# Mangrove monitors and enclosure idea!!



## sweetangel (Oct 23, 2008)

Hi every one,
well i am totally obsessed with my 2 ackies, and was browsing herp trader and saw mangrove monitors for sale. now i had never even though twice about them before i had seen pics of those babies.... now i am obsessed.
They look stunning. i have done searches on this site but most is from very old posts.

*So i just want to find out a bit of info about them. Cage requirements, temperament, feeding??

any info at all... if they are easy to keep like ackies.*

I know they need lots of water to swim in and they eat fish and crabs as well as the usual monitor food. that seems easy enough.

*Also one important question, what temps do they need to be kept at??*

the reason this is so important is because i am planning to keep them outside if temps permit, well not quite outside, but in an atrium that we have in the middle of our house.

Here are some pics, i am planning to fill up most of the space thats under floor level, but leave some sunk down for a pool/ water.

What do u guys think, are they as active and interesting to watch as ackies

this is a big plan, and i cant get them for at least a year because of liscencing.

so yeah any info and pics or names of breeders would be brilliant

Cheers


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## tattoolizzie (Oct 23, 2008)

wow, that is going to make one awesome enclosure!! I am so jealous.


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## sweetangel (Oct 23, 2008)

lol yeah i can believe i have convinced mum and dad to do it it was going to be diamond pythons other wise, but i though a pretty monitor that will run around all day will be far more interesting as all my diamond does is hide lol.
but it will take a bit of work to make it reptile friendly, but i totally cant wait


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## cris (Oct 24, 2008)

I think they would be ok if you provde enough heating, heating the water and providing a basking spot should do. It will chew up a bit of power, but on hot summer days you probably wouldnt need to heat while there is good sunlight to bask in. A water temp in the high 20's and a basking spot of 50C or more should do.


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## Australis (Oct 24, 2008)

I love your house.


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## JJS. (Oct 24, 2008)

One word: Awesome!


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## imported_Varanus (Oct 24, 2008)

Hi there,

Have you considered local Lacies? Crocdoc breeds some brilliant animals in both looks and temperment.

Just a thought.


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## redbellybite (Oct 24, 2008)

i think it would be great what ever you put in there ....


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## herptrader (Nov 7, 2008)

This subject has come up a few times... I have even asked it myself :lol:

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/...eps-them-and-what-are-their-setups-like-76536
http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-herps/varanus-indicus-mangrove-monitor-86213

Good looking Mangroves along with good looking bells form lacies are I think some of the best looking herps around

I love your set up but I don't think it would be practical to heat for mangrove monitors.

If it was mine I would put a cage on top, so the monitors can get up into direct sunlight for most of the day, and put a big climbing tree up the middle and put some lacies in there. (and not supply additional heating).

As for the mangroves I would be building a purpose build well insulated enclosure with a large swimming tub which can be easily drained etc.


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## herptrader (Nov 7, 2008)

These were the best care sheets I found:

http://webhome.idirect.com/~varanus/mangrovef2.html
http://varanidae.org/Varanews/VN3_6.pdf


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## dougie210 (Nov 7, 2008)

Yeh i agree with herptrader, put lacies in there! But OMG! That will make such an awsome enclosure!!! Plus your neighbours will be thinking why are there these big lizards on there roof?


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## spongebob (Nov 7, 2008)

My brother when he lived in Portugal had a similar open part in the centre of the house. Inside were cacti etc. Occasionally a local scops owl would get entrapped-trying the fly out horizontally rather than vertically!
I totally agree with the previous comments-best suited for a lace goanna. You will need to do a lot of adapting for a mangrove monitor.


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## sweetangel (Nov 7, 2008)

well thinking about it.... it would be hard to maintain humidity in there.... as well as heat....

so what can people tell me about laccie's??

would it be big enough for them.... i think its 2.5m by 4m...

i know they grow big and they are very pretty...

but what about temperament? are the very vicious or can they be placid/ taken out an handled....

cos bear in mind the only monitors i have kept are akies.... and it still will be a year before i would get one anyway.

so yeah any other advice would be brilliant

cheers everyone


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## imported_Varanus (Nov 8, 2008)

Hi again,

No large Monitors (any Monitor species for that matter) are particularly amenable to handling and even the "tamest" animals can mistake your actions for a feeding response. Needless to say, a bite from a large Monitor can require surgery and months of rehab, so handling should be kept to a minimum.

Having said that, I and may others , have had Lacies that were very calm and confident in most situations and accepted minimal handling (ie; removing from their enclosure to wander about the house or to be placed in an outdoor enclosure when weather permitted). They are the most enjoyable captives IMO if you have the patience to allow them to adjust to their surroundings. A great experience all-round and a pleasure to keep.

Hopefully others can add to this as well to help you make an informed decision.

Cheers,

I.V.


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## imported_Varanus (Nov 8, 2008)

P.S; I kept a pair in an enclosure of 3.6x 1.2x 2.4 without any problems, however, they were given the run of the basement (a 10 metre squared area) on occasion.


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## Aslan (Nov 8, 2008)

*Sweetangel *- I think it is doable for Mangroves - in order to maintain humidity cover the roof space with a clear plastic sheet (it works with hot houses for plants). Heat the water and provide a good basking spot and I reckon it would work... 

It would be a shame not to utilise that space for one of the larger Monitor species - Mertens could be kept in a similar setup to the Mangroves, Lacies would work well too as described by others earlier...


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## fishead (Nov 9, 2008)

What about a couple of heath monitors varanus rosenbergi, I think that spot would be ideal for them with a bit of tweeking. They are only roughly half the size of lacies and if you haven't seen a juvenile before you are in for a real treat for the eyes!


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## herptrader (Nov 23, 2008)

fishead said:


> What about a couple of heath monitors varanus rosenbergi, I think that spot would be ideal for them with a bit of tweeking. They are only roughly half the size of lacies and if you haven't seen a juvenile before you are in for a real treat for the eyes!



As juveniles I think Rosenbergi are beautiful. One of my goanna books includes quite a bit of research on them. Alas I know little about their captive husbandry.


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## herptrader (Nov 23, 2008)

Our guys are quite shy still but they seem to be doing ok.

This one is what I anticipate is the female.

She has quite a serious look on her face :lol:


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## sweetangel (Nov 24, 2008)

wow they are amazing looking

was just in melbourne a few days ago and was talking to someone in a pet shop (sorry i cant remember your name dan or dave maybe) but yeah i was looking for good books on monitors so i can have a really good read to decide what i get.... there are just so many different ones that are awesome!!

So yeah if any one has any good books on aussie monitors if u could give me the names that would be sweet!! and where to get them... cant find them any where!

cheers all.

cant wait to change that area into a monitor enclosure!!


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## herptrader (Nov 25, 2008)

sweetangel said:


> wow they are amazing looking



Thanks - the photos do not quite do them justice. In the right light they have a strong indigo, even greenish colour.



sweetangel said:


> was just in melbourne a few days ago and was talking to someone in a pet shop (sorry i cant remember your name dan or dave maybe) but yeah i was looking for good books on monitors so i can have a really good read to decide what i get.... there are just so many different ones that are awesome!!



Upmarket pets is probably one of best pet shops for herps... I suspect that is where you went. We dropped in there with Greg Maxwell when he was out for the VHS meeting last year. He got quite the reception from Adam.

On the book front I am a herp-a-holic... and a bit of a book-herp-a-holic also.

Probably the best monitor book I have read is Matt Vincent and Steve Wilson "Australian Goannas". It is out of print but I got my copy from a VAAH meeting for $34. They had 2 more copies outside of that keep an eye on EBay. I like it because it is down to earth and practical. Their captive breeding in oz shows which is very useful.

Next on my list is Dennis King and Brian Green "Goannas - The biology of Varanid Lizards" It is published by the UNSW. It is also easy to read. It is part of the "Australian Natural History series". You should be able to get this from the Herp Shop.

The comes Bernd Euidenmuller "Monitor Lizards - Natural History, Captive Care & Breeding". It has great photos and is good on the captive care side of things. I think Brian (of the Herp Shop) still has a few copies available signed by the author. It is a good read.

If you are really into it get a copy Eric Plianka and Dennis King "Varanoid Lizards of the World" - it is sort of the Cogger of the Varanid world. I found it a good read but some might find it heavy going. It is also a bit expensive but probably worth every cent.

Did I miss any?


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## TWENTY B (Mar 4, 2010)

sweetangle, has there been any progress on your atrium enclosure?


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## serpenttongue (Mar 4, 2010)

...


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## TWENTY B (Mar 4, 2010)

lol, serps, this thread is from over a year ago. i was just asking for an update


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## serpenttongue (Mar 4, 2010)

TWENTY B said:


> lol, serps, this thread is from over a year ago. i was just asking for an update


 
What are you talking about? I haven't commented in this thread.


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## redbellybite (Mar 4, 2010)

would be interesting to see if it had been turned into one ...I am with you twenty B I am curious


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## richardsc (Mar 5, 2010)

mangroves as a rule are probably shyer and not as amendable to handling as lacies,but thats a generalisation,both can be nasty,both are capable of also being tame,but the main thing is they are all different and its a lottery as to how they will turn out,comparing them to ackies,they are nothing alike,if u witness how large monitors react at feeding time and the speed and power they have,you have to obviously be very careful,as a bite under those circumstances can be very painful,and not to mention the damage they can do,if u respect that though there great to keep,another large monitor to consider are mertons water monitors,they would do great in the area u are setting up for a cage, and are a good species to keep,they need the same conditions as mangroves to,but if you are really interested in mangroves,go for it,they are stunning animals


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## sweetangel (Mar 5, 2010)

Lol hi guys! Well I have literally just got my class 2 like 2 days ago. But right now there are no plans for that area. I am currently converting a part on our balcony for a lizard pit. I'll put up some pics soon. That's almost done  but now u have my class 2 I am looking back into them. I still have a large 6x2x2 fish tank from my water dragons which I could use for them in the mean time if I got some babies. But no updates on that idea. Mum and dad are liking this pit I'm building so if all goes well I might try this idea again


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## herptrader (May 15, 2010)

This is our girl - now about 800mm long. She is just starting to slough so looks a bit flaky. She was looking pretty cute until I opened the door and she started posturing. I love her to bits but have a healthy respect for those talons!


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## wasgij (May 15, 2010)

are you definetly set on monitors? i reckon it would look brilliant set up for water dragons!


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## Kenshin (May 19, 2010)

herptrader, i have always wanted V. indicus, how much do they typically go for when they pop up for sale also good find on matt vincents book iv been trying to find it for afew years

sweetangle, definatly throw some rosenbergs, bells phase lacies in it or if it were me id throw a pair of scrubs in there they are very active as far as pythons go although i dont know how you would go in winter


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## herptrader (May 20, 2010)

$1.2 to $1.5 but they do not come up all that often.


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