Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello there, I used to come on these boards waaayy back in the day and got alot of great help from everyone on how to take care of my yellow ackie monitor.

Well that was about the year 2000, and he (she?) has lived a good life, very healthy sized lizard according to the vet that has seen it for the past 7 years.

But my ackie is a bit strange, it only eats during the summer months, then goes hiding under it's hiding spot. He's very calm, no stress if I pick him up though he does moderatley try to get away.

But like I said it only eats from about May-August and it bulks up on crickets,rodents, roaches, etc then doesn't eat even if I offer it food untill he comes out of his hiding spot in the warmer months. Is this normal behavior? Just wondering, thank you.

I would guess your temps change in the winter. Is your cage sitting on the floor? Often the floor acts as a heat sink and your substrate stays cold. If that is the case prop the cage up off the floor and monitor your temps. They should eat year round if they can find the temps they want.

Steve