Id love a critique

[Denial]

he looks great. Invest in a temp gun to make sure your temps are where the need to be. Those little things do miracles lol. The best way to show your monitor it can trust you is through its stomach.

[allergenic]

Great thread.

[4theSNAKElady]

Cute leeetle guy!

[jjmitchell]

as i know nothing of monitor care, I will not comment on the set up, just wanted to say very cool little monitor, enjoy that small size now wont be that way long.....

[Big Gunns]

He really looks good. Very clear eyed and alert. You've really done your homework also. BG would suggest covering some of the sides of the tank so your Monitor feels more secure like Mumps said. Some Monitors are not as skittish as others, but some need that extra security.

Monitors do better when you use a UV bulb also. They can be raised with them, but BG would suggest getting a florescent UV bulb. Vary the diet and give Vitamin and calcium supplementation. Don't over do it though. BG has raised Monitors in the past with little supplementation(a varied diet though) with apparently no ill affects, but he doesn't do it anymore. BG loves to give small monitors minnows. They love them.

[JLuck13]

Thanks everybody, this little guy is quickly becoming my favorite part of my collection

They're so cute when they're little! What are your long-term plans for a growing monitor?

going from a 4x18x18 to a stank tank in the 8-10ft long by 4-6 ft wide and 3-4 ft tall range (depending on what is available) and then on to the extra room in my house

Thanks for asking for some critique. I am glad you did lots of research into your new animal before purchasing, so let's get on with it.

First, while your gorgeous Monet is in that tank (I give it 3 months tops), I would recommend covering the sides and back. Either inside with cork bark or cork sheets, or outside with any kind of covering (paper bags, construction paper, etc.). Monitors have a real hard time with glass and he/she will bolt into it at top speed if frightened. Second, cover about 80% of the screen top to prevent humidity loss. You're going to be misting that thing forever.

Its now covered with black butcher paper, i had watched him hit it a few times, kinda like my beardies used to and was wondering about it. If you look in the picture of the setup the close end is covered with foil/cardstock sheet. The only reason the far end isnt is because i was still cycling lights looking for good temps. I remember that rule when i used to keep my snakes in aquariums

Diet: Bugs are great, but you're going to spend a fortune on bugs for a growing Varanus salvator. I would recommend offering the insects in the morning, and in the afternoon offer a couple appropriately sized f/t rodents, whatever you have access to. At 14 inches I would suggest young adult mice or rat pups. The first year of life is CRITICAL to the health aspect of varanids and they eat like mad and grow like weeds. Expect your pet to be around the 4 foot mark by the time it is a year old. So start work on the next enclosure as soon as possible.

Other than that everything looks great. Your temps are good and the substrate, though a little shallow, seems adequate.

Enjoy your new varanid. Are you familiar with techniques for establishing trust?

Chris

Thankfully, i am very good friends with the guy at my local pet store and get ammmmaaaaazing deals on my feeders. He makes it cheaper for me to buy there than to buy in bulk from online dealers. Whie im not saying im going to try and raise this guy on bugs, it will make it alot easier for crickets/worms/roaches/variety whie he is younger and a handful of supers will act as a good breakfast. It also lets me have access to whatever type of rodents i need. My neighbor breeds rats for his collections (100+ snakes, i honestly dont know how he does it in his garage its crazy) and has said that he would grow his rat collection a tad and let me have what i need to feed the little guy in exchange for one of the chameleons i gave him we were good friends to begin and i have gotten my rat/mine feeders fom him for a whole $0.25 a rat for the last 6 months ssince his colony has been large enough to support my whole 8 or so eaters but i had to cut back my snake colection for this monitor so its going to even out a bit, at least for now.


for substrate how deep would you recommend? It all starts 5 1/2-6" deep, and after he has been in there for now 3 days the shallowest part i could find was pry around 4 3/4" from him burrowing into and out of his flat bark hide. All the readig i could find when i was researching said from 3-8" so i kinda split the difference and went with 6ish, idk why, but 8" of sand seemed a bit excessive for a baby water, but than again, like i said, i am a rookie


As far as trust, i dont know how it works with a monitor, but i tamed an afrock and a few retics and was going to try and use the leave him alone for a week or so and then short calm handling sessions every other day or three for a week or so until everything seemed to be getting better and then getting on a every day or every other day handling schedule, i have tons of time to handle all my reptiles and am down to a retic, the monitor, 4 carpets, 2 baby beardies and a chameleon. So they all get handled at least every other day. I hadnt read much about establishing trust, but he seems calm already and the two times ive had to get him out of his tank he didnt run from my hand when i opened the tank up and hasnt bit/whipped me or attempted to yet. he lets you touch his head/neck/tail and i figured taming/trusting him wuld kinda be like with a snake?

he looks great. Invest in a temp gun to make sure your temps are where the need to be. Those little things do miracles lol. The best way to show your monitor it can trust you is through its stomach.

thakfully i already had a temp gun from working on my car and reading header primary temps and tuning my N2O system, that thing saves me freaking life sometimes

[Denial]

Its not reallly like taming a snake with monitors its more so of your monitor trusting you and thinking your not going to eat it. With my monitor Ive found the best way to get it to trust me is feeding. I started feeding him with tongs and after a while he stopped running and hiding when I was in the room and now I can open the cage and he will walk up my arm to get his food from me. Hes no longer scared of me. At the same time though he still does not like for me to pick him up. But hes come along way from when i first got him.

[Nadamamasboy]

Nice Water, I wish I had the room for one of those big boys!!!

[shescountry89]

Great looking monitor, and a nice set up you have got going there. Can't wait to see more pictures of him as he grows in the next few months :]] A monitor or tegu is something i'd love to have in the future, don't think my mother would appreciate me turning my furnace room into a "bedroom" for a monitor

I actually talked a guy at my work out of buying one, because he was just plain retarded and wanted one 'cause they were cool. Knew absolutely nothing about it. Only reptile he owned was a ball python.

Have fun!