Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know a good place to get some croc monitor info? I have already tried to do searches on the internet. But nothing good. Please help!

Nice little baby. What info are you looking for? feel free to give me a holler with any questions on them.

My croc monitors are a little on the skinny side. Is there some food I can give them to get them to go get it right away like a treat? Thanks

They do not look to bad to me. I have seen some pretty skinny croc's. If I had them I would feed them pinky mice or rat pinks. Then as they grow offer larger food items, bigger mice, rats, or chicks. That is what I feed to mine. My croc's hate water so suprised to see yours swimming. Might mean your cage is not holding enough humidity. Basically if I mist my croc's they run unless the humidity levels are to low then they sit and take it. (but they do not enjoy it).

Jody The humidity is fine I have a fogger in there and a large kitty litter pan of water also the peat moss is moist. He goes in the water pan everytime I open the cage. I have a bigger tank nex to this one it is 4X4 but everytime I go in there to pick them up they try and bite. If i keep them in the 50 gallon aquirium they are come and let me pick them up. How should i go about picking them up and taming them so they can go in there big custome built cage? Thanks

Jody do you have any picks of baby croc monitors? If so i would like to see some. Thanks again.

Tame is not a great word to use for croc's. I would use tolerant of you. This takes alot of time and patience and it will not happen over night and sometimes it just does not ever happen. Both of mine are tolerant of me but I wouldn't try kissing them. They are not evil monsters waiting to eat you when the cage is opened so do not take what I say in that respect. I just don't think they are the lap lizard, cuddly type LOL.

There is no tricks to getting them tolerant of you other then working with them and letting them know you mean no harm. Once they get accustom to you they will either accept or not accept you. As for why they are acting different in a larger cage then a small one could be many things. If they have been in the small one awhile they are used to it and not worried. The big one is a new scary place and they are woirried about everything.

The important thing with monitors is to give them plenty of time and patience.

I wrote an article on V. salvadorii in Reptiles Magazine a few years ago is good for starters: June 1998 Reptiles. Also look up Honolulu Zoo web page - they have some information on V. salvadorii. An amazing animal. I have probably99% information written on this species, if that interests you?

good luck,
mbayless

nice treat????billy

If you are looking for solid natural history information, check out Mark B's articles as he mentioned. The Honolulu Zoo is another excellent source as they have had good success with this species. If you want some details on husbandry/captive care, I'd be happy to share our protocols (we currently have two on exhibit).

Enclosure: We are in the process of have a custom made enclosure made by Habitat Systems. This cage, which will house on croc monitor on exhibit, will measure 16' wide x 6' deep x 8' high.

Set up/Environment: All heaters will be controlled by Helix thermostats. We will be incorporating pro product radiant heat panels, power sun halogen bulbs for uv basking sights, vita-lites, and a kane heat mat to provide ground level heat if needed. Basking temps will reach 120-135 deg F. while ambient temps will range from the upper 70's to the mid to upper 80's with humidity levels in the 77-88% range.

Our set up will be naturalistic complete with natural rockwork, rock backround with basking ledges, faux logs, vines, branches, trees and foliage. Substrate will be a combination of leaf litter, dirt/sand, and forest humus/mulch. A large pool will also have a high quality filter to keep it as clean as possible at all times. This enclosure will have its own misting system to maintain proper ambient humidity levels.

Diet: we pretty much stick to a basic diet of mice, rats, quail and rabbit. Adults are fed twice weekly while our baby is fed 4 times per week (and insects are included in the diet). For vitamins we use Minerall Indoor and RepCal/Herptivite. We weigh our animals monthly to ensure proper growth patterns.

There is still so much we don't know about this mysterious lizard but as more dedicated herpetoculturists and zoos/wildlife centers continue to unfold their secrets, we will continue to improve our husbandry on this beautiful varanid.

Handling: Anything less than heavy duty gloves is not a smart move in our book. It only takes one little nip to send you to the hospital and even though our crocs are relatively docile and have never tried to bite, we give these animals the respect that they deserve. Our staff enjoy daily interactions with these highly intelligent lizards and they are a real delight to work with.

Pets? NO. When people ask us what makes a great pet monitor, we tell them that it all depends on what their level of commitment and dedication is. For the average person, croc monitors do not make good pets but for the ultimate in varanids, these cannot be beat for the most serious of collectors. Black throated monitors are probably an easier to work with "big" monitor.

Rob Carmichael, Director/Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation