Sand Monitor Info

[mr burrito = god]

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[mr burrito = god]

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[mr burrito = god]

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[mr burrito = god]

Also any yellow spotteds

 

[Rocket]

URS has some for sale with some very impressive colours.

 

[cris]

Also any yellow spotteds

yeah i got some, http://www.aussiepythons.com/showthread.php?t=40326
definately maybe my favorite reptile, i cant really pick one but if i could that would be it :lol:

 

[mr burrito = god]

cheers rocket, and cris mate i love them i was looking at that thread earlier today they are just so rad, what size enclosure are they in if you dont mind me asking

 

[cris]

cheers rocket, and cris mate i love them i was looking at that thread earlier today they are just so rad, what size enclosure are they in if you dont mind me asking

Currently in a 4x1m avairy but they are only about 30cm(snout-vent), as adults they will be in a 4x4m avairy that i hope to extend another 6 square meters or more in the future. Its not fair IMO to skimp on the size of the enclosre and even that is smaller than what i would consider ideal. They like to climb, dig and also take a dip occasionally so the enclosure should also allow for that.

They are awesome animals and IMO make good captives aslong as you dont want to hug them or anything like that. They may bite if given a reason but generally OK to handle if you need too, no where near as bitey as a typical lacy but they can bite and a 15kg male would do considerable damage.

 

[mr burrito = god]

cheers mate do you happen to have any photos of their avairy (or anybodys monitor enclosures)

 

[OuZo]

We have a 6 month old little Sandy called Achilles . No fantastic pics of him cos he hates me and usually when I go in there he cracks it and runs away lol. Will try and see how he is tonight to see if I can get some newer ones.

 

[Goannas1]

thay are a great animal but can be a hand full

 

[mr burrito = god]

hes adorable cheers that would be great could you possibly get any of the enclosure

 

[OuZo]

At the moment all he's in is a 4x2x2 melamine enclosure that's kept pretty bare as the breeder said we shouldn't give him places to hide as that's all he'd do and would never become tame. So it's just got sand, a basking brick and a water bowl...nuthin interesting

 

[cris]

At the moment all he's in is a 4x2x2 melamine enclosure that's kept pretty bare as the breeder said we shouldn't give him places to hide as that's all he'd do and would never become tame. So it's just got sand, a basking brick and a water bowl...nuthin interesting

Sounds like a good way to stress the little dude out to me :?

 

[OuZo]

He's not stressed until you open the cage door lol. He even comes up to the glass when I put my fingers there to see if they're food...as soon as I open the door he's off though. Don't argue with me anyway, argue with the guy who's been breeding them for years! :lol:

 

[cris]

I wasnt having a go at you or trying to argue it just doesnt sound like a good idea to me, i read that the breeder told you to do it in you last post. Its also heaps easier to pick them up if they are in a hide(unless its a burrow obviously)

 

[mr burrito = god]

In the wild the have plenty of hides, why shouldn't it be the same in captivity? The objective to keeping a reptile is to mimmick there natural environment, and if you are not doing that you really should be despite what the breeder says. The point is to make it feel comfortable, not to keep it for your own selfish reasons.

 

[OuZo]

Hey, all I'm trying to do is achieve a happy non stressed animal that I can handle without stressing him or me. I trust the breeder and think he's a good guy who cares very much about his animals. It felt weird to me to not give him a hide either but he's a happy monitor who doesn't seem stressed at all unless you go near him. I had the same situation with a young snake once who wasn't feeding...I had hides all through his tank with shredded paper so he felt secure etc etc. An experienced herper/breeder saw the setup and told me to rip it all out and just give him one hide as "he had to get used to us being around or he'd constantly stress". No offence but I'd trust people who have been successfully keeping and breeding these animals for years over someone who's never had one...sorry!

The fact is, he's 100% happy running around his cage...the only difference a hide would make would be to give him a place to run to whenever we walked up to him. He's never going to get used to people being around if he doesn't have to! Which was exactly the breeder's point.

 

[mr burrito = god]

Just put yourself in this animals position. How would you liked to be put in a box, no where to hide, and be looked at and poked at and forcebly handled by some one bigger than you, just because they want a handle-able pet. They break your will by having no escape for you, no where to hide when a potential preditor comes by. You obviously don't care about the animal, and only care about yourself and being able to handle it. And if he seems fine until you aproach him, this method is so obviously not working. One word comes to mind: SELFISH!

 

[OuZo]

I don't forcibly handle him, I move towards him slowly and sometimes he lets me touch him. When he runs I never chase him (except when I've had to clean his cage and I have to catch him which you'd be doing even if they had a hide in that case). I don't poke or prod him and if he's happy cruising around his cage even when I'm standing there and he sees me how does that tell you he's stressed? If you give your monitor a place to hide and never touch him do you think it's going to run up and give you a big kiss when you open the cage? If I care so much about myself why do I never hassle him or pressure him? Get over it sweet pea...pull your head in and stop trying to reach the top of the little turd list on aps.