Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After a long wair, the first baby piped the egg.
Will keep you all posted with pics, as soon as I get the time!!!

Regards

Henric

Congratulations Henric!

Now that is a remarkable feat....those have not been bred in awhile. Uwe Peters bred those back in late 1960's and a few in between, but very rare...love to see pics when you have them...

Cheers,
mbayless

I would love to hear about anyone breeding them outside oz! I thought we were the first, but please prove me wrong.........

Best regards

Henric

As far as I know Australia only allows export in very rare cases, like CB animals from aussie zoos to other zoos. So, did you get them from Australia? Or were they suddenly in Europe?
Congratulations anyway, a very nice result. They look like nice animals.
Ron

Since I have been involved in zoos for many years, I got the opportunity thru there. I will not go in to more details, but it is legal animals. When I said that I believe we are the first, I was talking about the private market.

I am a litlte envious. I would be very envious if I had room for such a monitor. Hope to see baby pics soon.
Ron

Mark,

You should specify that they are rarely bred outside of oz, as they are very commonly bred here. There is a big reptile/wildlife expo on this weekend so I've been hanging out with herpers and looking at a lot of spencers. In fact, a herper friend in town for the expo brought a couple of his females for a breeding loan, so I had spencers in my place two days ago and took some photos.

Yesterday I saw the biggest male spencers I, personally, have ever seen, at the expo. Easily 1.5 to 1.6 metres which, considering the relatively short tail compared to other monitors like varius etc, is pretty massive for a spenceri. Apparently (according to a few reliable sources) the owner has another male that is another 15 cm longer and 2-3kg heavier, one of the largest anyone can recall seeing.

Spencers really are the oddest looking monitor I have seen, especially after looking at my varius for so long. Stumpy legs and toes, round body, short fat tail and relatively tiny head, yet quite appealing in a 'cute' sort of way.

Hi DK,
Of course your right...an oversight on my part...what a whopper that V.s. you saw and heard about! Love to see a pic of it?!

Here are the references you asked about Henric:

Peter, U. 1969a. The first hatching of Varanus spenceri in captivity. Bulletin Zoo management 3(2):17-18.

____. 1969b. IBID. Zquarien Terrarien 16(9):306-307.

____. 1969c. IBID. 10 Oktober:412-13.

____. 1970. Taronga Zoo hatches spencer's monitor. Animal Kingdom 73(2):30.

____. 1986. Gelungene aufzuch von Varanus spenceri. Das Aquarium June:205.

Valentic, R.A. 1997. Diet and reproductive status of a road kill spencer's monitor. Herpetofauna 27(2):43-45.

Yes, all of the breedings have been in Australia. I have reports of 1 being bred in 1988 in Europe, but it is a private communication, and never been 100% verified i.e. w/photos/data/ ect... = a typical report of a said breeding event.

However, I do have very good reports from keepers on their husbandry and recieving eggs from 1 particular keeper of them, in Oz, and that information is useful...would be nice to see of these in person...I'll have to go to Oz and see for myself as very few of them anywhere outside of their natural Continental boundaries.

Cheers DK,
mbayless

Thankyou for the reference list. The possible breeding in Europe you are talking about is really interesting. Is it possible to find out more? It would be great to find someone else that is breeding them outside Oz.

Regards

Henric

Hi Henric,

You are in Oz, correct? I will follow it up with another inquiry for you - but it will have to be by air-post letter, which I used to write ~50/month to people all around the World; now it is a mere 15 or so monthly....and 'people' do like to get mail, as long as it is not bills....

cheers,
mbayless

Hi!
No, I´m from Sweden, Europe.

Hi Henric,

No kidding! I suspected you were Norse, as your name is a good clue, and thought you were living in Oz; There are quite a few fellow Norselanders in Sweden with Varanus...you been to the Malmo Reptile Centre?

My family is from DK across the icy water from you - our beer is better, but your women "play in the hay!"

Anyways, Please email me directly, and I will share with you what I have...

Cheers Henric,
mbayless

Good luck, hope they all hatch...