• Hello guest! Are you a Tegu enthusiast? If so, we invite you to join our community! Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Tegu enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your Tegu and enclosure and have a great time with other Tegu fans. Sign up today! If you have any questions, problems, or other concerns email [email protected]!

Ackie monitor care sheet.

Terry

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
88
This is a simple read through care sheet. I have made this my self over about 4 years of keeping them. you can use this to guide you with other monitors to.

Species: Varanus acanthuras acanthuras. ( Red ackie )
Varanus acanthuras brochyuras. ( Yellow ackie)
Also know as spiny or ridge tail monitors.

Subtrate and water needs:

1 FT to 2 FT of top soil mixed with sand. You can get play sand and top soil from home depot, LoweÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s, Canadian tire. Make sure thereÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s no pesticides or fertilizers in it thought. Mix it so that it will hold a burrow and so it stays moist down underneath the surface. I use a mix of 60% dirt and 40% sand.

For water, all you need is some sort of dish that will hold enough water so the lizard can fit in it comfortably. I use one of big ones the pet stores sell that look like a rock.

Lighting and UVB: No UVB or UVA is needed for monitors.

Temperatures and Humidity: 50-60 % humidity is alright. 70-75F cool side 85-90F warm side and basking spot 125-150F. Try different temps see what your lizard likes better as it might re-act different to higher temps.

Heating and Equipment: 50-60 watt out door flood lights work great.

Caging:

For one single adult I used a 4x2x3 FT home made cage. All it is, is a wooden box with sliding glass doors 2 small vents and a light hung in side. I have mine so it has 1 FT of dirt and sand. Or you could make it to hold 2 FT of dirt.

Diet:

Mostly crickets, every now and then i would dust them with repti-cal that helps provide calcium and vitamin D-3.
Things you can feed.
Crickets.
Roaches.
Super worms.
Meal worms.
Wax worms.
Horn worms.
Silk worms.
Canadian night crawlers.
Pinky mice.
Hopper-Fuzzie mice ( Depending on how big your ackie is )
Leopard geckos.
House geckos.
Anoles. ( Brown and green )
Red minnows.

Any thing they can fit in there mouth that is a whole prey item.
 

Terry

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
88
Thank's. I looking through this forum and saw that there was lot's of question's on here about ackie's that this could answer, so I thought it was a good idea about. I also talked to Bobby first about it. I hope this helps people.
 

dicy

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
405
u forgot acanthurus insulanicus (Mertens 1958)
and by monitors do not need uv a / b isnt a great thing to put in a caresheet i personaly always use uv in the viv (mercury vapor bulb) since the collors of the animals seem to look nicer and i sa a great difrence in acktivety during the day when i was not using it just my thougths on uv but evryone says sumthing else :D
 

Terry

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
88
This care sheet is for my experience. I have only owned red and yellow ackie's. UVA/UVB is not needed, I have tried it useing the MVB's and I did not see any difference accept the $30 difference. My ackie's have done fine with my care and most of my info has come from other owners you might know of if your on v .nl.

I see you own gillini, would post some pic's. There one of my favorites but no one in Canada keep's or breeds them.

-Terry
 

dicy

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
405
i understand whut u r saying about the uv and iam not going to discuss cuz those discussions never end :D i dont work whit gilleni annymore but i hope i can do again soon i can post sum old pics if u want i only keep v.timorensis v.prasinus and v.tristus monitor wise
 

Terry

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
88
I think V. tristis will be my next species of monitor as well. Depending on the money I could get a few different species. I met a guy who breeds wild and white kingorum, pilbara and kimberly rocks, trisits, storri, caudos, red and yellow ackies. Theres to many to choose from and there all so nice looking.
 

tupinambisfamiliaris

Member
5 Year Member
Messages
92
I think I'm going to put a flourescent tube inside my ackie cage. I have an extra fixture and reptisun, so why not? I want to see if it changes anything whatsoever. I talked to Bobby once about montiors and UVB and he seemed to believe pretty strongly that they would benefit from it. Although he's 5 years old and has done fine without it up to this point, I figure it can't hurt. If it adds a bit of vitality to my favorite little indestructible lizard, then it'll be worth it.
 

crimsonrazac

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
524
Thanks for the little care sheet, I picked up a yellow ackie about 2 weeks ago and i'm getting another 3 hatchlings this weekend or next week.
 

Terry

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
88
Sweet, wish I could afford that many of them. This winter im going to be building a 4x2x4 cage and hopfuly this spring or summer Brandon will have some black head monitors.
 

nivek5225

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
90
Nice caresheet. I have a trio of red ackies, they are about a year old now, but I still don't know their sex. Would you be able to sex them through pictures/video?
 

Terry

New Member
5 Year Member
Messages
88
Sorry, I am not good enough yet at that to make a good guess. How long are they? And how thick is there tail? You might be able to candle them.
 

alyjohn

New Member
Messages
1
Before you go out and purchase a child monitor, you should look into infant monitor surveys with the goal for you to have a thought of what is the best brand out there for you. The two greatest disadvantages are static impedance and unintentional listening in.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
20,091
Messages
177,789
Members
10,316
Latest member
Juiced
Top