In my time here at the monitor forum (Going on 8 years now though I'm not a regular poster) I have learned very much from FR's posts and among them is the most important lesson he's trying to impart in his previous post. In the wild, animals are not guarenteed they'll even make it through the first day of life, let alone continue to make it through the number of seasons it takes to become a mature, productive member of its species. All species have a very high mortality rate of their young, most of the time 98% across the species board, even among mammals despite longer parental care periods. In the wild, only the strong, smart and fit survive the flood of predators that hunt every species. We, as humans, see the number of these animals and assume that each and every one will survive to become a valuable member of their species and we interfere much to this end in our keeping of the various species. Monitors included. In every clutch there will be weak hatchlings, semi-weak hatchlings and strong hatchlings. Those who are weak die almost immediately.. from starvation, predation or other problems. The semi-weak individuals survive a few months.. maybe more...but usually not long enough to reproduce. This is what nature is about. Producing strong, healthy adaptive offspring. The weak do not survive to reproduce (Part of the problem with the human population and all the diseases that run rampant among us) only the strong survive long enough to truly contribute to their species. A clutch of 50 eggs may only have a hatch rate of 50% in the wild. Out of the 25 that hatched...10 may fall to predators in the first day.. or they all may. What the point is..there is no guarentee of a long and successful life. Nature is harsh and unrelenting and not every animal is fit to survive... not even in captivity is this a guarentee for any monitor.

Take me for instance...On May 20th 1999 I recieved a 9 inch Juvenile Bosc monitor. She was estimated to be about 12-18 months old at the time and definately wild caught, not farmed. She was in great condition when I got her. Not underweight and only slightly dehydrated. She ate and drank the first day she arrived and had the nasty temper to boot that marked a rather healthy juvenile. I had this monitor almost 7 years. She passed on November 18th, 2005. I made mistakes yes but even with the mistakes I made, she passed infertile eggs at least 10 times within my care.. No telling how many times she ovulated and reabsorbed the clutch instead. However, due to limitations on space, I had no opportunity to find her a mate and breed her. The point of the matter is. She was a strong individual. Even so she didn't live to the maximum life space of a Bosc. But she would have reproduced possibly successfully if I'd have been able to allow it. No one will ever know why she never reached her maximum lifespan but it doesn't matter. There are always variables and always complications that assail the daily life of all animals, including those kept in captivity...especially those in captivity. Captivity is not the ideal... the wild is the ideal and captivity a mere shadow of nature that we control. In the end, its not about what they do or how they do it.. but what is accomplished within their alotted timespan. This is the same ideal we apply to humans. Its not the amount of time, its what you do with it that counts.



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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boas (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
7.11.7.Leopard geckos (2.1 Blizzards (Caine, Phoenix, and Mirage), 0.2 Tangerine Albinos (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short, and Casper), 1.0 Tremper Albino (Mycah), 1.1 Triple. het blizzard x tang albino x patternless (Malice, Malfeas), 1.0 Full Stripe Chocolate Tremper Albino (Discord), 0.1 pastel (Raven) and 1.5 Normals) 0.0.3 het albinos, 0.0.2 patternless blizzard/albinos, 0.0.2 - 50%possible triple hets (blizzard x albino x patternless)
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros) (R.I.P. November 18, 2005)
13 rats (plus pups)
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Ashe and Hercules)

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