Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone have any ideas? I have two out of four Quince Yellow Monitors walking into the glass aimlessly for hours. I don’t mind but do not want them to be looking for something I can provide them. Also is this instinct by male or female? They are both under a year old.
Also this Quince part of the name, anyone know the background of that…a locale or a person?
Some information, I notice them trying to establish a pecking order at the food dish. One actually grabbed food out of another’s mouth and one was nipped lightly on the nose. It was the larger ones showing more aggression ( not a large dif. in size). I will observe more and update.
Shane

Try taping up some black paper on the lower edge of the windows - sometimes this stops them from nose rubbing....what are your temps? Do you have water basin large enough for them to soak entirely? Have plenty of foliage/cover/humidity for them?

Wonderful animals - they enjoy fish and shellfish too...
markb

Shane,

Since Mark answered the first part, I will answer the question of the name. I will just add that in the beginning, most reptiles just do not have a concept of glass; some never figure it out. It is not a male/female behavior.

The name came from the German "Quittenwaran" which Böhme and Ziegler gave to it. Quitten translates into Quince and Waran into Monitor. A Quitten or Quince is a type of Asian rose apple that is yellow (like the monitor). Locally here, they wanted to call it a Yellow Monitor, which is V. flavescens then they wanted to call it a Yellow Tree Monitor, which this year is taken by V. reisingeri, so Quince Monitor is probably the best common name for it unless you want to call it a Banggai Island Monitor (Bayless and Andragna 1999), which is its only English common name given in published reference. Yes, Mark actually is often published and those publications can easily be found in association with species accounts.

Establishment of a heirarchy is quite common in many monitor species. Once it is understood who belongs in what place it usually remains peaceful.

Cheers,

Michael

Hi Michael,
I did not know there was a flower associated with V. melinus - that is interesting...Thanks for the nice words....it is nice to see civility here too, sometimes....
Cheers,
markb