monitors. How old to breed?

[TWENTY B]

how old do monitors need to be before they are ready to breed?
Does it differ between say.
Askies, goulds, lacies

 

[Kirby]

they usually take a few years to reach adult size.

 

[Tristis]

all monitors will breed and lay at 6 months, just depends how much you feed them.
i just hatch 2 brevicauda, the adults are only 10 months old

 

[richardsc]

tristis is correct,its size of the animals that determines when they start mating,not age,hence people power feed them to reach maturity faster to make money off them sooner

 

[Jonno from ERD]

all monitors will breed and lay at 6 months, just depends how much you feed them.
i just hatch 2 brevicauda, the adults are only 10 months old

I'd say that'd be correct for Odatria but definitely not for true Varanids like Lacies and Perenties...

 

[TWENTY B]

forget about power feeding.
Under normal feeding how long would they take? Roughly.
2 years? 3 years

 

[Tristis]

I'd say that'd be correct for Odatria but definitely not for true Varanids like Lacies and Perenties...

talk to Frank Retes, he owes goanna ranch in the us. frank has bred almost all the monitors at 6 months including lacies, goulds, croc monitors , panoptes and many others.
heat them and feed them thats all there is to it.

 

[Tristis]

theres no such thing as power feeding in the monitor world.

 

[nathancl]

theres no such thing as power feeding in the monitor world

i tottally agree with this statement.

 

[Varanidae]

i have a tristis orientalis that is of adult size at 12 months of age and my accies have had two fertile clutches this year and they are only just over two and i do not power feed them i just make sure there is food available ,i also know a person who has Varanus Glauerti and has bred them at the age of about ten months, so in saying that i beleive they grow as quick as their metabolism will let them as long as you keep food and heat there for them.

 

[cruester]

Tristis ;Can you please pm me your own breeding and raising observations on getting animals up to breeding size in 6mths.I would die to know your secret to getting them up to breeding size that fast, as in my years of experience i have yet to see it done in a 6 mth time frame.Are you speaking from personal exp or just repeating the absolute rubbish that comes out of franks mouth.cheers Troy.

 

[richardsc]

its not just frank retes who breeds small and large monitors at 6 odd months of age,we are talking in the states,where they power feed the bejesus out of there animals,not just monitors,i dont power feed nor recommend it,but end of the day you cant argue with franks success,but im not sure his animals have a normal longevity,i think franks lacies were older than 6 months though,but could be wrong

 

[richardsc]

troys right though,to get animals sizable enough to successfull reproduce in that time,espicially larger species takes a hell of alot of feeding,so 6 months is pushing it

 

[richardsc]

twentyb,under normal circumstances,smaller varieties maybe 2 years or so,larger species anywhere from 2 to 5 years,thats also inluding cooling certain species,eg lacies,but like i said originally,they reach sexual maturity according to size,not age,so time frame to sexual maturity is however long it takes u to get them to there minimal sexual maturity size,but then thats if u can breed them

 

[Dave]

I've been told spencers are able to breed from 6-12months. Not sure if this is true or not

 

[TWENTY B]

so we are going with 2 years at a sensible growth rate.

6 months is a crazy time frame. And even if it is possible, i'm disgusted that someone would push thier animals that hard.

 

[cris]

so we are going with 2 years at a sensible growth rate.

6 months is a crazy time frame. And even if it is possible, i'm disgusted that someone would push thier animals that hard.

IMO if they arnt breeding size in 2 years you are probably underfeeding them. Although it would vary a bit in differant species and individuals. Spencers monitors for example have very variable growth rates, im sure some of them could easily get to breeding size in well under a year if you fed them enough. I would be very suprised if its possible to harm a growing goanna by over feeding.