Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i've been thinking of getting 1 of this. but i dont have any info on it.. as there's very little info on the net. any info will be of great help. thanks!

Check with Bob "Odatriad". He has these and also has three more tree monitor species. Check the posts down below to see his gravid blue tree. Good luck.

Pam

Hi there,

It's great to hear that you are intrigued by V. macraei, they are indeed one of, if not the most beautiful Varanid species, in my mind... I agree with you, in that there is very little information regarding people's experiences with them in captivity, or even observations of wild animals.. This is why I have decided to make a website, dedicated to showing my husbandry practices and experiences, to allow people to view how somebody else keeps them...You can check it out for additional info...but keep in mind, it is not necessarily the "correct" way of doing things, just what I believe works for my particular individuals..

I do not know of your background, concerning experience with monitors.. Blue Tree Monitors, which also goes for all other tree monitors, are significantly more difficult to keep in captivity than most other monitors.. Given the fact that they are wild caught, most are not in the best of shape when it arrives at your doorstep, or when you pick it up at the local show.. These animals seem to dehydrate much quicker than any other monitor species, most certainly due to their need for such high humidity, as in their native range.. Combined with this dehydration problem, they are also very alert, and skittish animals, who do not take too well to human presence, interaction, or touch.. and stress out very easily... Additional stress to these animals is a bad thing....

Many people believe that they would make the perfect varanid "pet", as they are truly beautiful, and would be wonderful to show off... These animals simply do best when not messed with, and given plenty of hide areas, which they will frequently utilize. It can sometimes be frustrating, in the sense that you may go days/weeks without seeing them, as they are very shy and illusive.... in time, they may come around, and become accustomed to you, but in my experience, this is not a short process...it is one that can take several months/years to establish a 'workable' relationship with your animals, where they are no longer skittish and wary of you..

As for their husbandry, what I have seen that works in my collection is high humidity(do not use cages with any screening, where humidity will be lost), plenty of climbing areas, plenty of hide areas, and offer food every day. Cleaning is an important issue, as in such a high humidity enclosure, mold/fungus, and bacteria will surely build up quickly if you do not stay on top of cleanings...

Acclimation is necessary, in my opinion, before you place the animal in a larger enclosure, with many hide spaces, as you may never see how well the animal is actually doing.. When set up in an acclimation enclosure, I can closely monitor the animal's progress, or it's problems. It is also much easier to rehydrate an animal when in a smaller, controllable enclosure... So, with all of the new arrivals I get, no matter what their history is(whether it has been in someone's care for years, or if it is a fresh import), they are set up in a quarantine enclosure, until I feel that it has a clean bill of health, ie. no more protruding hip bones, healthy feces, eating well, etc...

One other thing that I have recentlly added to my "bill of health", is the fact that I would like the animal to feed from tongs, and have a strong feeding response, before being set up in a lager cage.. The reason for doing so, is that, especially when multiple animals are kept together, you will know for a fact, that that particular animal ate for that day, rather than leaving it somewhere in the enclosure, where another individual may eat it, when you leave the room... It's the only way of knowing for sure....

Other than what I mentioned earlier, care for them is pretty much straightforward as for other monitors; high basking temps, clean water, etc... I offer my animals a basking temp of at least 120-130F, and ambient temps are around 85F. To ensure humidity stays high, I have an automatic misting system, which sprays the enclosure down at different intervals throughout the year.

Caring for tree monitors is no simple task, as it takes much time, effort, labor, and money, to keep them healthy... Skimp on any one of these, and your animal will surely take a turn for the worst... If you are going to spend the money for the animal, make sure you spend a good deal of money on its caging and husbandry... Don't be one of those people who pays $1000 for an animal, and then keeps it in a $50 55 gallon aquarium...

The effort that you put into your tree monitor, will be reflected in its health and well being...Turn your back for a second, and you'll have a problem... In my experience, they are much more frail than any other species I've kept.. So keep this in mind when making your decision, as they most certainly DO NOT make an acceptable "entry level, or beginner monitor".. Caring for them, is like a second job...it WILL occupy a good deal of time, but in my opinion, the gratification of having healthy, beautiful animals, is well worth the investment and effort...

I wish you the best of luck in your decision, I hope I may have been of some help to you... Only you can decide whether or not you have the time, facilities, and bank to properly care for them. Take care, have a great day...

BOb
The Odatriad

Hi,
There is abit of information on them, all printed in german journal, 'Herpetofauna' and some more material on them scattered through the literature on PNG, especially on birds of that regions ranging from 1890's to 1960's...but one must dig in the stack themselves to find this information. There is limited material of this species onthe net, and few keepers of them; seek out Bob Mendyk who posts here as odatrian.

Also seek out info of more common V. prasinus - as V, macraei is just a big prasinus that happens to be blue/black rather than green/black.

good hunting,
mbayless

Those tree lizards are nice, I really like the names of some.
My favorites are the melonheads and the macaronis. lol

Scott
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.