Reptile & Amphibian Forums

could you tell me what you thank of them? what you feed them and and how big your cage is. and if you could send me some pics. of the cage i would appreciate it.

thanks
jake

I have worked with quite a few monitor species and this one is my favorite. I have 3 of these guys, two of which are about 3 and 3.5 feet long, and the other one i just purchased last week and is still a juvie (9 inches). I have these guys set up in 40 gallon breeder tanks with 5 inches of orchid bark, a large water bowl and hide box. The tanks are heated with 75 watt incandescent bulbs (i don't need more because i live in Florida). The larger two i am planning on moving to their new 8'x4'x3' cage in the coming months. These guys love to bury themselves in the substrate. I choose the orchid bark or occasionally cypress mulch because it is easy to maintian the proper humidity and easy to clean. Their cages are misted daily. They eat crickets and 3 large mice from my hands a week. These guys tend to be very flighty at first, are not inclined to bite, however they will defecate on you and are capable of cutting you with their talon-like claws. If you place the enclosure in a high traffic area and handle them regularly, they calm down quite nicely. Mine enjoy being handled outside their cage but are always on the lookout for a chance to jump off my forearm and run around the room. I will post pictures of their enclosures in the near future. Jody (JPShadows) has worked with these guys and is very knowledgable about monitors in general. I purchased one of the larger two i have from him, and his advice helped me greatly. All in all i believe this species to be a good choice for someone who has experience working with monitors and is looking for something that is both attractive looking and doesn't get too large. I hope this helps.