Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was in the pet store today watching a young Asian Water Monitor cruise around its cage. I watched it stalk and devour a cricket, which was about the coolest thing I've ever seen. It was a perfect size, 2 feet, and was extremely active. I love my bearded dragon, but he is just boring to watch compared to this monitor that acts like a little velociraptor.

So it hit me: ackies! They stay around the same size as the monitor I saw, and they eat crickets and pinky mice. But I have a few other questions about them.

-Are they active? Alert? Fun to watch?

-How does their care compare to beardies? From what I understand, they need a hot basking spot, a hiding spot, a cricket diet, and some room to roam. How does that differ from a bearded dragon's care?

-How big of an enclosure does one adult ackie need? Will they be OK in a 60 gallon tank with dirt substrate?

- And do they REALLY need 130 degree basking spots? That sounds outrageous. What kind of lizard basks in 130 degree heat? I thought they are all tucked away in their burrows then. Isn't 110 or 115 enough?

Thanks for any replies!

I only have one ackie, so I don't know how typical he is, but he's a great little monitor. At four years old, he's a little less active than he was as a juvenile, but he does come out nearly every day to hang out in his favorite spots, and he'll hang out in the most comical positions. Even when he's just hanging out, he's very alert, watching everything going on in the room, and he is fun to watch. When he's stalking a cricket, he often twitches his tail like a cat. Very cute! It sounds like you understand the setup they need, and yes, they really will bask at 130 degrees. It's best to make the basking site multiple levels (you can build a multi-level plywood platform). I find that first thing in the morning and after he's eaten, my ackie seeks out the 130-degree top level. The rest of the day he likes to hang out in one of the lower, cooler levels (or in some of his other favorite spots in the cage). You'll want to make sure you have deep substrate. Most ackies are fanatics about digging, but for some reason mine has never really been much of a digger (despite my efforts to provide him with the right consistency and depth of dirt, etc.). He does love to climb, however. Mine's in a 3'x6' enclosure, and the size seems to suit him very well, though they could get by in something smaller. I personally wouldn't go with anything smaller than 3'x4'. As for diet, crickets are primary, but I also feed mine pinkies a couple times a week (which brings out the velociraptor in him), and occasionally quail eggs or turkey, both of which he loves.

Thanks for the info. I think when I get an ackie someday, I will get a 4' x 2' x 2' enclosure. Seems like they love to roam.