I have no problem with these discussions, as they help me too. Your observations of Collards are important in understanding monitors.

I also think our discussions ACTUALLY help more others, then you can imagine.

One of the biggest problems I see with varaphiles, you know, those book writers is This. MOST appear, at least the ones who fight actual captive progress, to be very varanid specific. That is, they have little reptiles experience. Everything they know is based on varanids, and truthfully, there is little known. So they are up a creek with a spoon for a paddle.

For instance, when I first came here, there were many experts. Some could be coached into allow their monitors to lay eggs, but sadly, as varaphiles, they have no idea how to hatch reptile eggs. So naively I would say, you know like you would set up a colubrid or python. They would say, what? never did that. So I thought, oK, these are lizard folks, then say, like you would set up beardeds. Again, they would say, What! Well, I flat could not understand that, you see, I was prejudiced, I thought everyone interested in reptiles(the experts) had to have had some experience with hatching eggs. Boy was I wrong.

The old timers, many of the authors, not only have not hatched varanids, but have not hatched anydang thing. Again, why I use the word ACADEMICS. AS many of these fine folks and they are fine folks, are truely academic to the base understanding of not only monitors, but all reptiles.

So, as you see, most do not understand why I often mention ACADEMICS. Those most, do not understand how serious this problem is. They are taking/considering advice from a title, not from experience. It appears you can gain a title, author/PHD/biologist, without ever doing anything. But simply by reading and writing.

Frankly, if I have any responsibility to share in my successes, it has to be getting keepers off on the right foot. They have to understand where there information is coming from.

So I enjoy your experiences, and I am sure others will to, particularly if we can link them to monitors. And without question, collards are small monitor like in many many ways. Cheers

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