wanted info on Merten's/Mitchel's water monitors

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Kenshin

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was considering buying some of ither for a breeding colony 1st i was wondering if anyone would suggest basic info such as enclosure sizes and setups, whats best to breed ect 2 females 1 male

thanks for any help i know little about these two species i do however own a trio of varanus scalaris and have experience with v.t.tristis
also if anyone would like to offer any info or suggestions to do with v.scalaris i would be greatfull

feel free to e-mail me: [email protected]
 
RE: wanted info on Merten

Welcome to the site Kenshin.

And i think Simon Archibald is our resident monitor guru, he should be able to help you out with your questions.

Cheers, Alan.
 
RE: wanted info on Merten

Kenshin,
Welcome to the site. Good to have another monitor lover join the ranks, especially one who is keen on the aquatic species.

Both Merten's and Mitchell's have similar husbandry requirements, really the only difference is the size of the enclosure needed. I have not kept Mertens but currently keep a trio of Mitchells juveniles.

Temps I offer are up around 50+ celcius at the hot end, down to what is usually 25 at the cool end (this ambient temp rises slightly on real hot days here). I provide a small water container which I have running with a pump...I find the monitors are much more inclined to use it when it's moving and therefore I don't have to do anything else to aid their shedding...they shed perfectly all the time. Also, I run an aquarium heater at 26 degrees celcius in the water.

The rest of the enclosure is just sand, branches and a few leafy things. I feed them crickets and roaches currently (they grow so fast it's incredible). When they get older I will also feed mice, day-old quail, mince, rabbit sausage, shrimp and hopefully some species of fish that they can hunt and eat.

For an adult pair, you could comfortably house them in a 6x2x2 enclosure...they would probably prefer a bit of extra height though as that's what my Mitchells seem to use all the time....height.

Also for adults if you have a large body of water then you'd want to make sure you can empty it out with something like a drainage plughole because they will defecate in the water and it may need to be changed fairly regularly.

For any more info, check out the "Varanus mitchelli enclosure" thread...it's in one of the forums here on APS.

Simon Archibald
 
iv revived this for the sake of anyone else seeking v.mertensi info heres what i have found thus far

http://www.goannas.net/species/keeping/mertensi01.html
http://www.monitor-lizards.net/species/varanus/mertensi.html
http://mampam.50megs.com/monitors/mertensi.html

disapointing that most of this care info is from a german zoo and not any from aussie keepers or zoos

simon archibald as for your mitchels and apparently for hatchling mertens its been recomended to put schools of molys, guppys and other fish that produce unbelivably fast these are good because the monitors get lots of good exersice from the fast schooling fish
 
i've seen mertens go absolutely mental for yabbies...

One such yabbie took up residence under a big pile of branches and the mertens couldn't get it.... spent some time trying though... ended up getting it in the end i'm told.
 
"Hi Kenshin, i keep V. Scalaris both inside and outside. The outside colony live in a converted 'rain-water tank aviary', this is funished with plants (i leave plants in pots,when they start to appear goanna destroyed, i swap with others and so-on) rocks, and logs-plenty of hollows. The floor substaite is sand on the sun side and pebble the other. The idea behind the pebble area is the area i walk, not wanting to stand on eggs. I provide a foam box buried in the sand which is full of rotten timber and potting mix for them to lay. Large Tiles are place on top the of box to heat up, in the sun.
They are most active in the morning after i water the enclosure. Their fed a varity of food which is put in a small bowl, in turn its put in a larger bowl with water to provide a barrier against 'Ants'. Half the enclosure is shaded by a large tree allowing shade from midday sun. They have food provided daily, and are monitored to make sure each receive food regularly. Their fed one small mouse each a fornight in breeding season from the forceps, to keep them coniditioned. The ones inside have a large cage which is spayed (spray bottle) each morning with hot water to increase humidity and simulate humid rainforest conditions. They are soon active basking on pearching under the lights waiting to be fed from the forceps. I provide fresh branchs, put in holders every second day, mostly for visiual appeal: however they become active with any alterations, and the new scents this provides. the enclosure floor is covered with leaves and rocks plus a water bowl..................Cheers mate hope this helps in some way".
 
hey there thanks feel free to email me pics i have a trio i bought off of trevor sulliven they live in a 4x2x2ft heres a pic
 
I kept mine in a 4ft turtle aquarium with alot of shrubs so the animal can get out of the water if it wants. The tank had a rock platform at each end but my one spends alot of time walking like godzilla through the water. It does like a basking area and as i live in South West Sydney and it gets cold in winter i have a water heater so that the temp in it doesnt drop below 26 degrees. Mertens are terrific but i have just had to swap mine as my mother was horrfied to learn that it has almost out grown its tank and will get a damned site bigger. It doesn't like to be handled but eventually settles down. I've ahd shrimp and yabbies in with mine and i'm pretty lucky that it didn't tear the tank up. It's a ferocious feeder-great to watch.
 
ahh ok so basicly i should change round my 3day misting to every morning with warm water (are we talking light mist or heavy) and put some leaf litter on the bottem

mine dont seem to go for the forceps (altho only tryed roaches) any suggestions here mine arnt the least bit tame

are the plants in there for more cover or to hike the humidity up??
 
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