monique18026
Active Member
what size enclosure do you think a fully grown lace monitor would need ?
3x3x2 minimum, in metres
the general guidance for monitors is that an enclosure needs to be at a minimum twice the length of the lizard from snout to tip of tail. /QUOTE]
No wonder acanthurus are so popular!!!
How big r they when they are hatchies? And what size cage do i need? I might b getting one.
How big r they when they are hatchies? And what size cage do i need? I might b getting one.
Hi there,
Congratulations on wanting to own a lacie...They are a beautiful species to keep.
I feel honoured every day to study these gorgeous creatures and they are on a Class 2 licence for a reason.
I personally would like to see them on a higher class due to the aggressiveness.
I have seen people who have had Sand Monitors and Accies on their shoulder and walk around with them but I have never seen a person with a Lacie for a reason!!!
I once saw a photo of a person with a Lacie on their shoulder but after a bit more questioning and probing I found out it was dead!
I personally have a few years experience with them both as a captive animal and rehabilitating wild ones when I was with a wildlife group.
I am a vet nurse and still rescue and rehab them at times with another rehab group but the advice I would give is to think long and hard about keeping them as they get more vicious the bigger they get and tend to stand up and take you on..
I currently have a 3 year old female that I bought as a 6 month old hatchie and she has always been flighty and tamed down for a while until recently as she is starting to lunge at me and challenge me when feeding.
This is a normal process as she is maturing and learning where her limits are and hormones are starting to play a part in her mannerisms.
They are best kept in a strong enclosure when small and always have a cave and substitute tree for them to climb as when they are young they spend most of their time up trees.
When they get bigger an aviary as big as you can get would be good. As the others said at least 4 metres square.
They will use their tail to whip you as first defence which is like a barbed file and can open you up.
The bigger they get they will usually rear up on their back legs and hiss and puff up their throat as a warning but can also charge at you with mouth open but I have found will only use their mouth when they really have to.
They prefer to get away.
They are VERY STRONG as well...
When I rescue 2 metre ones I ALWAYS take another person and we both grab an end...
Even my girl now is starting to get very strong for me...
At ALL TIMES PLEASE wear arm length welding gloves when handling as their teeth and nails can open you up VERY EASILY!!!!
If you do happen to purchase one make sure you are shown how to handle them...
Their neck can twist back onto itself and grab you so always grab just behind the ears and at the base of the tail with your gloves on!
Luckily I have not had any close shaves as common sense and self preservation is my keys when dealing with them even the wild ones...
Just because they are quiet does not mean they are plotting where to get you!!
The best way is to start small like the others said with an accie and then see how you go.
Not sure where you are but I am more than happy for you to contact me on the email and I could teach you how to handle them and you can get experience feeding them etc...
Or maybe someone who lives closer to you that has one could help out training you up?
Dont get disheartened...I think they are a great reptile and if thats what you want then go for it but get experience first!
Take Care and I hope I could have helped you in your decision...
Jo
Not to dismiss any of the comments already mention, as i agree with them, but i believe all the major concerns with keeping these animals can be avoided if a bit of thought goes into housing them. If set up correctly, with careful attention to cage design, you can literally keep a lace monitor without ever needing to handle it.
You can design enclosures with partitions, which will keep the animal at one end of the enclosure while you clean any faeces, thus lowering the risk of being tail whipped or bitten. When a full enclosure clean-out is due, this can be done early in the morning when the monitor is still cool inside it's hiding box. The box can be lifted out of the enclosure(with the animal still inside) and put in a secure place while the whole enclosure is cleaned.
You can have smaller doors or chutes for introducing food, with the food simply being dropped down into a large bowl just inside the chute. You could also put their food into a bowl early in the morning before they emerge to bask and leave it with them. A healthy lacie can be trusted to emerge and bask as soon as the heat lamp comes on, and will eat the food soon after basking. This lowers the risk of being bitten from a feeding response.
Keeping adults in pits can also limit any risks involved with feeding them. Food can be thown to each individual animal, dropped onto rocks, or offered on long tongs. This is a much safer way than opening an enclosure door with a hungry lacie waiting on the other side.
These are just a few examples, but i'm sure there are more that can be applied, to allow for a harmonious existence between the keeper and the kept.
At the VHS Expo there was a Lace monitor that did the rounds for most of the day - most of the time sitting on somebodies shoulder. He/She was not about to slice anybody open.
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