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Post by spike on Jan 11, 2005 4:02:58 GMT -5
Hi, i am looking into getting a ridge-tail monitor a.k.a spiny-tailed monitor If anyone has any husbandry info or know any good links to a care sheet, i would be very greatful if you could share it with me.
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Post by Reptile World Order on Jan 23, 2005 3:03:30 GMT -5
RIDGE TAILED MONITOR OR SPINY-TAILED MONITOR Varanus acanthurus
V. acanthurus is commonly known as the Spiny-tailed Monitor or Ridge-tailed Monitor. Native to the north-western two thirds of Australia, V. acanthurus can also be found on islands off the northern and western coasts. They live in a variety of habitats ranging from arid and sub tropic to tropical regions.
Three subspecies have been described: V.acanthurus acanthurus from the eastern part of the range, V. acanthurus brachyurus from the west and V. acanthurus insulanicus from the island distribution. It is our feeling that the red color morph may well be another subspecies.
Color and pattern can vary with geographic origin. Our red acanthurus have a vibrant orange red to rich reddish brown ground color with rows of yellow ocelli (eye spots) dotted with black in their center running from the neck to the tail base. A broad pale edged dark reddish brown stripe extends from the snout, through the eye, to the neck. The head is also dark reddish brown in color with paler patterns matching the body's ground color. Males have a larger head than females and the female heads are also narrower and more pointed. Eye color ranges from red to orange with black pupils. It is our feeling that eye color can be used as an indicator of an animals sex with males having a more fiery red color than females. The tail is ringed with backwardly projecting spines which are blunt to the touch but used to wedge themselves in rock crevices or other cavities making it difficult to pull them out. We have read of reports indicating the tail is used as a club or a whip, but have never witnessed this behavior. The tail is dark brown with indistinct rings matching the body ground color. Unlike many monitor species, acanthurus get more beautiful and colorful with age. Acanthurus are a stocky, robustly proportioned animal whose maximum length is under two feet. Tail size is one and a half to two times the snout to vent length. Males appear larger than females because they are much heavier and wider of body. It surprised me to find that overall length is essentially the same. The intelligence of acanthurus monitors is evident as they inspect their environment, flicking their tongues quickly as they move about the enclosure. They dig and search for new areas to explore, thoroughly investigating anything new in their environment. Males are generally more outgoing than females and are visibly prominent in their habitat, whereas females often prefer the security of hiding places and tend to be more reclusive. Young Ackies are flighty and reclusive by calm right down with a little age and soon learn to recognize their keeper. Our monitors are maintained in colonies of up to five per six foot enclosure. We've observed little fighting with animals raised as siblings. An alpha male inevitably comes to the fore and typically grows the fastest and the largest. Sexual play is regularly observed in young lizards; males mount males and females and vice versa. Habitats should include hiding places at both ends of the temperature gradient allowing the animals to thermoregulate safely and securely with minimal stress. We provide a basking spot of 105 to 120 degrees F. for young juveniles and 130 to 160 degrees F. for older animals. This may sound extreme but only a small area directly under the basking light reaches these high temperatures. A steep thermal decline can be achieved with halogen flood lights. Outside the spotlight temperature drops dramatically. Cool end of the gradient should be in mid 70's. To facilitate proper thermoregulation we offer a variety of temperature zones by creating layers under the light with plywood platforms, roofing tiles or cork bark.
In nature, spiny-tailed monitors eat a huge variety of prey based on seasonal availability. Our captive bred animals are aggressive feeders and feed readily on crickets as hatchlings. With age we increase dietary diversity with the addition of various worms and rodents.
It is also our feeling that sex determination may be impacted by environment and encourage our customers to house the animals in groups. We have never witnessed a group of three or more Red acanthurus, raised in a colony, which did not produce a sexual pair. While we have no scientific proof of this a great deal of empirical data by prominent breeders across the country supports the theory.
We have found it impossible to accurately sex a Spiny-tailed Monitor prior to at least three to four months age. There are other secondary sexual characteristics that help point to sexual identification including: eye color, head and body shape and behavior. The most reliable way to determine sex, at this time, is the presence or absence of spurs at the base of the tail. Males typically have a palpable spur and females may have none at all. Sometimes even experts are uncertain about sex until egg deposition is observed. Productive breeding activity has been recorded at well under a years age by numerous reptile breeders. Acanthurus commonly multi-clutch in captivity, with egg counts ranging from five to the high teens. Three to five clutches annually are not uncommon. We incubate in a mixture of water and perlite at 86 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit. Incubation time runs from 90 to 120 days. While 100% hatch rate is seldom seen, acanthurus eggs are fairly hardy as is the animal itself. Incubation temperature does not seem to influence the sex.
To raise and maintain Spiny-tailed monitors is relatively easy for novice or herpetologist. To fine tune the breeding does require a bit more work, especially in the area of nesting for gravid females. Nesting mediums must be attended to with some regularity to maintain proper moisture content, soil aeration and temperature.
Spiny-tailed monitors are a fantastic monitor for hobbyists and professional breeders. Their small size, hardy constitution and terrific disposition makes them an ideal monitor. The Red Desert Acanthurus is the pinnacle of beauty in the species. As these lizards become more available through captive breeding their popularity will continue to grow. We expect Red Acanthurus to eventually join the Bearded Dragon as a perennial favorite in herpetoculture.
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Post by spike on Jan 27, 2005 5:53:44 GMT -5
Thank you for that. i couldnt have asked for a more in-depth explanition of the WA Sandfire Ridge-tail Monitor... is what we call them here.... Thanks very much
Should i feed as much as it will eat in about 10/15 mins
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Post by Pooka on Jan 27, 2005 12:24:10 GMT -5
From all accounts I have heard this is an excellent first time monitor for those of us who are interested but have never kept a large carnivorous lizard before. They stay rather small as pointed out and are gorgoeus. They are a bit pricey to begin with $200+ easily but you will save 10 fold that in cage materials and food compared to a more common and less expensive breed like the Savannah or Nile. Just wanted to chime in with my thoughts
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Post by spike on Jan 28, 2005 4:53:57 GMT -5
I picked up my red for $250(AUS). It is 16cm and i should get it either tomorrow or sunday
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Post by Pooka on Jan 28, 2005 11:33:50 GMT -5
I picked up my red for $250(AUS). It is 16cm and i should get it either tomorrow or sunday Great! Congratulations on your new companion, please share pics with us when you get him/her
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Post by spike on Jan 28, 2005 23:50:27 GMT -5
Thanks pooka. Soon as i get him, i will take some photos and put them up
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Post by spike on Feb 12, 2005 20:00:20 GMT -5
Hi, sorry i havent posted pics yet, our camera had something wrong with it. its fixed now and i'm going to put some pics up later today.
I have just 2 more questions 1. i believe i have a male because i was trying to see if he/she had any spurs at the base of the tail and then he went to poo on me and i saw his hemipenes, come out of the base of his tail. it was like a bearded dragon, it was two lumps so i'm guessing it is a male. Do i have a male?
2. Mine is a vibrant orange red colour, as he gets older will he get more of.... well electric red colour?
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dicy
Hatchling
Posts: 10
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Post by dicy on Jul 3, 2005 13:47:47 GMT -5
i just got 2 more ridgetail monitors (satherday) around 25cm for 100euro a piece so not bad for a lil future breeding pair il post pics later this week ;D
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