# Varanus Brevicauda and other small monitors!



## Trogdor (Apr 18, 2014)

Hey guys, Just wondering if you know of or can make a table showing monitors and their sizes, Even better if you have any monitors show them off and tell us a bit about them, would be greatly appreciated.

Looking at getting one in a few years, but i would like to read a lot about them first, Something bigger than a Varanus Brevicauda.
[h=1][/h]Thanks!


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## Stevo2 (Apr 18, 2014)

Get yourself a copy of "A Guide to... Australian Monitors in Captivity" and you can make up a table and learn lots about them 

Geckodan » Danny Brown » The Bookshop - Page 1


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## Trogdor (Apr 18, 2014)

Stevo2 said:


> Get yourself a copy of "A Guide to... Australian Monitors in Captivity" and you can make up a table and learn lots about them
> 
> Geckodan » Danny Brown » The Bookshop - Page 1




Good old Danny Brown, I have a few of his books.

Was just coming here first to get first hand experience before I buy the book.


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## Ramy (Apr 18, 2014)

The most common montiors in captivity appear to be (from my observation) Lace montiors (v. varius), Black-headed monitors (v. tristis) and Ridge-tailed (v. acanthurus). They're pretty big, black-headed being the smallest at 50-80cm?

Others pop up from time to time, but they sell quick and most monitors are Class 2 in NSW.

The class 1 monitors in NSW (from larger to smaller) are:
v. gouldii
v. tristis
v. acanthurus
v. gillensi
Gillens' or the Pygmy Mulga Monitor are the smallest available on class 1, at approx 40cm. Gould's are closer to 140cm. Pay attention to the Code of practice for NSW reptile keepers, as well. It'll tell you the minimum enclosure sizes.

EDIT: corrected an error in species sizes.


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## Trogdor (Apr 18, 2014)

Ramy said:


> The most common montiors in captivity appear to be (from my observation) Lace montiors (v. varius), Black-headed monitors (v. tristis) and Ridge-tailed (v. acanthurus). They're pretty big, black-headed being the smallest at 50-80cm?
> 
> Others pop up from time to time, but they sell quick and most monitors are Class 2 in NSW.
> 
> The class 1 monitors in NSW (from larger to smaller) are: v. gouldii, v. acanthurus, v. tristis and v. gillensi . Gillens' or the Pygmy Mulga Monitor are the smallest available on class 1, at approx 40cm. Gould's are closer to 140cm. Pay attention to the Code of practice for NSW reptile keepers, as well. It'll tell you the minimum enclosure sizes.




Thank you very much, Exactly what i was after haha.
V. Acanthrus have my attention, great looking animals, I would really like an outside enclosure but living in Sydney it gets pretty cold so ill have to keep that in mind when deciding.
Or just dedicate a room to them .

Do you have any monitors?


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## Ramy (Apr 18, 2014)

I'm in the market for Pygmy Mulga Monitors (I've got a 4x4ft enclosure that's 80% ready to go).

I'd also love to own some Mertens' Water Monitors one day. I've got designs in my head for what an outdoor enclosure would look like. I'm in the Illawarra, so I've got a similar problem of temperatures for outdoor enclosures. I'm still researching heating and ponds.


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## Rogue5861 (Apr 18, 2014)

V.tristis are normally bigger then V.acanthurus.


Rick


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## Trogdor (Apr 18, 2014)

Ramy said:


> I'm in the market for Pygmy Mulga Monitors (I've got a 4x4ft enclosure that's 80% ready to go).
> 
> I'd also love to own some Mertens' Water Monitors one day. I've got designs in my head for what an outdoor enclosure would look like. I'm in the Illawarra, so I've got a similar problem of temperatures for outdoor enclosures. I'm still researching heating and ponds.



Oooh nice, Yeah if only we lives in WA haha.
You should post a photo of the tank 
On that note anyone with monitors should upload their enclosures.


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## Stevo2 (Apr 18, 2014)

Like Rick said, Black-headeds are normally larger than Ackies. This is my Black-headed enclosure that houses 1 x male and 2 x females. It's 6ft long, 4ft high and 2.5ft wide.


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## Ramy (Apr 18, 2014)

Rogue5861 said:


> V.tristis are normally bigger then V.acanthurus.



Yea, I got that one wrong, sorry. That's what I get for being lazy about looking things up. When I was doing my research, I focused on climbing species (Tristis and Gillensi). It seems I didn't remember as much about the ackies as I thought I did.

I've got more vertical space than floor space, so to be able to provide a big enough enclosure I decided that ackies were going to be too hard.


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## Trogdor (Apr 18, 2014)

Stevo2 said:


> Like Rick said, Black-headeds are normally larger than Ackies. This is my Black-headed enclosure that houses 1 x male and 2 x females. It's 6ft long, 4ft high and 2.5ft wide.
> 
> View attachment 308757




Great looking enclosure!


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## Trogdor (Apr 28, 2014)

Buump
Anyone want to add pics of their ridge tails and enclosures?


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## Operation-Goanna (Mar 23, 2017)

Bump!


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## Macras (Mar 27, 2017)

I own stripe tails (3) and Ackies (1 atm, looking for a mate)

Stripe tailed monitors atm are mostly wild caught, don't like being handled, are difficult to handle and awesome escape artists. I haven't bread them successfully yet although that is the goal. Can be great to watch as they run and jump etc, but generally timid and spend a lot of time hiding. They can/will eat from your hand, and I've never been bitten by one of these yet. They can get stressed, and I have had 1 die ( never really settled in, didn't feed as well as the others and got molested by the male) and another escape with no trace. BE SURE YOU HAVE AN ABSOLUTLY SECURE ENCLOSURE!!!. even good quality commercial enclosure arnt stripe tail proof! Tape around cable exits etc, and any clips that hold the top on, even a hole 3-5 mm is enough to escape, and they will hang upside down on mesh roof enclosures and test every gap. Quite small, unimpressive looking monitor, and they do still need room as they are quite active at times( esp mating season). Also very hard to get hold of still.

Ackies are bigger and easier to manage, slower moving and easier to hold. Also cheaper to feed/keep (for me anyway) they don't seem to mind a bit of interaction, and after a few months mine is getting quite used to being handled. They do bite while being fed if your not careful, painful, but no real damage, maybe a slight bit of blood. A much better choice for most people I would think, and easier to get hold of as well. Plenty of info around about ackies.

I wont put any pics of enclosures atm as im swapping everything around trying to make room and get ready for a few more next year, everything is a mess. As im sure everyone will tell you, make sure the basking temp is WAY up there and they will be fine. I also use a heat rock for all mine as they are in a cold area, but probably not needed for most situations.

Good luck!!


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## Trogdor (Apr 2, 2017)

Oh wow I forgot I made this thread! Actually picked up an ackie a bit over a month ago now, settling in still but is starting to trust me more and more, can believe how quickly she's grown! 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


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## Trogdor (Apr 2, 2017)

Trogdor said:


> Oh wow I forgot I made this thread! Actually picked up an ackie a bit over a month ago now, settling in still but is starting to trust me more and more, can believe how quickly she's grown!
> 
> Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


The pic above was today, and these ones are from when I first got her














Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


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