Reptile & Amphibian Forums

As requested some pics of my monitors, all taken yesterday or today. Not the greatest pics but OK. Not much of a photographer I am afraid.

Mariamoon

Hi Maria,

Your pictures didnt come through. Also, what country are you residing in?

Thanks,
Mike.

Mike,
I am in Australia. I put the photo on the Photo's section. I should try to add them to post?

OK. I see I can actually add them to the post.D'oh!

The previous pics were the Spencer female and her clutch this year and The mertons just after mating yesterday. I haven't caught them mating before as they are much quieter and more discreet than the Spencers which tend to bang around the cages etc.
This time it is the other adult female Spencer, Adult male and the adult male Mertons in their pool last night.
Mariamoon

Beautiful animals! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

You have some phenominal looking creatures there. I wish we only had animals that looked that good over here in the US. Goodluck with your Mertens eggs.

Mike C.

I am not familiar with either of those species are they fairly rare?
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1.1 Savannah Monitors (Annah & Terrance)
1.1 Nile Monitor (Lyle)
1.0 Blood Python (Kevin)
1.0 Ball Python (Martin)
0.1 Leopard Gecko (Bella)
2.0 Bearded Dragons (Peter & Jack)
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake (Hector)
1.1 Kenyan Sand Boas (Wayne & Maude)
1.0 Dwarf Gecko (Little Girl)
1.0 Curly Hair Tarantula (Pube)
1.0 OBT Usumbara Orange Baboon Tarantula (Sin)
1.0 Emperor Scorpion (Ashoka)
2.0 D. auratus (Poison Dart Frogs)

Yes both are owned by a handful of people here in the U.S.

Mike.

No, not rare. Maybe a little uncommon but not rare by any means.
I got the Mertons a few years ago when the Cane toad was just starting to reach Darwin. Cane Toads would be wiping out a lot of Mertons now so I bought a pair for breeding so I along with whoever else was breeding them could supply the market and have a backup source if the wildies came close to extinction. I don't know what the status is now up there on how many are surviving having learned not to eat can toads or die! But there are a good couple of handful of keepers breeding them I would think.
Spencers are not common but not uncommon either. You may have to go on a breeders list of buyers to get a couple but you would eventually get them. I like them best. They are much calmer and more amiable than Mertons. Mine have never attempted to bite but might give you a tail whip if they feel you are being a bit cheeky!
And they are cute as bugs as babies. All stripe and attitude!
Mariamoon

The main breeding difference is:
Spencers will mate in spring and lay their clutch and it takes about 3 months to hatch.
Mertons will mate in summer and lay their clutch and it takes 9 months to hatch.

Both are great looking animals. That is interesting about the Cane Toads as well. The Spencers looks like a Lace Monitor maybe. Either that or I am just stupid.
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1.1 Savannah Monitors (Annah & Terrance)
1.1 Nile Monitor (Lyle)
1.0 Blood Python (Kevin)
1.0 Ball Python (Martin)
0.1 Leopard Gecko (Bella)
2.0 Bearded Dragons (Peter & Jack)
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake (Hector)
1.1 Kenyan Sand Boas (Wayne & Maude)
1.0 Dwarf Gecko (Little Girl)
1.0 Curly Hair Tarantula (Pube)
1.0 OBT Usumbara Orange Baboon Tarantula (Sin)
1.0 Emperor Scorpion (Ashoka)
2.0 D. auratus (Poison Dart Frogs)

No, Not really, once you get past the general lizard body shape. Spencers are quite a bit 'stubbier' looking than the longer looking lacies. As babies spencers are boldly striped with shorter tails. As they grow the stripes dull out tho' they never really disappear. Lacies are generally much darker, more black in them with a much more complex patterning. I suppose you could say the lacey is black with paler stripes and dots and the Spencer is pale with darker stripes. Sort of. LOL

Mariamoon

I have always wondered what animals do we have here in the states that are available with ease that yall don't have but wish you did? like your animals I wish I could have a pair of each!! it would be awesome to have them here like yall have them there! just wondering!
cheers
Jake
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1.1 v. griseus

Not silly since I look at all those monitors and stuff you guys have and wish to hell I could!
We pretty much only have native Australian animals and that's it.
I am positive there are illegal types around but they wouldn't be advertised cause its illegal so otherwise the only way we could see them in the flesh would be to travel O/S. Not even zoos here have anything much from O/S. Cornsnakes are also kept illegally and boa's. I have seen cornsnakes, not boa's. I have seen diamondback rattlers and timber rattlers in zoo's. Have seen a Komodo in a zoo. Seen one of those monster salamanders from Japan.
That's about it.
Anything Australian, is probably in collections here. Spencers aren't uncommon, Mertons a little less common. Lacies, Sandies, fairly common. Perenties less so, mainly because of their size, cost and keeping requirements. I would love to have Perenties!
Rosenberg not common but around. Lots of dwarf monitors, any number of skinks like major's, kings, shinglebacks etc.
Lots of dragons of various types, lots of pythons and elapids.
Plenty of gecko's but not the lovely day gecko's unfortunately! Have seen them in NZ with lots of lovely NZ geckoes but only here illegally. Lots of freshwater turtles.
You have it much better! You have many more species you can keep legally including whatever OZ species are out and about.

Mariamoon

I thought that you could legally own exotics in OZ, just not import them? If not...man that sucks. I'm pretty convinced most places have enough native herps to keep people occupied (I know the US does..field work in Texas is frigging exhilarating), but all the same...ew...

Although I wish perenties were around here; I couldn't manage one myself but I'd love to at least SEE one in a zoo or something!! The photos I've seen make them seem awesome.

No, not unless you own or are willing to pay for an exhibitors license and permits and can get one from a zoo. Mucho dinero.

Plenty of herps here to choose from but you know how the grass is always greener......

Mariamoon

yeah I do understand that.

Myself, I don't keep natives because come summer, I can go and watch them in the wild...which is MUCH more fun than having them in cages...watching a dead tree full of spiny lizards while they bask and sort out the pecking order, or watching collared lizards display...or watching a coachwhip hunt...man it's a buzz. but since I can't afford to go to Africa or Asia or South America for herp trips... :lol:

I think the wildlife is more fragile "downunder". I'm not one of these environmental types but the cane toads have done some damage. Usually the weakest species run to the furthest corners of the earth. Even though I don't agree with the bans and heavy regulations ....in that country I can see where they are coming from. They lost the tasmanian tigers they don't want to lose anymore species. Burmese pythons are doing some damage in the everglades in Florida...so...

I agree. I can see where they are coming from but one of my gripes are: you can still import cats! Cats kill enormous amounts of small animals everyday in Australia. They are an ecological nightmare everywhere. There is probably no wilderness too deep that doesn't contain its burden of feral cats killing the wildlife. At night out west, you can run a torch into any tree you like and probably find a feral cat. REptile keepers have to pay for licences, a couple of hundred dollars for 3 years and put up with unannounced inspections by the government arm that enforces them, to be treated like a criminal by some guy who usually can't tell a python from an elapid.
You can probably tell it gets right up my nose! LOL

Mariamoon

Yep those types of people are pure evil I know what you mean.

Don't even get me started on cats that is my grand-daddy of all soap boxes. In Florida we now have a Reptiles of concern law witch bacially says you need a $100 a year permit to keep any of the big five constrictors and nile monitors plus they have to be micro-chiped and regestered with fish and game. Now that isn't my problem I feel that the majority of people with giant constrictors or any herp for that matter or any animal even shouldn't have them and if this stops them good for it. my problem is that cats still have free range over everything no permits no micro-chiping no nothing and a strong number (not all by any means for all you cat lovers on this list) feel it is their god given right to allow their cat to run free and laugh about all the frogs and anoles their cat brings home. everyone seems to think their neighbors cat is the problem.
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"Create then surpass your expectations"

Aren't cats considered 'wild animals' and that's why they have free range?
We have our fair share of so called 'nature lovers', who think, letting their multiple, well fed, healthy domestic killer cats out to catch whatever wildlife it's clever enough to snag (don't need to eat, just kill), is 'mother nature at work', or 'the circle of life' Don't get YOU started? You're not alone on this one! Next door to me, they have 7

BTW- Gorgeous monitors and a treat to see, since we don't get to see many pictures posted, even though there are a few captives over here. We have some beautiful monitors to choose from, but Aus has the ultimate beauty -Perenti!)

Perenties are gorgeous! I would love to own a couple of them but I would need a bigger backyard since I like my guys to have heaps of room. Tho' the ultimate goanna would be a Komodo LOL for them a small suburb might be good sized enclosure and feed them feral and wandering cats.

Also it's difficult enough waiting for Mertons to hatch because they take so long. The perentie excitement might be too much to bear long term...

Mariamoon

[the ultimate goanna would be a Komodo LOL for them a small suburb might be good sized enclosure and feed them feral and wandering cats. ]

I love it!! Although, I still say the Perenti has it over the dragon, in the looks dept

if i recall correctly a few years back there were 2 baby perenties for sale for $8250! how much do they run for down there?
cheers
jake
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1.1 v. griseus

I actually think they are still $2,500 each. I still want them badly but can't afford it at the moment. I have a cage for them too, just not the cash.

Mariamoon

Sure feral cats do their share of damage but so do wild and domestic horses , dogs , pigs etc. Why single anyone out ?

Issues however blown out of proportion about wild monitors and burms caused problems and a common response from exotic owners is .........cats kill more wildlife then.........more people are attacked by dogs then............one thing has nothing to do with the other. Not only is alienating to other pet owners but it's basically arguing from a two wrongs make it right standpoint.

Drive around look at the countless acres of natural woodland that have been decimated to make horse pastures in addition to the countless acres that are destroyed so that they can be farmed for feed. You can make a case against any pet. I let my (Micro Chipped ) cats do what they want always have and always will until all the Horse owners are willing to keep their animals locked up in stalls and restore the countless acres they destroyed and all the dog owners keep their animals tied up etc. Until then it's really the pot calling the kettle black. For the record one of my cats has neverkilled anything and the other one will on ocssion bring me a unharmed gift. Besides

I don't worry so much about cats, dogs and horses Personally it's feral kids that bother me.

Ernie Eison
Westwood Acres Reptile Farms Inc.
WESTWOOD ACRES REPTILE FARM INC.

I totally agree no one group of animal people carry all the blame execpt maybe people people but its too late to stop us. Unfortunially there are too many stupid people in the world and not enough guns so stop them (that was a joke of corse I am not advocating killing the stupid maming perhaps but not killing . However the burm thing in florida does jerk my chain this whole ROC started from one pic of a burm that killed a gator its estimated that feral cats kill 200 hatchling gators a year. my problem is the ROC is total fear mongering why arn't iguians or tokays on the list they are the two most common released herps or madagascar day geckos they are all over the keys. ok i'm starting to rant and get off topic here I do that a lot on this subject. so yeah maybe we just need a people of concern law that stops most people from getting anything
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"Create then surpass your expectations"

Sorry Ernie, you have no idea what your talking about. In Oz, CATS and Cane toads, ARE a huge problem. With feral cats covering the entire country and in huge numbers.

They are not someones pet running loose. They are FERAL/invasive, everywhere eating everything. Particularly those monitors your so fond of.

In Oz. Wild dogs(dingos) are not considered feral(they are) and maintain a sort of balance.

Being from the states and living in the desert, I don't understand why the dingos do not eat the cats. Coyotes here, kill and eat house cats that leave areas of human habitation.

Anyway, try doing some research into this, then come back and try again.

About Fla. native species, require native habitat. In Floridas case, there is almost no natural habitat left. Muchless the varity of habitat types it did have. Now its mostly desturbed habitat. So you should expect generalists to dominate in desturbed habitats, and they do. Cheers

Sorry Frank but you should read my post again. Did I mention OZ ? Foxes , rabbits ,camels , goats ,carp, trout , fire ants on and on are also part of Australia's invasive issues. Your point? Go back read what I said then read the post it was in response to.

Ernie Eison
Westwood Acres Reptile Farms Inc.

If we still had more native habitat, and the original predators here in the US we wouldnt have a problem with feral cats, they would be in check. But then again coyotes prefer to scavenge along highways for road kills at night, depends on where you live. I hate the fact that there are so many feral cats loose everywhere, humans are to blame for one of the most effective predators spread the world over (aside from ourselves). Feral cats live on almost every free standing permanent piece of land aside from a few small islands the world over, and Antarctica. They kill over 1000 species of prey worldwide, thats a generalist.

I understand your position about cats but cats do more damage than dogs to the native wildlife here. A lot of our wildlife is small, defenceless, nocturnal and live in trees. Cats are more than capable of night hunting and these are places that cats can access with ease but dogs cannot. We do get wild dogs (not including dingos) but the ones who don't breed with the dingo types, will often be killed by them. Wild dogs are not nearly the issue cats are, mainly because they tend to hunt larger game like sheep, cattle and roos. I don't disagree about stock damage, witness the cattle/horse damage to the land, directly because they are hard hooved and indirectly because of land clearance, but they are not pets with a choice of keeping them confined.
Cane Toads are a nightmare but no one person alive today can control them or take responsibility for them.
There are plenty of culprits but the main killer will be the cat.
I have had cats as pets but mine were either in the house or locked up at night in their outside pen. They weren't allowed to hunt.

Mariamoon

>>Don't even get me started on cats that is my grand-daddy of all soap boxes. In Florida we now have a Reptiles of concern law witch bacially says you need a $100 a year permit to keep any of the big five constrictors and nile monitors plus they have to be micro-chiped and regestered with fish and game. Now that isn't my problem I feel that the majority of people with giant constrictors or any herp for that matter or any animal even shouldn't have them and if this stops them good for it. my problem is that cats still have free range over everything no permits no micro-chiping no nothing and a strong number (not all by any means for all you cat lovers on this list) feel it is their god given right to allow their cat to run free and laugh about all the frogs and anoles their cat brings home. everyone seems to think their neighbors cat is the problem.
>>-----

I hear Cape Coral, Florida no loner has much of a feral cat population....
>>"Create then surpass your expectations"
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1.1.0 YBS
1.3.0 RES
1.0.0 red belly cooter
1.0.0 Fire belly toad
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor
0.0.1 Blackthroat monitor
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.1.0 Mountain Horned dragon
2.1.0 Ball pythons
cats, dog, ferrets, rabbit, rats.