Pygmy Mulga Monitors

[bluejordo]

hey guys
i live in sydney
and i ve been thinking about getting a pygmy mulga monitor
i have never owned a monitor before.
does any1 hav or no where i can get sum information on them
just some basic questions i want to no
* i was wondering are these monitors good for a beginner monitor
*and what size enclousre?(i was thinking of an outdoor enclosure)
* what do they feed on?
*will they need a heatlight even thought it would be kept outside?
*and also how much are they usually for sale for? i havent seen many for sale on the web.
if any1 has any information or pictures about pygmy mulga monitors it would be greatly apreciated
thanx
jordan

 

[hornet]

jordo, i have never kept thembut they are a very small monitor, i believe they are quite easy to cater for, size of enclosure for a trio i would say a 4ft tank, i wouldnt recomend keeping them outdoors if you live on the east coast as they are a desert monitor and need it very dry, they will need a uv light as well as a good basking lamp, they love it hot. Feed them on roaches and crickets, price i think they are about $200-$300 for hatchies, i think i have seen some for like $220 each, when i get into monitors i will be wanting these, they are awsome lookin things

 

[southy]

sdaji is the man to ask, he made up a caresheet for them

 

[Malley]

I agree, contact Sdaji if you want some, hes a top bloke. Hornet is pretty much on the dot with his advice, i keep a trio in a 4ft enclosure myself, though some may debate on whether they need the UV or not, but im sure having it isnt going to do any harm ,
Did you say pics?

Steve

 

[bluejordo]

thanx
yeh hornet they r really great looking monitors.
i want to get a monitor soon but i m not really sure which is best to start of with
i only hav a class 1 liscence so it narrows it down to the
sand monitor
pygmy mulga monitor
ridge tailed monitor
or the black tailed monitor
what would u suggest to be a good starter monitor

 

[hornet]

yay, i gave good advice, i would say yes to uv as they are a desert sp and get heaps of uv out in the outback

 

[bluejordo]

haha great looking monitor u got there
malley.
thanx for the pics
yeh i ll try to ask Sdaji

 

[hornet]

i would go for ridgetailed, pygmy or black headed

 

[bluejordo]

yeh i thought so
thanx for the adivce so far guys
what lizards do u keep hornet?

 

[hornet]

bynoes gecks, bearded dragons and tawny dragons?

 

[hornet]

bynoes gecks, bearded dragons and tawny dragons?

 

[bluejordo]

ohk kool..
i m only a beginner so i dont own many reptiles as yet
but i do keep blue tongues, beardies, and eastern long necked turtles.
thanx for all the help

 

[cam]

are these the cheapest monitors?

 

[Sdaji]

Hi Jordan,

in my opinion, Pygmy Mulga Monitors are possibly the best species for first time monitor keepers, (Lacies or Sandies are great if you're capable of and happy to work with large species).

A four foot enclosure is fantastic, a three foot enclosure is completely fine if well set up. Some people keep and breed them in smaller enclosures, this can certainly work, but I don't recommend it. I would suggest that keeping them outdoors isn't a great idea, especially in Sydney. If you really wanted to, you could, but one of the great things about Pygmy Mulgas is that they're one of the few monitors small enough to keep very comfortably in a small indoor enclosure. Keeping them inside will allow you to view and enjoy them more as well as more easily control their climate.

Invertebrates make a great staple diet; I mainly use woodies. Crickets, stick insects, spiders, earwigs, moths, etc etc etc are also great. You can also feed them fish (I only use whole fish, others use fillets), minced turkey (use sparingly), some use egg, pink mice and all sorts of other goodies. Variety is fun for the keeper and presumably for the lizards too, but they've keen kept happy and healthy on nothing but cockroaches for several generations in a few collections.

As I said, I wouldn't recommend keeping them outside in Sydney, but if you were to do so, yes, you'd want to give them additional heat.

Prices vary from season to season. Not so long ago hatchlings were over $1,000 each, but the price crashed a few years ago and hornet's figure of $200-$300 per hatchling is about right. I'm guessing they'll be closer to $200 than $300 this season, but potentially it could be outside that range. Pet shops usually sell hatchlings for around $400 and even now some sell them for around $600. As always, your best bet will be to buy from a breeder and I think you should be able to find some hatchlings in Sydney this year (get in touch if you have trouble finding some as I know a couple of people up there who are having a go this year). If you can't find someone local, feel free to get in touch with me, I'll be selling mine at the lower end of whatever the going rate happens to be this season and freight isn't all that expensive. If people buy a few I always give a discount or pay for freight myself.

I have the first clutches of Pygmy Mulgas for the season in the incubator, they're due to hatch in November and should be ready to go around mid December.

Watch out for the next issue of Reptiles Australia.....

 

[bluejordo]

hey Sdaji
thanx alot for all the info
yeh they sound like a great monitor to keep.
well i ll think about getting 1.
good luk with your monitors this year
thnx

 

[Sdaji]

Thanks Jordan.

I strongly recommend you get yourself a copy of a book by Matt Vincent and Steve Wilson called "Australian Goannas". It's a great read and by the sounds of things you'd get a lot out of it. I found it was the perfect book for me while choosing which species to get and how to care for them.

 

[soulweaver]

can also read sdaji's caresheet on the vhs website.

www.vhs.com.au

 

[bluejordo]

thanx yeh i try to read as much as i can find about reptiles, lizards inparticular
and i ll keep an eye out for that book
as u can see i am a beginner (lol i m only 13)
so thanx for all the help..

 

[Sdaji]

Soulweaver: could you please remove that caresheet from your website? Thanks.

 

[mark1pilot]

Hi Jordan
I'm new at this game too. Your choice of having a Pigmy Mulga Monitor is excellent .
I bought two last year and what beautiful little critters they are to. As the other guys said a outside enclosuer is a no no . They do like it very hot!!
Have word with John Deutscher 0403267495... he breeds them, and he's a great guy to deal with.
He lives in Victoria and sending them up is no problem. Just a quick visit to the airport and Bobs your uncle you'd have a couple of great little monitors . cheers Mark
Windsor