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Clarke.93

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Hey guys,

Could someone please point me in a good directino for quality small monitor breeders, or anyone that could be of any help?

Also, what would be the best starter monitor for a new monitor keeper.
Can any of you please also shoot me a little bit of info or pics of setups i would be greatly appreciative, i just want to get some inspiration for a nice natural looking setup.

Cheers.
 
the best starter monitors are ridgetailed monitors also known as ''Ackies''.
they get to a good size about 60cm and feed on crickets, woodys and pinkies.
4x2x2 is a good size cage for a pair but bigger is better.
 
Oh ok thanks for that.
How much do they eat daily?
And whats the recommended diet weekly?
Do you keep these guys yourself...
How active are they.....
Would a pair be better than 1?
 
yes i breed them as well as a few other monitors.
i like to keep all my monitors in pairs or trios.
monitors eat lots and every day. i feed mine crickets and mice.
ackies dont hide as much as some other monitors do.
gilleni are also good and are smaller so they eat less.
 
Oh ok, I thought from a lot of people opinions on here that reptiles don't like to be together.....
Are gillens and ackies similar setups...
Jw much would you usually sell these both individually or in a pair......
 
You can keep them in similar setups but gilleni are arboreal so a tall enclosure is a possibility for them whereas ackies need more floor space. Having said that, gilleni seem to do just as well in a terrestrial setup. IMO basking stacks are ideal for both species for a number of reasons. I wouldn't keep small monitors without stacks.

Ackies are generally less flighty than gilleni, which may or may not be important to you. Having said that, the gilleni are super active, great to watch and require less of everything (food, space etc). If you want something that readily eats from your hand I'd go for ackies. I have found that the majority of gilleni will take a lot longer than ackies to reach that point (if they ever do).
 
alot of people here post about stuff they know nothing about, lots of lizards live in groups/colonies in the wild.
hatchlings of both go for about $200-$300 a hatchling.
yes you can keep them both in similair setups
 
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I currently keep a trio of ackies and when they were younger they would get into fights and regularly draw blood. One of my females has a toe that will never point in the right direction and she will probably lose it eventually. They all seem to get on really well now though and I haven't seen them fight for a long time.

Make no mistake, ackies can be VERY aggressive and I had to separate them and make a number of adjustments to their setup to stop them seriously injuring one another. Have a look through other posts on here and you will see that it is not unknown for ackies to kill their cage mates.

On the other hand, gilleni tend to do very well together and I have not seen or heard of serious aggression between them. With ackies there will always be the chance of them hurting each other, regardless of sex.

Nevertheless, ackies are my favorites by far and when you have a group that get on well they make amazing captives. IMO basking stacks make a huge difference as you increase the usable surface area by an incredible amount and give them a chance to get some privacy. If you make the levels in the stack different sizes it also gives the smaller, less dominant individuals a tight place out of reach from the larger cage-mates.
 
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so gilleni would be the way to go then, how much crickets do you give them daily as a hatchy?
or pinkies and mince?
would it be best to get one now and add another one to the cage at a later date? like 6-7 months down the track when they are a bit older??
is it the same deal with these guys that if its 2 males they will fight repetitively??
i dont really mind holding either of them doesnt phase me if i cant, are they known to be able to handle them or is a it a rarity?
are they more or less active than beardies?

also what is a stack?
 
I have to head out now so in short:

- I prefer ackies over gillens despite the risk of agression
- give them as much food as they will eat daily untill fully grown
- raise together if you are getting ackies, with gillens it's not so important
- gilleni males generally won't fight, ackies almost certainly will
- generally they don't like being handled. Some ackies will tolerate it but the vast majority of gilleni will not
- both are WAY more active than beardies.

so gilleni would be the way to go then, how much crickets do you give them daily as a hatchy?
or pinkies and mince?
would it be best to get one now and add another one to the cage at a later date? like 6-7 months down the track when they are a bit older??
is it the same deal with these guys that if its 2 males they will fight repetitively??
i dont really mind holding either of them doesnt phase me if i cant, are they known to be able to handle them or is a it a rarity?
are they more or less active than beardies?

also what is a stack?

google basking stack.
 
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