Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,
Next species I'd like to discuss...V Indicus. I would like to hear your thoughts and comments related to it's captive husbandry. I'm leaning toward a Mangrove.
I've read what info I could find on the web...sounds like care is similar to V Salvator. Have any of you had breeding success?
I realize they are very shy.

There's something else I've been wondering...why is there so much negativity about keeping V Niloticus? Is it all due to their size and temperment? What makes a Water a better choice than a Nile? I don't want an XXL monitor, I'm only curious.

Thanks again to all for the help.

If you acquire healthy baby monitors,you shouldn't have any of the problems you hear about.If you do research on Niles you will find a lot of people with positive experiences-mostly from raising babies.They are more social so to speak than the shy Indo forest Monitors.I'm fascinated by Indo forest Monitors but they don't have the outgoing social personalities people look for.Mangroves aren't as big as Waters or Niles but are still a fair sized monitor.If you acquire a baby you'll probably have positive results compared to getting an adult.What traits,behaviours are you looking for in a monitor?

I cannot say much about the mangrove as I have never owned one. I did a lot of research on them a while back and they seem awesome. I have seen some attain a pretty decent size as well. As stated above definitely try to start with a baby.

There are several things that make people talk bad about niles. They can be very aggressive compared to waters. I have seen some pretty nasty waters to though. I have a male (nile) that is closing in on 4ft and is still pretty standoffish. Generally when I approach the cage he will flare up a bit and maybe do some whipping then hide. If I come in show enough he will let me into the cage (not my whole body obviously) to change his water or feed him. He definitely flips his [bleep] if I have to take him out though, which I only do when I need to. I don't ever expect him to be "tame" though. I would just like him to be ok with my presence. I like him how he is.

The biggest problem with niles though in my opinion, is they can be bought for $25. Its an impulse buy a lot of times. "This monitor gets how big?!? and its only 25 bucks?!?!? Hell yea sounds awesome. " then they have no clue how to take care of it. Also being that cheap its a bit of a throw away pet. I mean if it dies you only lost a little. (for those who don't really value the monitors life)

Hi moe64 and twillis10, first, thanks to you Moe, for stating the more accurate "description" of V. niloticus (in my personal experience). In reality, they are NO MORE defensive than most other varanid species.
It seems to me, it`s their "bad reputation" as much as anything else; people call them the most "aggressive" monitor species, and so when they get them, they are already preconditioned to expect nothing more than that from them, and it works nearly every time (failure).
This is NOT to say these animals will become "tame" (whatever that word means to each of us),rather, treat them like any other large monitor species, not as something apart....
Twillis10: They ARE defensive, the problem is as I describe, when keepers insist on using the word "aggressive"; does that mean they deliberately try to harm us (out of "spite" perhaps)?
I`m SURE you don`t actually think that way!

When I say aggressive I am not meaning that they are mean and intentionally trying to hurt us. I realize I should probly use a different word to avoid confusion. But in my experience with them, compared with other monitor species, they are more defensive, or at least are more hesitant to become trusting.

Hi twillis10,
the problem with using words like "aggressive" is that people get the wrong idea, as I said.
Niles are as individual as most other species, some calm down, some not so easy. I just think because of their reputation, many keepers never expect anything but the least ammount from their captive/s, and don`t bother trying for more....
Food is a great way to try and gain their trust, it`s one of their main "hobbies" (eating)!

If you start with wild caught adults,especially as a beginner-your likelihood of a positive experience is minimal.This is especially true when your expectations are unrealistic---what are you looking for?you don't pick a monitor and it transforms into your idea of what the monitor should be.Most people want a animal they can interact with,and see their interesting behaviours-if so pick one of them.What is ignored is longterm and financial responsibilty and am i able to raise a particular species with the limited experience i have-the new monitor keepers 'blindspots' Indicus don't really have qualities other monitors have that make it a good captive to the majority of people

Hi guys,

First I'll answer moe64's question and then I'll ask a few.

What traits,behaviours are you looking for in a monitor?

Answer-I would prefer to work with a semi-aquatic species that offers a greater chance of becoming tactile and interactive(with keeper).

Question #1-What species fits the above description?

Question #2-Is there a mid-size semi-aquatic monitor that posses the nice qualities of Salvator...bold, trusting, moderatly defensive, etc?

Question #3-Do monitors tend to mellow with age? I'm refering to long term captives. Are they less likely to veiw themselves as prey items as they grow larger?

Question #4-Has anyone seen or handled a tame/calm Mangrove?

Question #5-Should monitors be housed indiviually outside of breeding?

Thanks for all the advice!

You can have positive interaction to some degree or another with all monitors.All monitors swim ,climb and dig.But not all monitors take to humans to the same degree.All monitors can be raised with the same husbandry-but not all are easy to keep by novices.Do you want a positive experience with monitors,stick to smaller easy to keep species.I personally picked a species,Bluetail Monitors which are not as outgoing as say Ackies or Niles,or as forgiving with husbandry mistakes.They hide the majority of time,which i have no problem with so far-only because i knew that is part of what they are.They are bigger version of an Indicus-that i've raised for a bit more than a year and from the infrequency of handling they are so far non-defensive ,just struggle to get away.I had an adult Mangrove when i was a teenager but have to say that experience was not positive-for either me nor the monitor.But experiences can vary as to the care they receive and their individuality.

Hi NATZOO,
I`ll just answer question 3: Yes, the larger species when kept singly, seem to mellow with age (and size), but that must also be simply because they`ve become trusting of the keeper to whatever extent, after a few years, as well as they feel more "confident" they can defend themselves if need be.
I think with a group kept together it would be much more difficult, in part, because if one of the group were nervous, it would probably transfer that onto the rest (at least to some extent).
It sounds from what you`ve said, you just want a single monitor (at least for now)?
I`ve never kept or worked with Mangrove monitors, so can`t offer advise.
Have you considered one of the smaller salvator species/sub species?
V. cumingi is a beautiful looking varanid (though quite expensive), they get to around 1.5 metres (5 feet), total length...

Waters can make for an incredible captive....more easily than a Nile. I have seen a tame amazing Nile but Waters are just plain AWESOME!!!!

SATAN
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