Batanta isle blue tail monitor pics!

[hydrosaurus]

my pair of blue tails, 3 years old, newly aquired. I havent tried to breed them, i dont think i will, more likely to just enjoy them. theyre in a 10x5x6 enclosure.
http://free-web-space.org/awaw/m%20and%20F%20blue%20tails%20together.jpg

[hydrosaurus]

female ionides.

http://free-web-space.org/awaw/images/09200008.jpg

[hydrosaurus]

pretty cool pic of them on the hunt for some live rodents/mealworms.
http://free-web-space.org/awaw/images/09200014.jpg

[tex_01]

nice pics hydrosaurus. can u get me some blue tailed moniters

[NiagaraReptiles]

Nice looking doreanus, but I'm curious how/why you don't intend to breed them?
First of all, they are goreous monitors and are VERY seldom captive bred.
Secondly, what are you going to do to keep them from breeding? Healthy monitors will breed (unless separated), so you would need to keep them pretty crappy and not feed them enough. I know that's not your intent, but I am curious as to what your thoughts are on this topic.

[hydrosaurus]

well, I am more so inclined not to go through much effort right now too breed them. I was going to make a double cage, so i could let them see eachother at all times but not come into contact (i have plans to make this cage ready to go anytime soon)
Just so once the female is ready the male can enter her territory, as in the wild they are not communal and dont constantly have the exposure.



as far as their diet.. These guys eat better than i do.. from adult mice, various types of frozen fish, crayfish, clams, shrimp to jumbo mealworms and occasionally some silkworms.. i do feed them very well, i just highly doubt they wil breed if they are kept together constantly.

Ive had savannah eggs in the past, but they decimated because unfortunatly i didnt get to them in time.
if you have any advice on the bluetails, or some input you would do for breeding, id gladly take it.
and you're right they DO look amazing, and CB babies would be a real hot item.
Thanks for your input.

[NiagaraReptiles]

Again, I'm confused by what effort you think you would have to put into breeding them. You are obviously feeding them well. As long as the female has a suitable nesting place (temps/moisture/composition pending), enough food and a proper way to matabolize she will ovulate. Then it's just a matter of getting the male to fertilaze the ovum and presto, you have viable monitor eggs.

As for not being social creatures, I have notes that suggest differently. My personal opinion is that they are more social than people think. The problem is most Indo monitor territory is HEAVILY planted and very difficult to move through, not to mention to sneak up on some monitors. I won't go into any more detail there, but I suggest you experiment a little and see what your monitors tell you :)

Many say that doreanus are arboreal. Maybe they are when they ahve no better options. Every decent stufy I have found on them has come upon dorenaus within a couple metres off the ground at most, but they have been seen retreating into trees. Young animals guessed to be under a year of age also compose 95% of the aniamls found above the ground. Interesting......

My doreanus that I used to keep spent 90% of thier day under ground in a elaborate burrows, well constructed with several entry/exit points. Odd behavior for an "arboreal" monitor.

My main point to all this rambling is read everything you can, but don't believe everything you read. Try and come up with your own ideas and test it on your monitors and see what they like/do. I feel you have the potential to do something with these guys judging from your enclosure and passion, please don't let that go to waste........

Best wishes,

[Dragoon]

Jon,
that was a beautiful post.
Thanks for taking the time to write that.
The more I learn about monitors, the more I think that just keeping them alive in a box, is just not enough.
They deserve to have a fuller life than that.

Also, I ask, if someone is going to the time and expense of setting up one monitor, WHY NOT keep a pair?
Yes, they are bought to be pets, and to look at, but there is so much more to observe if you have a pair, and more yet if you get some eggs. I feel the keeper is robbing themself of many experiences if they don't at least try to breed.

It's OK to not have one's goal be the babies. They can be a pleasant surprise to setting ones' monitors up correctly.

Just a thought. D.

[lance]

awsome pics and I do hope you try to breed them