Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys,

Well we just got in our first red ackies, cute little things. Got a question though, can/will they drop their tails? Just curious because the first thing the female did when I picked her up was put a pretty good wrap around my wrist. Also is there a rule on food size like no bigger than the space between the eyes or anything like that? I've got plenty of lobster roaches, crickets, supers, mealies, discoids, hissers, mice, etc for them. I'll try to get some pics of them up in the next couple of days. I've read ProExotics care sheet, are there any other good ones out there that you would recomend also.

Thanks
Sean
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Heart Mountain Herps

Hey Sean,

Recognize you from the Beardie forum and classifieds. That's cool you picked up some monitors. They are a lot of fun. I just started with beardies myself.

My ackie will wrap the tail sometimes too. To the best of my knowledge (I have 6 gouldii complex monitors and a red ackie) monitors don't "drop" their tails the way I think you mean - that is to say I've never seen that with any of my monitors and I catch them by the tails all the time when I have to get a hold of them. But I do have a couple with missing tail tips. I can't say I know exactly the cause of it but to me it seems it might have something to do with stress.

I think all those foods you describe sound good. I have fed my ackie mice, crix and superworms and shrimp. I bet they will like the roaches though. Monitors eat all kinds of things if you let them/offer them. And if they can jam it down their throats they will eat it. Size has never been issue for me - I just think it's important that you give them the temps (high and low) they need to take care of themselves and digest their food. It is my experience that they will eat you out of house and home. But a couple ackies won't have you out on the street.

Caresheets - you may take a look at Varanus.net. I like it there. Lots of monitor stuff and info.

Good luck with your monitors. They are tremendous personalities. Beardies to monitors is like birds to velociraptors - or something like that. They are great fun.

and one beardie pic...hope they let it slide

Take care,

Ian

Those are some great monitors. I've always had a place in my herp loving heart for those gouldi complexes. I just recently got a pair of argusXflavius that are absolute shockers. Nice orange down the back and great temperments. No wonder you warned of eating out of house and home. With 6 monitors you're always one paycheck and rodent order from the street. I stick to my smaller pair and will be content (for now ).
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"Bones heal, chicks dig scars. Pain is temporary, glory is forever."
-Evil Knevel

Its not made to break off, or drop. If it does there are serious problems in husbandry, mainly stress, lots and lots. My red ackie just recently started eating small adult mice, his own choice he never ate mice but ate 300 plus crickets and tons of lobster roaches a week, eats more than all 3 large beardies I have. If they can swallow it they will eat it, mice are a perfect diet for monitors, or ackies and other odatria can eat crickets dusted in miner-all.
Ive been hit by some large monitor tails one in particular (Sobek) my big female albig hits like a baseball bat (wow that hurts), yet she has never damaged her tail, neither any of my current monitors. I had one bosc lose a tail tip that went necrotic after getting defensive with a table leg (serious stress), the only monitor I ve ever had that happen to. They are truely tuff animals, and can take so much.

Thanks Guys, just wanted to make sure.

Sean
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Heart Mountain Herps