# The Perentie



## bulletproofkid (Mar 28, 2009)

Australias biggest monitor. How many people keep them and in what sort of enclosures? Also how much do u look at paying for one and does anyone on here breed them?

Thank you.


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## cris (Mar 28, 2009)

There are a few around, i think they cost around $2000 for hatchlings. You would want a large dry enclosure that gets full sun all day and/or provide baskings spots over 50C. An average size room is ok if being kept indoors. They dig, so the enclsoure should allow for that too.


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## Boney (Mar 28, 2009)

are perenties really the biggest lizard in australia on average or was there just a couple they found to be bigger then say a average size lacie ? just ive never seen a really big perentie i know it could just be because i live in lacie territory:lol: ive seen some pretty heavy bodied lacies . i just dont picture perenties as big could be wrong would like to know more but ..


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## redbellybite (Mar 28, 2009)

yes it is our biggest lizard...


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## cris (Mar 28, 2009)

ANTARESIA1 said:


> are perenties really the biggest lizard in australia on average or was there just a couple they found to be bigger then say a average size lacie ?



I dont really think its known for sure what species has obtained the largest size, perenties are probably the longest although both yellow spotted monitors and lacies are also very big. Also what is the biggest lizard? The longest one, the heaviest one or something else? is it average adult size or maximum recorded size? I have read that perenties and yellow spotted monitors can get over 15kg.


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## Boney (Mar 28, 2009)

OK. yeh i probly would like to know average length and weights of both as adults of co**** there is going to be a really big one in both cases its just you here how if you want to keep a perentie people go on about the huge space they need more so then a lacie . i guess that could be because they are more or a ground dwelling animal . that is probly the answer just there.... ive seen some articals on the lacie research going on at the moment . but the ones ive seen on that look alot smaller then the ones around here so it could be hard to get a true average ?

also the above pic of the perentie looks like a real nice big one but hardly any bigger then the lacies around my area thats my point could be just the pic might be bigger in real life.?


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## redbellybite (Mar 29, 2009)

well recorded sizes are perentie 2.4m,yellow spotted 1.4 and lace2.1m....as with any species you can get freaks ...but its is recorded that the perentie is Australia's biggest lizard ...but the lacies arent small either ..


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## crocdoc (Mar 29, 2009)

ANTARESIA1 said:


> also the above pic of the perentie looks like a real nice big one but hardly any bigger then the lacies around my area thats my point could be just the pic might be bigger in real life.?


Okay, I need to see photos of your local animals, now!* The ones in the study currently being done west of Sydney are big boys - some of their wild males are weighing 9kg (which, for a slim, wild lacie is huge). I'd put money on your local animals being smaller than that. The only lacies in Australia that reach this size on a regular basis are the Gipsland animals.

Looking at total length when comparing species is misleading, for lacies have an unusually long tail. We have an adult male perentie where I work whose snout-vent length is probablyl a good 15cm longer than the SVL of the biggest lace monitors I've ever seen. The only thing with perenties, though, is that the wild ones are particularly long and thin, so weight-wise they'd be similar to a really large panoptes or lace monitor.

To the original poster - are you still considering getting one for your nephew? I'd ask how old is he and where would he keep it, for perenties do need a large area. Larger than lace monitors because you can't go as vertical as you can with lace monitors.

*I should add here that almost everyone I have ever met has overestimated the size of the wild lace monitors they have seen. I spend a fair bit of time out looking at and for wild ones and you'd be surprised at how uncommon it is for them to exceed 1.8 metres, yet everyone I speak to says they have seen them up to 3m (I kid you not).


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## Boney (Mar 29, 2009)

crocdoc , i had one when put on the scales at AAE weighed 13kgs plastic box and packing would of weighed 2 kgs max . . either AAE need to get the scales fixed or im lying :lol: which im not .. but anyway i seen and caught a bells lacie in a pig trap out at Manilla that dwarfed my one .no i didnt weigh it as we where catching pigs and didnt have the scales .. also seen a few big ones out at a place called rocks crossing past mount george hell of alot bigger then any i have owned from captive breed stock . and a hell of alot bigger then any in that lacie project . also i got a few other spots where i see lacies that are at least as big as the ones in the lacie project .. make of it what you will thats just why i question the fact on average that perenties are bigger then lacies . but i have no experience with perentie just pics and recorded info . ect . . but i can understand why they should have more floorspace then a lacie . 

also crocdoc can you put up some pics of the perentie you work with and cage ect ..


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## crocdoc (Mar 29, 2009)

This is not really an indication of adult size, but one thing I can say is that perenties have the biggest eggs and babies of any other monitor that I know of, with the one exception of Komodo dragons. 

Check out the size difference with similar aged lace monitor hatchlings




These next two shots were taken on different years, but in same size container.








This photo was taken the day these two hatched


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## Boney (Mar 29, 2009)

wow not everyday you see pics like that . that is a huge difference in size as hatchies . 

whats the longest monitor in the word . my mate that lived in the jungle png thinks its his alligator lizard how true is that crocdoc?


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## crocdoc (Mar 29, 2009)

ANTARESIA1 said:


> crocdoc , i had one when put on the scales at AAE weighed 13kgs plastic box and packing would of weighed 2 kgs max . . either AAE need to get the scales fixed or im lying :lol: which im not



1 2kg of box and packing would be pretty flimsy to hold in an 11kg monitor. The little plastic boxes I use to send hatchlings end up weighing close to 1kg with packing. As you didn't weigh the box itself we are only guessing the weight of the container and still don't know the weight of the monitor.

2. Were you packing a wild caught monitor and shipping it via AAE? If not, and it was a captive, its weight can't really be compared to a wild monitor. Captives carry a lot more excess. That's why I emphasised that the ones in that study were wild animals weighing 9kg. That's a lot for a wild male, as they are much leaner than captives.

3. The photos you've seen of the study may be misleading as Jason, one of the researchers, is a big unit and would make most lacies look relatively small.

4. Without photos, all we have to go on with the wild ones you've seen was how huge they looked. That's why I was asking for photos.If you had to guess the length and weight of these animals, what would you estimate them at?



ANTARESIA1 said:


> also crocdoc can you put up some pics of the perentie you work with and cage ect ..


no problem.
enclosure, roughtly 10m x 10m




boy









pair mating. Check out the size difference in their heads. This female has roughly the same snout-vent length as my adult male lace monitor at home, but due to the different builds she would weigh half as much as him.


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## crocdoc (Mar 29, 2009)

ANTARESIA1 said:


> whats the longest monitor in the word . my mate that lived in the jungle png thinks its his alligator lizard how true is that crocdoc?


The record is currently held by a Sri Lankan water monitor, _Varanus salvator salvator._ Apparently it was 3.2 m. Komodo dragons, of course, are next in length but by far the largest monitor in overall size.

Tree crocodiles, _Varanus salvadorii_, are associated with a lot of urban myths (14ft), but in terms of actual maximum length no one has seen one greater than 3m. In terms of average length, though, they'd probably be the longest because they have a phenomenally long tail and even averaged sized adults usually reach 2.4 metres easily.


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## walpole_reptiles (Mar 29, 2009)

i have some and i also am breeding them. i love them yes they need a big area and need alot of food and yes i would say tame them. they are a very good pet


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## Boney (Mar 29, 2009)

thankyou for the pics crocdoc . just unreal ... do you think all perentie look the same ? thats what i like about lacies i think they look so different from each other . 

also mate when i pack my lacie for AAE black underbed from super cheap was used 40l tub weighs 1.5 kgs put lacies in a calico bag with shreaded paper under the monitor . and no it wasnt flimsey . and you are right captive breed lizards would carry more body fat . but yeh like i say some of the wild animals i have seen are just huge i would say 15 kgs + and about 2.5 metres ..yeh ,yeh its a guess i no . if you want mate ill take you out show you in person some big lizards. dead roo and a pig trap is a good way to bring them down from the trees ... 


my mate from png was also saying the crocodile lizards made good drum skins. also said he was scared of all the green tree pythons everywhere dont know how true that is ..:lol:


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## crocdoc (Mar 29, 2009)

2.5m and no camera. Real shame, as that's world record material.


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## Boney (Mar 29, 2009)

i expected a response like that:lol: over 2 meters is no big deal even cogger suggests that . 2.5 metres yeh thats what i think . see i live where they have things called trees grass, forests,scrub , the bush . no concrete jungle here .


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## crocdoc (Mar 29, 2009)

What do you mean 'response like that'? If I saw a world record lacie, I know I'd want to have my camera with me.


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## serpenttongue (Mar 29, 2009)

ANTARESIA1 said:


> some of the wild animals i have seen are just huge i would say 15 kgs + and about 2.5 metres ..


 
Don't suppose you have any pics of these or any other wild lacies from your area?? They would be awesome to see.


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## Boney (Mar 29, 2009)

i mean i dont see it as a world record animal because every time we go to this area you see big red banded (not cream)... bells lacies that are huge . i was suprised when i bothered to get out the cogger today to find out they suggest lacies average 1.5 and 1.6 for perentie . thats why i question the whole perentie being the biggest lizard in australia . considering cogger suggests there is only 10cm in it and suggests both animals get over 2metres when i already knew that about lacies . i take pics of my animals not wild stuff .. but i will take the camera next time . i guess i just took seeing these big lizards for granted as i see them all the time. no probs just another fishing story :lol:


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## crocdoc (Mar 29, 2009)

ANTARESIA1 said:


> see i live where they have things called trees grass, forests,scrub , the bush . no concrete jungle here .


The Bush? I looked for this place called 'the bush' in my atlas and on Google Earth, but nothing came up. Tell us more! We city folk are dying to hear more about this place called 'the bush'! Are there, like, flies and stuff there, too? ewwww. 

(don't take offence, I'm just joking around)

Just to put things into perspective, how long would you reckon this monitor is?


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## Mudimans (Mar 29, 2009)

I reckon that monitor would be around ....................................HUGE


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## serpenttongue (Mar 29, 2009)

crocdoc said:


> Just to put things into perspective, how long would you reckon this monitor is?


 
I'll take a guess and say 2.5m.


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## kupper (Mar 29, 2009)

that monitor is capable of taking little asians out of trees .........woops too late


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## Daryl_H (Mar 29, 2009)

wow is all i can say


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## crocdoc (Mar 29, 2009)

It was 2.25 metres.


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## Boney (Mar 29, 2009)

the komodo pictured looks like it is about 1.5 metres and about 10 kgs so smaller then my lacies :lol:

serious at a guess i would say more like 2.6 metres and about 91 kgs ? am i close? also i dont think they will take people out of trees at that size ... say they stop climbing trees at about 20 kgs is there any truth to that ?


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## Boney (Mar 29, 2009)

o.k i was a bit off on length what about weight? and yeh bush is out of a job you will have to talk to obamah


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## crocdoc (Mar 29, 2009)

around 40-45kg

The dragon in the news didn't take anyone out of a tree - the guy fell out. They come running whenever something drops to the ground, much like a lace monitor in a picnic ground. Not surprised the guy got bitten.


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## Boney (Mar 29, 2009)

40-45 KG that all ? thought a 2.25 animal that was female would weigh 60kg+ . at 2.5 females are about 75 kgs.. a males average adult weight is about 90 kg . and it makes it easier to guess lengths if you put the whole animal in the pic . maybe i just read to much of the wrong info .... you been there so you would know thanks for all the pics learn alot from you crocdoc...


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## crocdoc (Mar 29, 2009)

At 2.5 metres it'd be a male. Females rarely get over 2m, apparently.

I may have overestimated the weight of the animal in the photo. When Auffenberg did his study on the dragons, he found the average weight of dragons in the 2.25-2.6m range was 47kg. As the animal in the photo is at the lower end of the range and a bit underweight (it was a bit on the bony side), it was probably less than 45kg.

Here are two more shots of the same animal








The absolute largest one we saw was this big boy, who was 2.75m. If any animal we saw was 95kg it would have been him.


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## bulletproofkid (Mar 30, 2009)

*Nephew*

My nephew is 16 and still doing his research. I have made him work to earn the money himself to prvoe that he truly can look after it and provide the food for it. The enclosure size is not a problem as i am quite handy with the welder and we have plenty of backyard space. How big do you recomend i build the enclosure? I have heard that 3x2x2 is the minimum you can go.

Thanks


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## crocdoc (Mar 30, 2009)

3x2x2 would be small for an adult male perentie. 

What area do you live in? You may find that you can't keep perenties outdoors in your area. 

Either way, I wouldn't be getting a perentie for a 16 year old, research or no research.


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## bulletproofkid (Mar 30, 2009)

Just to clear the air im not considering buying it for him and leaving him to his own devices. It is going to be a shared reponsibility which is the reason for me joining this website. crocdoc how big do you suggest we build the enclosure? Given space isnt a problem


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## Dragon1 (Mar 30, 2009)

What class licence would you need to keep one?
What would you feed it, and how often?


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## bulletproofkid (Mar 30, 2009)

*License*

In SA it requires the holder of the animal to hold a specialist permit for that particular animal. Suprisingly there is no age restriction until it comes to venomous snakes.


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## Dragon1 (Mar 30, 2009)

What about NSW?
Where would you buy one?

(sorry 'bout all the questions)


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## cheeky_monkey_so (Oct 29, 2009)

*Wow*

God they were huge ive never seen one that size before... Um i have some queations for CROCDOC im doind vet nusring and we have a lace monitor in for care n im struggling to find info on common health issues and particulary curious about wat kind of mites they can contract. I will be full time careing for one so it would be greatly apperciated if you could help me out
Thanks 
Sian


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## cheeky_monkey_so (Oct 29, 2009)

That Kamodo is amazing, i was always facinated by them


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## crocdoc (Oct 29, 2009)

Hi Sian,

Monitors don't often get mites. It's rarely an issue in the same way it is with captive snakes. 

Have you asked permission to use that photo as your avatar?


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## JasonL (Oct 29, 2009)

hahaha, C'mon Dave, surely you have found 2.5m - 3 meter laceys by now.... they are in the same bush as the 3 meter Browns and Blacks and 15 foot carpets... I don't know the spot personally, but plenty of people I know have been there, maybe I could ask them to take us out?


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## crocdoc (Oct 31, 2009)

15 foot carpets? Those are weenie, mate! Last week I had someone tell me there's a 30 foot carpet near where they live. It was a customer to my workplace, so I suppressed my 'guffaw!' - didn't even crack a smile - then calmly explained how big the species actually gets.


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