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HUSBANDRY
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Our planet is the home of a variety of wonderful monitors.Most of them come from select countries that provide the proper
climate and food sources nessesary for monitors to survive,thrive,and propagate(breed and multiply).Here I will provide information
on husbandry care,feeding,cageing,and breeding from my personal expereience with select monitors I have worked with.
HUSBANDRY is a very important aspect of monitor care.It includes techniques that involve houseing,decoration,lighting,space,air
temperature,food,and relative humidity if needed.When concidering a monitor for your collection or as a pet you need to concider
the space you can afford to dedicate to cageing for the monitor.This is very important because some of the monitor species
can get quite large and need efficient space to move about.There are plenty of other smaller monitor species to choose from
that do not require a large cage or enclosure and their husbandry needs are more easily met.Be sure to do your homework before
makeing an impulse buy on any monitor.This will save you alot of money and aggrivation down the road on cageing or finding
a new home for a monitor that simply has got to be to much to handle.The internet is a great sorce of information on many
species from around the world and although the monitor hobbie is in its infancy you`ll be able to find out enough information
to make a well informed choice.A few books exist as well like GIANT LIZARDS OF THE WORLD.This book is full of all the big
stuff includeing alot of exotic and hard to find species.If your looking for something in the smaller range may I suggest
a few that are redily available from breeders in the U.S like the Australian red and yellow ackies, storr`s, and black heads.Australian
species rarely excede 2 feet and most dont even get that big.Their husbandry requirements are simple and cost effective and
are a joy to keep..INDONESIA has an abundance of medium sized monitors that make excellent vavarium pets like Peach Throats,Dumerils,Black
and blue tree`s, and Mangrove monitors.These are also available through pet stores ,reptile shows ,and select breeders and
importers from all over the country. These all vary in size, color, pattern, and husbandry requirements,but all remain
in the mid size range of 3 to 4 feet at adult size includeing tail.Their body structures and wieght are more slender and agile
for climbing and being most of them are aboreal they dont possess the wieght , power, and aggresive behavior of
some of the larger terrestrial species....REMEMBER ! DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND GET ALL THE POSSIBLE INFORMATION YOU CAN BEFORE
CHOOSEING YOUR MONITOR.
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FOOD AND FEEDING
This is a very imortant aspect of monitor care that is constantly argued about in the hobbie between collectors
and breeders alike.This topic is quite simple to me but requires a little thought on every collectors collection.When
you aquire a specific species from a specific country where the availability of specific food groups are only available you
need to be able to provide theses nessesary food groups to your monitor in captivity.Most collectors, pet shops, dealers ,and
even proffesional breeders rely mostly on rodents as their staple food menue.This is definetly WRONG ! Different monitors
from different parts of the world have different food requirements and you need to provide this in captivity.This is one of
the many reasons that monitors are not as popular to reptile collectors to keep as lets say the leopard gecko or bearded dragon
who feed primarliy on bugs and leafy greens.Here`s an example: the savanah monitor from africa is a known from field studies
to be a snake eater and snakes make up a bulk of their diet along with land snails,birds,bird eggs, and grass hoppers.So
why do most collectors feed rodents only??? Simple.. ITS EASY ! being their easy to get from pet stores who
rely on you comeing back to buy mice from them every week to make them money.Savanahs will eat mice on a regular basis but
is this the right diet for them? To me NO ITS NOT !..Lets face it the occasional mouse wont hurt your monitor but it
shouldnt make up the bulk of its diet no more then humans should eat just hamburgers everyday..YUK ! We all need a full
rounded diet giveing us the nessesary vitamins and minerals to grow and be healthy.Monitors need the same.Live mice also harbor
bacteria and parasites which will be introduced to your monitor on a daily or feeding basis.If you do use the occasional rodent
use frozen.Freezing kills harmfull bacteria and parasites in 30 days and is better for your monitors health.Here`s another
example..THE DUMERILS MONITOR FROM INDONESIA.
Dumerils are water lovers that are found by river banks in certain localities of indo.Their primary food groups
are cray fish,crabs,birds ,and bird eggs and other types of fish.Dumerils are great swimmers and are fun to watch dive down
and grab crabs and crayfish under the water.Im sure they run across the occasional river rat or mouse but again field studies
and necropsy`s(autopsy) in the reptile trade.Reveal these food groups in the stomach cavities.So why does everybody feed rodents
only.?? Again for a simple solution and ease of husbandry.OK , I know what your thinking where will I get cray fish or crabs?
Well thats a problem for most of us unless you look for them and have some local suppliers near you like a fish tackle shop.Fortunatly
I live in florida where alot of these assortments of foods are redily available.So no big deal for me, but if you live in
lets say a remote part of the country.These food items are impossible to find.So is a dumeril monitor the right choice
for you.?? I would say definetly not, but did you notice that both the savanah monitor and the dumeril have one common food
group ? BIRDS ! and BIRD EGGS ! I have found that almost every type of monitor from around the globe has this
effection for foul and simply cant resist it.Also their are many food groups that are canned and available in our local grocery
stores like crab.I personally cook eggs hard boiled in the shell and serve them up that way with the shell broken up for calcium
and I use frozen 3 day old chix from a reputable supplier.I also will suppliment my monitors with home cooked chicken breast
with the bones and ground cooked turkey.Like I said before do your husbandry homework before purchaseing your monitor because
when it comes to provideing the proper food groups you need to.Check on where they come from and their locality.Are they terrestrial
or aboreal or both? What have field studies revealed ? When you research all of this the answers are simple.
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LIGHTING AND UVA AND UVB EXPOSURE.
Simply put the most important aspect of keeping monitor lizrds next to cageing is exposure to proper lighting.UVA and
UVB make up most of the beneficial rays that the sun puts out on earh.All creatures includeing humans and reptiles benefit
from these rays in one way or another.Being cold blooded Reptiles need the suns rays to warm thier body temperature in order
to digest food and absorb all the nessesary vitamins and minerals like calcium for proper bone growth and reproduction.Reptiles
produce a vitamin called D6 from the suns rays in order to absorb calcium.With out D6 calcium passes through the body unabsorbed
causeing MBD Medibolic bone disease.From field studies it is quite clear that we reptile collectors try to provide these nessesary
light rays in captivity.This is accomplished two ways.First is direct exposure to the suns rays.Two is artificial bulbs that
can be bought from a variety of reptile lighting companys who manufacture bulbs that simulate the suns rays.These bulbs are
very efficient and affordable and I find them to work very well for my collection.To not provide the nessesary lighting will
compromise your monitors life span,health,and ability to reproduce offspring.Find out what lighting and husbandry requirements
are nessesary for the species you are working with and provide them with proper light exposure.
NOTE THAT:Different lizards have different requirements of sun ray exposure then others.Desert species will obviously
need longer and more intense exposure then lets say a jungle or rainforest species will need.Thier are many varieties of incandecent
and florecent bulbs to match these needs ...So check them out.
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CARNAVOUR CONCLUSION AND NEW TECHNIQUES.
I just want to express and share some personal theories and techniques to keeping monitors and other carnavour lizards
that I have developed over the years as well as some things about them you probably didnt know.
First of all I find monitors to be more omnivorous then carnivorous.Meaning they eat alot more then just meat.My Black
throats have a fondness for bananas and some vegetables like green beans and carrots.This is great because they receive alot
of vitamins from these natural food groups.I dont feed bugs, mice,or rats to my monitors unless thier frozen and sparingly
to avoid kidney impaction and parasite infestation.Yes rodents carry parasites and harmfull bacteria`s.Crickets are loaded
with Pin Worms and other dangerous parasites and are the main cause for most reptile deaths...Dont let anybody tell you different
because this has been Vet proven....Hair from rats and mice are the number one killer in monitors. If overfed rodents over
time they will develope kidney failure for lack of being able to pass the buildup of hair.Feed your monitor or lizard a rounded
diet.I cook all my meats and include alot of bone and bone by products along with it for calcium.I do use high quality cat
food when thier young from hatchlings to juviniles on occasion to round out the diet and give them some nessesary extra vitamins
and minerals,but I dont overdo it.Fresh lean meats,frozen three day old chix,hardboiled eggs,ground turkey,and some fruits
and vegetables make up the bulk of my monitors diet.I also use Sticky Tongue farms "Miner all"suppliment once a week."The
best vitamin and mineral suppliment on the planet!"..This type of diet I have found to not only keep your lizards in top condition
but keep them less aggressive because the need to kill for food has been removed and therefore your lizard becomes more relaxed
and docile.Every year I have a fecal exam done on my whole collection to search for any parasites or bacteria present in thier
system.This is done affordably through your veterinarian and will reveal any infestation your lizard might have.If something
is found your vet or you can treat them accordingly for any of these infestations ridding your reptile of any life threatning
diseases.
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