..or should I say, Which came first, generations of monitors, or a starting point?



Unfortunately, we must all start somewhere, Frank. You seem to feel that sharing information at even such a "startup-level" is a bad thing. Being that I see very few people, if any who are having repeated success with tree monitors and roughneck monitors (generations), I don't think there is much a choice in what we have to work with and discuss; besides, whatever information and experiences (whether it be success or failure) we can compile about our experiences, even at such a 'beginner level' is always good thing, as it allows us to pick through and compare eachother's experiences, and pick out what is consistent among eachother's dealings, what works and what doesn't work, and use what we've gathered towards progressing our understanding of what is best for these animals in captivity. Trial and error on a much larger scale.



As for roughneck monitors, they are in a similar situation, in fact I am willing to bet that there is far less information regarding these animals out there than tree monitors, and even less captive breeding success with this species. Ben has kept V. rudicollis in the past, which is why I referred this individual to him. He also operates a website in which he is the process of compiling all/most of the written literature regarding V. dumerilii and V. rudicollis, making access to such literature easier for enthusiasts who are interested in reading about these species, whether it be about captive husbandry or natural history.



Perhaps communicating with fellow and former keepers is a bad thing? Maybe we should just keep to ourselves, become herpetocultural hermits, and never share any of our observations, experiences (regardless of how insignificant or trivial they may seem), or successes(and failures) with fellow hobbyists and enthusiasts. Varaniculture would surely progress at an alarming rate, and our understanding of monitor lizards would be unparalelled. But wait, then there would be no need for such a forum...
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