# Just how hot they like it



## Simon_Archibald (Mar 2, 2005)

Hi all,
Well it ain't a secret that I'm a complete nut when it comes to goannas. *I LOVE 'EM*. Quite often in the past 4 months or so people have PM'd me, emailed me or caught me in chat to ask advice on monitor husbandry.

General rule that I always make sure to tell them is *just how hot they like it*. Basking temps of around 50+ (even up to 70 degrees!!!) are relished by most of these species (save for the few colder climate species). Of course though the monitors should have a cool spot of about 25-28 degrees at the cool end to retreat to if they wish.

Well, it's amazing how many times I've given this advice (which is also agreed upon by people who have much more experience than me) and the person who asked my advice disagrees or says they can't like it that hot or whatever, etc, etc. Then I follow up later on to see how they're going...well they've set up a 60watt reflector in a 4x2x2 enclosure and the monitors aren't eating!!!!

So, I thought I'd share with you this photo I've just taken. Hopefully some will accept this as proof...for the others that like to stick to dragon temps of 30-35 degrees...good luck ;-)

This is a photo of my Blackheaded Monitor male sitting under a *160 watt* Oz-bright combined heat/UV globe. He has been there for at least the past 25 minutes when I first noticed him. I measured the distance and there's a gap of 18cm between the globe and him. From the photo it doesn't even do it justice how close he is to that thing.

Normally in their pit I use 275watt food cooker globes, although they've been moved indoors until the sale of all the other goannas is complete.

Simon Archibald


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## Menagerie (Mar 2, 2005)

Wow, they do like it hot huh?

Would love to get one of those guys in the not too distant future. How long have you been keeping them?


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## Simon_Archibald (Mar 2, 2005)

Since September...hopefully have some more hatchlings available soon...in fact one has just poked his head out of the egg 

Might also mention that the male is still sitting under the lamp...he's just rotated a bit to get his whole back exposed to the lamp.

Simon Archibald


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## womas4me (Mar 2, 2005)

Well put, Simon. We have only been keeping Ackies and a Black headed for a while now and they love as much heat as they can get. We think about it in terms of where they are found in the wild. It regularly gets up to 45 degrees in the shade up here and the monitors will be sitting out in the sun basking.


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## indicus (Mar 2, 2005)

"I agree, they like it hot!!!, i've given up buying glass thermometers, they always crack...
nice and hot, a-bit of a wet down misting in the morning, a good varity of food, a reciepe for breeding......."


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## Menagerie (Mar 2, 2005)

what sort of level of experience would you reccomend for keeping monitors?


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## indicus (Mar 2, 2005)

"i think if you read, get some info, get your set-up 'right' for the intended varanid, sort out your live insects(smaller species). With ample food, heat and some what of a routine,you should'nt have to much trouble, one has to start somewhere........a good start would be 'Ackies, Storr's, Tristis and gillians', either of these species would do, preferably juveniles"


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## indicus (Mar 2, 2005)

"I forgot to mention, the best part about Varanids, 'their onto it'.....with heat, food and proper care their alway's doing something, watching you walk around the room, looking for signs that you may feed them,........ truly a rewarding experience...."


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## Simon_Archibald (Mar 2, 2005)

I agree with Tremain...the issue I see with keeping monitors is the same as every other reptile...appropriate husbandry setup and requirements. Once you have the right setup, you know it works and you have a routine or plan for their keeping, introduce the animals and watch them thrive.

The only other problem I see with keeping goannas is the overwhelming sense of people wanting to hold them, touch them, pat them, cuddle them, etc. I don't consider this an effective or suitable type of husbandry for monitors. They stress easily and they are also able to give you some pretty instense injuries if handled the wrong way. Handling only when necessary (during cleaning or separation) is an excellent way to keep the monitors as stress-free as possible. Also when you don't handle them...they tend to display more natural behaviours...just like seeing them in the wild (well sort of ;-) ) and that's the most entertaining part of keeping them.

Simon Archibald


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## AGAMIDAE (Mar 2, 2005)

thats correct archy....lots of people who keep monitors keep them to cold...and 30 deagrees at the hot spot is to cold


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## hugsta (Mar 2, 2005)

I get asked the same things Simon and have often had disagreements with the temps I tell ppl. I have 110w Ozbright on my ackies and the light would be only 6 or 7 inches from the basking spot. The ackies sit directly under it for ages and then they go hunting around the tank, active for most part of the day. 

As you said, they are a fascinating animal to watch especially when they are feeding on live foods. 

As for keeping them, IME they are as easy as keeping beardys. It is only the setup you need to get right and the rest is pretty simple. They obviously have a different diet to beardies as they don't eat vegies but that is no real drama. They don't need any special feed requirements that aren't readily available.

If you can afford some monitors such as the ones indicus mentioned then get some, they are awesome. Ackies are my personal favourite.


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## instar (Mar 2, 2005)

Awesome Info Si, I had no Idea, although i figured outback/desert =hot. Thanks for that, but your titles a bit misleading   :lol:


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## Simon_Archibald (Mar 2, 2005)

Hahaha no worries Dan...trying to do all those goannas out there a favour more than anything 

Simon Archibald


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## Hickson (Mar 2, 2005)

Shame there isn't a digital probe thermometer in the pic to really prove your point!



Hix


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## Already_Gone (Mar 2, 2005)

I am very seriously toying with the idea of some ackies after I finish my next enclosure. It will be 4x2x2's in a bank of 3. How many ackies could fit in a 4 ft enclosure comfortably?? I am guessing with the temp gradient have a hot end and a not quite as hot end right???


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## fishead (Mar 2, 2005)

Howdy guys, I have a couple of pairs of young pilbara ackies and run a 50 watt dichroic (without filter lense) above a big flat basking rock in each enclosure. This makes a hot spot in the fifties with a steep temp decline outside the spot so as not to super heat the whole enclosure. I'm only new to the monitors too but from all the info and as Simon said, it's important that they can escape that heat when they need to. Just thought I'd emphasise that point. 
I like the 50w dichroics as they produce a good amount of uva and uvb, maybe not necessary for monitors but it's there just in case, create an intense concentrated spot and importantly in an expanding collection, don't cost much to run. I love my ackies!!!
For some great monitor info scroll through the forum at varanus.net 
Bye, Steve.


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## herptrader (Mar 3, 2005)

Simon which are the monitors that don't like the heat? I had assumed Mertens and other monitors that are at home in the water but this is really just a guess.

How about the tiny monitors such as Gilleni and Brevicaudia?


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## Simon_Archibald (Mar 3, 2005)

Daavid,
The "colder climate" monitors that I was referring to are Lace Monitors, Heath Monitors and to an extent Sand Monitors.

Heath Monitors (Varanus rosenbergi) only come from the southern areas of Australia and are very cold-adapted. Lace Monitors (Varanus varius) do extend their range up through coastal areas in QLD but are not suited to the hot climates of the extreme north or central regions of the country. Sand Monitors (Varanus gouldii ssp) are the most widely distributed of the goannas. Of the 3 "colder climate" species, these are the ones who still need it hot (40+ at the hot spot) but can tolerate eastern climates to an extent on the coast with some supplemental heating.

Mertens and Mitchell's Water monitors are both northern species and are the same as most other monitors in Australia. They like it HOT. The reason they tolerate and utilise the waterways in their range is because it's tropical...so it's warmer.

Simon Archibald


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## herptrader (Mar 3, 2005)

So Gilleni and Brevicaudia like a hot spot also?


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## indicus (Mar 3, 2005)

"In inside enclosures, all species of varanids do well with an 'extreme' hot spot, for basking.......and just as important a cool end to escape the heat. Most smaller species have a high metabolism and need the heat to basically become energised. (to sufficiently feed, breed etc)......Gilleni and Brevicaudia, both arid species do well setup in a enclosure that combines a good temperature variation within it"


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## Simon_Archibald (Mar 3, 2005)

Yeah...good point Tre...I was referring to outside enclosures when talking about "cold adapted" species.

Daavid, V.gilleni and V.brevicauda do well with very hot basking spot.

Simon Archibald


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## herptrader (Mar 3, 2005)

Thanks guys


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## Guest (Mar 3, 2005)

Gday goanna lovers ,i gather the hatchlings of stori,gillens,acks get the same heat as adults? What is the best food for hatchlins i gather its probably insects but what type do you guys use.Appreciate any response as i have never kept monitors and plan on getting some hatchies,


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## Simon_Archibald (Mar 3, 2005)

Oldfella,
Yes hatchies like the same temperatures as adults. I feed both crickets and roaches (though mainly crickets) to my small and hatchling monitors. They do well on this.

Also some species will eat canned dog food...I have been able to get some monitors onto it...but not all.

If you're interested, I currently have some Blackheaded Monitors hatching as I type. They are of known origin (Northern Territory originally) and are captive bred. $250 each. Assistance can be provided in regards to husbandry information.

Simon Archibald


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## Guest (Mar 3, 2005)

Thankyou for your reply simon,i thought i would ask someone that knows to see if i was on the right track.I getting a little stors hatchling soon and want to make sure it survives.Never kept any of these little monitors and am looking forward to it. Cheers colin.


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## sobrien (Mar 4, 2005)

With merten's, it's not that they like it cooler but that they remain active at lower temps compared to other varanids. I have read heaps about them and there are records with active individuals with a body temperature of 18degrees. Matt Vincent would be someone to ask about this as it was mentioned at a VHS meeting a number of years ago. Check out http://mampam.50megs.com/monitors/mertensi.html for some info.
Sim


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## hugsta (Mar 4, 2005)

Here is another little guy that loves the heat. I know, it's not a monitor but it just go to show how hot these little guys love the heat a well.


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## bigguy (Mar 4, 2005)

Hi guys, I reckon I was the first herp to actually figure out you need to heat these guys to keep them healthy and have them breed.

In the eighties, many people kept monitors, but only housed them as warm as snakes. The result was they were not bred often, and most clutches from those days were from W/C gravid females that dropped after being caught.

During this same time I did a lot of field work up north, and did a lot of observations of monitors in the wild. I would observe species like Storrs and Ackies just sunbaking on rocks for over half an hour. When approached they would dart into a crevice. When I would kneel down on the same rocks that they were just sunning on to look at them in the crevice. I would find that the rocks were so hot your knees would literally stick to the rocks.

So I figured out from these observations that these animals relished the heat. I installed numerous 100watt bulbs in each of my moniotor enclosures, and bought the basking spots up to 50 to 60c. The result was every species I kept started to breed. I would often get comments from ARP keepers that I kept them to hot. My reply was they are breeding and doing well, so I must be doing something wright.

In the early nineties I was the only person producing mass varanid hatchlings. No one else was using my method, so they were not successful. After numerous complaints from keepers inferring I must be doing it illegally my animals were seized by NPWS. People like Steve Irwin and Matt Vincent advised the authorities that it was impossible to breed these in captivity. I was charged and faced court.
In the meantime, Vincent visited a friend of mine in the USA who was using my method. He saw hundreds of hatchlings and finally realised they could be bred. He withdrew from my case and only Irwin testified.

Isn't funny just 10 years later and all common monitors are now bred using my method, even by Irwin and Vincent. Vincent even wrote a book on monitors explaining the breeding concepts, but to this day has never appologised for slandering me as a criminal.


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## ad (Mar 4, 2005)

Awesome stuff bigguy, nothing like being a pioneer!!
Especially seeing something that you've discovered, and evolved, turning into accepted standard practise - for the betterment of herping.
I gather Vincent and Irwin have never paid any credit or acknowledgement!
Cheers
Ad


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## keelow (Mar 4, 2005)

i can't wait till i move back to good ol' QLD, gonna be monitor central at my house.


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## Guest (Mar 4, 2005)

Yeh AD blaxland lawson and wentworth struggled to the other side of the mountains( and a incredibly youthful) bigguy was standing in a clearing admiring his recently hatched bells phase laceys.Great you have worked it out bob so i can imitate your talent


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## Matty_2004 (Mar 6, 2005)

That really is HOT.

I remember a while ago questioning you over the temps - but it is fact that they like it that hot.

Even my beardies like their temps of 45 and sometimes higher. . .


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