Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So today i received my replacement monitor, the one before this had a terrible burn on his neck, and was over a foot long, the one I received today was a captive born im pretty sure, since it was just over a inch long, poor guy was so cold he was barely moving when he got here, gorgeous markings. Any special advice for raising a inch or two long monitor?

Hmmmmm, are we talking Savs here? because either you do not have a monitor, no monitor hatches out at one inch, not total lenght or SV lenght. Even the very smallest are in the four inch range(TL).

The fresh imports have been arriving, so yes, you have a fresh hatch, but its still not true captive born. Its hatched from eggs gathered from the fields or wild gravid females. Yes this has been verified. A well known Varanid biologist has gone and looked(Daniel Bennett) he has a website and all such things if you care to look it up.

Even if your monitor and other so called CBB(whatever that means) were hatched in someones outbuilding or shade ramada, There is still a huge difference between TRUE captive hatched. That difference is care. Which is also the same problem with TRUE wildcaughts.

CB monitors from the states or europe are well taken care of since the day they hatch. They are housed in small groups or individually and fed like little babies(which they are) and if there is a slow individual, its seperated and babied somemore. Now compare that to what happened to your sav, It hatched, so far the same, then its placed in pens with tens of thousands of others. Maybe fed, maybe not, if food is offered its thrown in and some eat, most don't. Of course weak individuals end up on the bottom and die right off.

The individuals that hatch first, may be kept for some time, while CITES issues each years quota. Some of the early shipments even have leftovers from last year. If they were lucky(hmmmm if you call that luck) to live that long.

Then of course, they arrive at one of several larger importers, who then immediately get them out to jobbers. Many times the importer does not even bring them back to their facility. They meet the jobbers at the airport.

Of course later in the season. The jobbers cannot sell them so quickly so they do go back to the importers facility, and wait or die(equal numbers) until sold.

Of course the jobbers ship them out as fast as they can(remember, some are dying all the time) speed is essential.

Some of the dealers take good care, some of the petshops take good care, but in most cases the damage is already done. Most don't take any care of them, as that costs money and when your only making a few cents per individual, you cannot afford to spend time and care on them.

No matter what you do with some of the babies, they will not make it. So I guess the question with these is, ARE YOU FEELING LUCKY MISTER?

There are also shortcuts of the above, its not always a set system. But by and large, it kinda works like that.

With true captive hatched, you normally buy from the breeder(you can if you wish) or from one step removed. In any case, the monitors were babied since hatching. Its all about picking your poison.

How about posting a pic of that one or two inch monitor, I have never seen one so little. Cheers

With that species and many others, this is true. A shame to the industry and an insult to those in other countries taking the time to legitimately breed and/or at least show better care for their animals.
-Shane

It's be bad everyone who thinks about buying one of these at a pet store for $15 cant read that!!!
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0.1.0 BCI, 3 yr old
0.0.1 Ridge Tail Monitor
0.0.1 ArgusXflavi Cross monitor
0.0.1 Leoperd Gecko, Juvi (My girlfriends)