Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i set my sites on a mangrove monitor and was wondering if anyone out there breeds them so i can get a nice c.b. animal?
talk soon
Alex Oliver

Hi,

There are a lucky few people here in USA and in Europe who have bred the mangrove monitor, and its cousin the Rennell Island mangrove, V. juxtindicus successfully.

V. indicus are large, flighty and bitey animals, and most do not settle down readily, but there are exceptions to this of course.
Finding c.b. of these species is difficult to say the least. There is alot of information on this complex, and it is currently being split up into numerous other species, i.e. V. caerulivirens, V. carambonensis, V. juxtindicus, and others currently under review...best bet is to get a young juvenile, cross your fingers and if fed, maintained correctly will turn into a very good animal...I do not recommend this species for a first-time varanid keeper though...unless you are prepared to be bitten on numerous occassions, charged at, and messy animals!

good luck!
mbayless

Where they aim at your best shirt and empty there lower intestine on you!!And what a lovely smell that is..lol
Robert

Had that happen to me once right before a date when I was showing off one of my animals to my girlfriend (who is now my wife). Oh yeah, and they have some of the sharpest, pointiest claws of any monitor species I've worked with. But good luck!!
Billy

>>Where they aim at your best shirt and empty there lower intestine on you!!And what a lovely smell that is..lol
>>Robert

Hi Robert,
Isn't it amazing how much "muck" they produce?!! It is endless, and no colon-end in-sight! I also understand V. indicus is very good at protrusive vomiting too! I have a photo of a V. niloticus doing that...gross! I once had a juvenile albigularis vomit on my face - I had a half-digested hopper mouse on my cheek, and vomot on my mouth, neck and down my shirt...alot of guck from such a little varanid...I deserved it, it was my fault.
I am proud of the fact I did not puke myself - one of the many hazzards of living with these animals...

Best Regards,
mbayless

on a trip to the Northern Territory, a colleague tried to catch an indicus by climbing up a tree after it. The idea was for us to position the boat below the tree and grab the monitor as it leapt for the water (we managed to get this to work once, but the failures were the stories I have dined out on since). When he was half way up the tree, the monitor lifted its tail and let loose, getting the guy smack in the face from a fair distance. We were all laughing so hard that we 1. missed seeing the monitor leap for the water and disappear beneath the surface 2. failed to keep the boat in position, so the poor guy with a faceful of goanna projectile was left stranded on the tree as we drifted downstream, unable to even wipe his face as he held on to the tree. Swimming to the boat was not a wise option in crocodile country, so he had to wait until we recomposed ourselves and motored back to get him.

Hi DK,
That is the best one yet!! Hilarious!!

Best Regards to Your colleague, the V. indicus and You,
markb

Well, someday soon I will...(knocking very frantically on cats head)

Rgrds,
Michelle

does anyone have pictures of these animals?
thanks
Alex Oliver

Thats the only way I know how to trade pics online! Michelle

Her(my mangroves) stripe pattern is more bold though...

http://market.kingsnake.com/image/153196.jpg