Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys

a big THANKS to everyone who offered great advice when this big guy came into the rescue a couple months ago. He is eating well and doing great, although I'm still working on his permanent setup.

It was warm today so I gave him a little time out on the deck wtih us.

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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org

That's a fab nile! Good luck with him.

They are a separate species. Varanus ornatus, not varanus niloticus ornatus. So thats the big "nile" I heard about recently from someone the rescue was given.

Excellent point Shvar... I believe Ornate Forest Monitor has become the adopted name- especially if you live in FL where Niles will require a permit soon... Know the differences people( in FL ) and be able to prove it, the authorities do not... Best to you- Mike

Thanks for sharing the pix!
I was wondering how he was doing. Looks great since you got the
stuck shed of him.
Here's my pretty boy or girl.
E

Wow Eradi that is a beautiful nile. What type is it because ive never seen red like that on one.

Tough concept to accept, I guess...well, best to you all- Mike

It's a V. Ornatus.
I've had it just over 3 months now and the orange becomes more prominent with each shed.
The party I purchased him from told me it was collected from
Nigeria. The color/pattern may be a local specific thing like
the Cameroon Forest monitor which is also V. Ornatus.
Maybe FR, Rob Faust or someone else here could shed some more
light on that...?
E

Are ornates typically less aggressive than common Niles or what?

Whatever the case, both those Ornates look wonderful, especially the big guy.
Great job on the rescue.

NO. They are both usually very nervous and defensive.

Are you sure that's a "he"? Big head and chest, I can't make out the hemi's... Anybody else? Thanks and best to you all- Mike

Thanks for the feedback on the species. I am still trying to figure out what to call a rat snake since "elaphe" went under argument. If all else fails I will just have to refer to Larry as a "monitor lizard" but I guess I will stick with Ornate Monitor Lizard from now on. What are the differences between Ornate Monitor and Ornate Nile Monitor and Nile Monitor? You guys sound like you are really pros at this while I am just working on the basics.

To answer the M/F question, no "Larry" hasn't been sexed. He was sold as a "he" to the original owner but you know accurate that probably is. However, in 11 years he hasn't laid eggs so (unless the Easter Bunny is getting em first) would that suggest he is a HE not a SHE?

As far as aggression, his first owner worked with him constantly from what I'm told. He usually starts by hissing but settles right down with a little reassurance. He has gotten nervous a couple times and musked around the dogs and half-heartedly tail-whipped a couple times. So some of his nervousness is still there, but for the most part he really settles down. I posted a slide show at forgottenfriend.org/sponsors.php of when he went in to the local pet store to get sized up for a harnass. In the middle of all the craziness of a pet store he just snuggled up with one of the owners and didn't even want to explore. I guess she would have been a warm hiding place but there would have been a lot of better "hides" in the store if he was just scared. So he deffinitely has some lasting signs of being socialized, which is great.

Thanks all for the feedback,
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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org

That is one awesome lizard! He looks great. Are you keeping him?

Roger

Yes we are planning to keep him. We visut schools, churches, etc with educational programs so I thought it would be great to have such an easy going monitor to take to some of our events. We are in the process of working on an indoor and an outdoor setup for him.

>>That is one awesome lizard! He looks great. Are you keeping him?
>>
>>Roger
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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org

Sounds like Larry has found some great friends and a good home!

Roger

The same species, but a different subspecies (V. niloticus. and V.n. ornatus). At some point in time genetics were used to reclassify varanids aside from the appearance and hemipene morphology. The result was that many species were reclassified, and some subspecies such as the ornate nile were junked. The 2 species are close enough to breed with each other but there is no such animal as a ornate nile anymore. They were called ornate monitor, ornate forest monitor, but they are a separate species, not niloticus (nile).

Thanks for getting me up to speed!

-Jesse

>>The same species, but a different subspecies (V. niloticus. and V.n. ornatus). At some point in time genetics were used to reclassify varanids aside from the appearance and hemipene morphology. The result was that many species were reclassified, and some subspecies such as the ornate nile were junked. The 2 species are close enough to breed with each other but there is no such animal as a ornate nile anymore. They were called ornate monitor, ornate forest monitor, but they are a separate species, not niloticus (nile).

Great closeup head shot. Nice looking guy.

Can you tell the story of the rescue. I'm curious why someone would let such a beautiful animal go.

Can you tell the story of the rescue? I'm curious why someone would let such a beautiful animal go.

Since a couple people have asked me about the background of this particular rescued monitor, here is the story:

The original owner got it eleven years ago as a hatchling (as a gift I believe....I don't think he originally knew what he was getting into). Nevertheless he did his very best raising it and did a very nice job as you can see by the pictures. Besides general TLC, he said he put a lot of effort into socializing it, which resulted in a very easy-going adult lizard.

At some point the owner had some changing family dynamics and he no longer had the room to house such a large monitor. He was reluctant to let it go, but wanted the best for his pet and knew it deserved a bigger area than he could provide in his new living situation. He listed it for adoption in a few places and eventually called on our nonprofit reptile rescue for help.

Although we don't get A LOT of large monitors through the rescue, it is certainly not uncommon. Large adult size is the number one reason reptiles come into our rescue and we probably get a dozen or so calls a year for large monitors. We post our adoptions on kinsnake's adoption classifieds as well as on our rescue's public adoption forum at www.forgottenfriend.org/forum, which also has adoption listings from around the US . I would suggest that sreious monitor keepers regularly check these types of adoption boards because untold numbers of monitors of all species "outgrow their welcome" due to large adult sizes and long lifespans I am sure many of the folks on this forum can serve the monitor community as well as improve their collection by helping to find homes for unwanted adult monitors

(Note to forum mods: this is not meant as an advertisement. Please feel free to remove the link to our nonprofit adoption forum if it does not fit within the confines of your rules/regs.)
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Jesse Rothacker
Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary
www.forgottenfriend.org