Post a picture up of the monitor #1 to confirm it is actually V. indicus. There are a ton of species and variants that come in and get slapped the label "Mangrove". That's just for ID, not anything to do with husbandry.

But this species can actually adapt very well and become tolerant of you. I won't use the word "tame" because of connotation. But the lizards that don't freeze in place when you walk into the room and they see you (and then dart to cover when you look away ) or worse, run in a panic and hit the walls and glass trying to find a hide, are what I call "tolerant" of captivity. I have seen a fair few that allow you to watch them, tong-feed and do well.

Building a cage is easy. It's a big wooden box and a window slapped on the front. Don't get too caught up in it being a zoo-quality show piece for now. Get a big space and proper conditions in a box with hollow cork/logs and deep substrate of leaf litter or a sandy dirt and leaves. Your temps sound good in your tank, but it'll be a constant challenge to keep hot and wet until you have a proper sealed box.

Krusty

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]