UVB is not necessary for V. salvator to grow or develop. I raised a pair of V. salvator without UVB from hatchling to sub-adult then the next year I raised another pair with UVB on the same diet in the same enclosure. Both pairs developed at the same rate and neither pair had any illness; however, those exposed to UVB radiation were more alert, had brighter coloration (usually an indicator of well-being) and had stronger feeding responses. There is nothing scientific about the positive results I experienced using UVB radiation with V. salvator because the positive results are intangible and can not be measured, but I am sure that if I had blood work done, it would have shown an increase in vitamin D3 levels, which is just a normal process of synthesis which occurs in most reptiles when exposed to UVB radiation. I currently use UVB or natural sunlight for all my reptiles except for the fossorial ones, because of the positive results that I have seen.

Growth rates have averaged up to 1m in the first year, which is consistent with what I have seen in the wild populations. This can be accelerated by overfeeding, keeping at the high temperature range and artificial light cycles, which I am sure others here can tell you about, but are not something I practice.

Behavior is also variable with subspecies, locality and conditions. I find V. salvator salvator in Thailand far less docile than V. salvator bivittatus from Indonesia that I kept in the US. In fact, of the 6 that I have raised over the last two years, I can not say that any of them could be considered suitable as a pet, but then again, I am not keeping them as one would traditionally have pets.

My food costs are also much lower than you would have in the US. I often spend less than $100USD a month to feed a collection of over 40 reptiles: rabbits, mice, chicks, geckos, frogs, fish, crabs, shrimp, crickets, bloodworms, vegetables and fruit. As far as what the V. salvator receives: frogs and crickets as juveniles, frogs and mice as sub-adults.

Housing requires a LARGE area. I only keep them until sub-adult, because from that point on, they can be observed in the field; I have only seen one hatchling or juvenile in the field and it was only a flash. I keep the sub-adults in an outdoor enclosure 1.3m X 2.6m X 2.3m high. ABSOLUTE MINIMUM that I would consider housing an adult V. salvator in is 2m X 4m X 2.5m. This is a species that does it all: burrows, covers ground, climbs trees and swims. People have raised them without swimming facilities, but why keep a creature that spends its entire life in or in close proximity of the water without an area to swim in? I consider that cruelty, like keeping a Varanus prasinus complex monitor without anything to climb on.

Cheers,
Michael

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