Varanus indicus (Mangrove Monitor) - Who keeps them and what are their setups like?

[herptrader]

I think i have always been taken with Mangrove monitors since I first read about them in Cogger many years ago. It seems that they are now becoming more tantalizingly available in captivity - and you can even keep them in Victoria!

These pictures do not quite do them justice. They can be stunningly beautiful with brilliant yellow spots on an indigo background. The are aquatic as their common name suggests but as far as I can tell not as aquatic as the Mertens.
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I have been looking around at their husbandry requirements. There are a few sites out there:

http://mampam.50megs.com/monitors/indicus.html
http://www.herpkingdom.com/CS/mangrovemonitor.html

Does anybody on APS have any or know anything about them??

 

[herptrader]

Here is another reasonable looking care sheet:

http://www.cityreptiles.com/web_pages/care_sheets/lizard_care_sheets/mangrove_monitor_care_sheet.htm

 

[richardsc]

awsome pics,im also a lover of the mangroves,its great to see them becoming more available,i dont have them yet but definatly on the to get list,id assume keep like mertons but mangroves may like more space,well mertons do as well,lol but yeah,be good when there more affordable,if that happens,thanks for sharing and will be watching this post out of curiosity as well,now i gotta go down the street to get the flavis some tucker,a couple of lights for the western blueys and another light holder for the darwin carpet,reptiles hey,they keep u on ya feet,lol

 

[JJS.]

The book monitor lizards natural history, captive care and breeding by Bernd Eidenmuller gives a good description of an enclosure for Varanus Indicus. I've been told the bigger the better, but i guess that's true for all the monitor species. Will be interesting to see if anyone on this site keeps them. Awesome goanna.

 

[cris]

I suspect Indicus may keep them, I have also seen others post about having them but cant remeber who. Boa has one i think and he had pics of his setup in one thread.

 

[Retic]

Here's my male, a big softy. Easily my favourite Australian monitor, very responsive and inquisitive. I would recommend them to anyone.
Also the cage below is his present housing but he is to be moved into something larger soon.

 

[richardsc]

boa,as always that pic gets me every time,hes a beauty,can see why u like him,looks to be a pleasnt one

 

[herptrader]

That is a nice looking enclosure!

With the reflections it is a bit difficult to work out the size and shape. What are the dimensions?

Just curious, if space and cost were of minimal concern what would you set up for them?
Would you keep them separately, as a pair or trio etc?

 

[Jason]

great monitor there boa! would love to get some more monitors! how much do these guys go for? are they better then laceys iyo

 

[herptrader]

great monitor there boa! would love to get some more monitors! how much do these guys go for? are they better then laceys iyo

At the VHS expo last Saturday they were $1200 each or $2000 for two as unsexed hatchlings.

 

[cris]

If space isnt a concern go for medium sized house or large apartment. Not trying to be smart but as big as is practical. I cant remember where i read it but atleast 4x the total length of the monitor by 2x its length was a 'rule' I remember someone saying. How the cage is decorated is also very imporatant, the surface area available is probably more important than the cage size itself IMO.

 

[Retic]

Jason, an adult like mine would be upwards of $1500 and in my opinion they are many times better than Lacies.

 

[cris]

Jason, an adult like mine would be upwards of $1500 and in my opinion they are many times better than Lacies.

You would probably save on medical bills too :lol: Although IMO all goannas are equally awesome, except maybe V.panoptes which stand well above the rest.

 

[Retic]

Yeah the first statement is most definitely spot on.

 

[herptrader]

So do you have a pair Oldie??

 

[Jason]

not a bad price. i have a bells lacey, 6 months old and very placid. its about 2 ft long and has never bitten hissed etc, handles rather well, i just hope he stays that way!
anymore pics mate?

 

[richardsc]

i have 4 lacies, the 4 foot pr are mellow as,except feeding time,lol,the 3 footers are a little timid and nippy,but i dont handle them much,only when i get them out so i can clean there mess,messy buggers those lacies,but awsome none the less,always hoped to get some mangroves,size of cage wise for adults,as chris said,as big as u can give them,5 foot animal that can be extremely flighty needs alot of room,they need height for climbing,leg room to move about,water for swimming ect, and heating that kinda space isnt easy,but yeah,im keen,lol,just need to wait for some for sale again,i got a pm from someone on here selling an adult mangrove and 2 juvies,god i wish i had the money back then as it was a good price

 

[arbok]

beautiful, but if i were to get any mointars it would be spencers or mertens

 

[herptrader]

Ok - so at a rough guess would the following be suitable for an adult pair or trio of mangrove monitors.

Basic dimensions: 1.2 wide, .9 deep and and 1.8 high.
Floor, half swimming pool and half sand pit (suitable for digging and egg laying)

Water in pool being heated to ??

Branches like mangrove roots leading to a series of basking ledges under basking lights (eg the mercury vapor bulbs available from the Herp Shop) with a number of hides spread throughout the enclosure.

Would this be sufficiently big? If not, how big would I have to go?

 

[cris]

IMO you would want something atleast three times that size, to me that would be about minimum for a water dragon. An enclosure that size would probably be ok for mitchells water monitors maybe(never kept them). It would however be great for raising them up and you could just add on a large extension later. Goannas are nothing like snakes, they are very intellegent animals that want to forage and explore, they would probably travel a few hundred meters a day in the wild(if not more). I would just give them an entire room(not joking).

I would heat the water unless your house is heated enough to stop it getting cold.