Varanus Ornatus

[james.w]

I picked up a V. Ornatus today, before everyone asks, no I didn't really have this planned. I had a friend who knew a guy selling it, so I contacted him and found out he had it in a 10 gallon with calci-sand and straw for substrate. He said the 10 gallon would be fine for a while. I felt I had to save this amazing animal from him. I had done a bit of research though because I had been planning on getting a monitor, but had picked up a V. Melinus about 2 weeks back. So I know what I have got myself into, and am in the planning stages of whats to come. Right now he is in a 40 Breeder with cypress for substrate. He will be moving into something much bigger in the next couple weeks. I will post some pics in the next couple days as I don't want to bother him too much yet.

 

[Max713]

Posted in the "Much Deliberation" thread as well...
But I have to see more! Also I'll repeat my question, as this threads more appropriate:
What are your enclosure plans, etc?
I know nothing about these guys... don't they grow up to 6' or so? Do they tame down well?

 

[james.w]

Yes they grow to about 6', and can "tame" down ok. I don't like the word tame though, but you get the point. My adult enclosure plan is a walk-in 12'x6'x6'-8', it will probably be in my garage if I can get the temps right in there or he will be in the house somewhere.

He is only about 12" currently, so I have a little bit of time.

 

[Max713]

I don't necessarily like the word either, but it's hard to describe it properly...
That's one hell of a plan, I hope you can make it work, that's a lot of commitment!

Do ornates grow as fast as Tegu's? If so, I can't imagine you have that much time...
Pics! Haha

 

[james.w]

They do grow fairly quickly he will be about 3-4 ft in the first year or 2. I will probably build a 6x4x4 in the next couple weeks, or I may just move my Tegus into their adult enclosure and put him in their 5x2x2.5 for a while.

 

[Varanus K.Face]

they grow very fast if fed right....if its male could hit 5 feet in a year. I've seen males hit 7 ft full grown. here are some tips, after talking to you a bunch i think you can hang

substrate-do a mix of 80% garden soil and 20% play sand. wet it down and use a brick to pack it hard untill its packed solid about 6-8 inches deep. this will allow him to tunnel and get a lot of excersize.
heat-in your hot spot, make it crazy hot. around 115 on the surface he is basking on. these guys should have a metabolism similar to a dog, as in he should eat daily and poop daily as well.

chicken hearts make a good food source as they are all muscle and very little fat. they are pretty cheap as well and are waaaay better then processed foods. I am a big believer in "whole foods" for varanids. they love them too!

as for working with him and having him not be a complete monster, they are very different from other varanids and other lizards as well. honestly, just leave him alone and let him be a lizard. this will earn his trust. kind of use reverse psychology on him. dont hold him or play with him, but be in his cage as much as possible. cleaning, rearranging things, whatever. just be near him and in his space as much as possible without messing with him. eventually he will learn to trust you and he will come to you on his own. once that happens begin feeding him from your hang (but be careful!) once he starts to take food from you try putting your hand down and letting him come to you. I've seen niles as tame as salvators using this method.

good luck with him! keep us posted!

 

[james.w]

Thanks Kayla

I was trying to get a good answer on substrate, so 80% organic soil and 20% play sand sounds good. After packing it down should I add more on top loose, or maybe put some cypress mulch on top?

I have read basking temps should be as high as 130, is this too hot?

As far as taming, I heard the same thing, to leave them alone and let them come to you. So this is my plan.

As far as feeding, I will be sticking with mostly crickets for a while until he is big enough for decent size rodents since pinkies are mostly fat. I may cut up some adult mice or small rats for him.

Would this same substrate be good for my Melinus or is something else better suited for them?

---

Here is a picture of him. This was the setup the guy had him in.

 

[Varanus K.Face]

Yeah 130 is good just not in a 40 gal as there won't be enough heat variation, unless you maybe stack some bricks under the lamp for him to bask on? The hotter the temps the faster his metabolism will be

As for substrate yeah toss some cypress on there to encourage digging. You can use the same thing for the melinus, just spray it more often so it stays moist.

 

[RobK.]

how do they compare in size to these guys ??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um4-iLnrrXw&feature=related

---

Yes they grow to about 6', and can "tame" down ok.

6 foot ?? I am glad i got something small like my Rhino Igauna !! LOL

 

[james.w]

V. Salvator can reach lengths of 10.5 feet, where V. Ornatus can reach up to 7 feet from what I have read.

 

[Rhetoric]

I don't know a lot about the large monitors. But its the same as the ornate nile right? If so, the first one that came to mind was this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWIAM_hgPxc

 

[james.w]

Yeah mine is the same species as that one. Niles and Ornates are different species though. Ornates were once classified as a subspecies of the Nile, and there is still quite a bit of confusion. A couple of differences are Niles have 7 rows of spots between their front and rear legs, where Ornates have 5. Niles have a blue tongue and Ornates have a pink tongue. Ornates are also a bulkier lizard where Niles are slender and usually grow longer.

 

[Rhetoric]

Ahh I see. Good luck! I think they're cute! Look forward to hearing your stories and viewing the pics!