Timor Monitor Care

[Vegasarah]

Hey guys, just trying to get some advice on keeping timor monitors. I have read that 4x2x2 LWH is recommended, but then I have also read that they are really more arboreal than terrestrial. Which has me confused! I have a 6 foot tall arboreal enclosure that I was HOPING to use, it's also 2 feet wide and 2 feet long. I was thinking if I built in lots of 'shelving' all up the back of it as well as lots of hiding places and live plants and deep substrate it would be useable? If not I can for sure do the 4x2x2, I have one of those as well... just thinking as they apparently like to climb that I would let them do that! Any advice is very much needed and appreciated! Thank you!

[smy_749]

I think 6 x 2 x 2 will be fine provided you give them enough surface area. Lots of shelfs, lots of branches, lots of cover and cork sheeting on 3 walls would work great IMO. You don't need to go as deep as you would with ackies or similar species, but yes, deep substrate is always good (just don't need two feet, and they probably won't use it anyways, but the humidity benefits are always nice).

[Vegasarah]

I think 6 x 2 x 2 will be fine provided you give them enough surface area. Lots of shelfs, lots of branches, lots of cover and cork sheeting on 3 walls would work great IMO. You don't need to go as deep as you would with ackies or similar species, but yes, deep substrate is always good (just don't need two feet, and they probably won't use it anyways, but the humidity benefits are always nice).

Yeah, that was my plan. I plan to include a nest box as well, just in case they really are a 1.1! I was thinking about 12 inches of the usual sand/ soil with a nice deep leaf layer on top. Does anyone know in the wild what they usually nest in OR has anyone here ever bred timor before?

[Vegasarah]

Could also actually be V.auffenbergi .... I'm really not that sure and neither is the guy I'm getting them from... does that matter? I would think their care and housing should be fairly similar?

[smy_749]

Could also actually be V.auffenbergi .... I'm really not that sure and neither is the guy I'm getting them from... does that matter? I would think their care and housing should be fairly similar?

Basically identical (care). And yes, they look like auffenbergi.

[Pirarucu]

The care is exactly the same. The animals pictured are definitely auffenbergi. In fact most "timors" for sale these days are actually auffenbergi..

Here is a great account of Peacocks being bred:
A successful captive breeding of the peacock monitor (Varanus auffenbergi). (http://www.varanustalk.com/forum/showthread.php?77-A-successful-captive-breeding-of-the-peacock-monitor-%28Varanus-auffenbergi%29)

[Vegasarah]

The care is exactly the same. The animals pictured are definitely auffenbergi. In fact most "timors" for sale these days are actually auffenbergi..

Here is a great account of Peacocks being bred:
A successful captive breeding of the peacock monitor (Varanus auffenbergi). (http://www.varanustalk.com/forum/showthread.php?77-A-successful-captive-breeding-of-the-peacock-monitor-%28Varanus-auffenbergi%29)

That was very helpful, thank you!

[Vegasarah]

I may not be getting these guys, but in any case thank you to all those who responded. I am juggling a lot with rescue work these days and am not sure I can put in what these two need enclosure- wise. If I had more time I could save up a little more to really make it awesome, but the seller wants them gone ASAP and I can't take them RIGHT now. So he has them back up for sale now, we will see if they are still around when I get some extra money :)

[Mikoh4792]

I may not be getting these guys, but in any case thank you to all those who responded. I am juggling a lot with rescue work these days and am not sure I can put in what these two need enclosure- wise. If I had more time I could save up a little more to really make it awesome, but the seller wants them gone ASAP and I can't take them RIGHT now. So he has them back up for sale now, we will see if they are still around when I get some extra money :)

I didn't know rescues had to pay for the animals. I always thought people just dropped off their animals and paid a small fee. Isn't that how most rescues earn a little of their money?

[Vegasarah]

I didn't know rescues had to pay for the animals. I always thought people just dropped off their animals and paid a small fee. Isn't that how most rescues earn a little of their money?

Some of my animals are rescue, some of them (like these two) are pets! I have to maintain a balance between my foster animals, my rehab animals, and my regular private pets. Right now the rescue animals are sucking up a lot of my resources (I'm a board member and director for a 501-c non-profit rescue) and we are stretched too thin. So money is coming out of my pocket to care for the rescue guys till we get some donations or get some animals adopted. People do drop off their animals to us, but they do not pay a fee. We take them in, rehab them and feed them and house them, and then place them up for adoption. Unfortunately it's that 'rehab' bit that is costing us some serious cash right now- turns out a large sulcata tortoise that was abandoned that we took on has some kind of tumor/ growth on his neck. The vet estimates that the initial costs to even just diagnose the problem will be around $500. So we are scrambling to get the cash together to save the gentle giant! So I'm giving the money I was going to use to buy these two to that cause instead ;)

[Mikoh4792]

Some of my animals are rescue, some of them (like these two) are pets! I have to maintain a balance between my foster animals, my rehab animals, and my regular private pets. Right now the rescue animals are sucking up a lot of my resources (I'm a board member and director for a 501-c non-profit rescue) and we are stretched too thin. So money is coming out of my pocket to care for the rescue guys till we get some donations or get some animals adopted. People do drop off their animals to us, but they do not pay a fee. We take them in, rehab them and feed them and house them, and then place them up for adoption. Unfortunately it's that 'rehab' bit that is costing us some serious cash right now- turns out a large sulcata tortoise that was abandoned that we took on has some kind of tumor/ growth on his neck. The vet estimates that the initial costs to even just diagnose the problem will be around $500. So we are scrambling to get the cash together to save the gentle giant! So I'm giving the money I was going to use to buy these two to that cause instead ;)

Sounds like a headache. Wish you guys the best of luck.

[Vegasarah]

Help Desert Rescue Animal Sanctuary save their mascot! - FundAnything (http://fundanything.com/en/campaigns/help-desert-rescue-animal-sanctuary-save-their-mascot)

Just if anyone wanted to try to help the gentle giant! Trying to share this around as much as I can!