Mangrove Monitor Housing, Care and Price
Mangrove monitors are becoming popular pets. They’re beautiful, special lizards that people have admired for years. However, the act of owning these lizards is only suitable for experts. Their habitat requirements and temperament are not suitable for beginners. This guide will offer you with all the information you need to know about mangrove monitor care.
Overview About Mangrove Monitor:
- Common Name: Mangrove monitor, mangrove goanna, or the Western Pacific monitor lizard
- Scientific Name: Varanus indicus
- Natural Habitat: Hot and humid areas with plenty of tree cover near rivers. The mangrove monitor comes from New Guinea, Australia, and the Marshall Islands
- Age: 12–20 years
- Diet: Carnivorous, including fish, crickets, crabs, birds, insects, rodents, mealworms, and smaller lizards
Origin Of Mangrove Monitor:
This lizard is commonly found in New Guinea, the western Pacific Ocean in Australia and the Marshall Islands. Mangrove monitors are commonly found in mangrove forests, inland lakes and wet forests.In its natural environment, this reptile lives in hot and humid areas, where there are many trees near a stream or water body.
Physical Appearance of Mangrove Monitor:
They resemble other monitor lizards with strong legs, five sharp-clawed feet, and a long neck and head. It has a disjoined tongue of deep purple color, surrounded by sharp and jagged teeth. It has a striking coloration, and its black body with bright yellow spots makes it popular with reptile enthusiasts. It has a long, heavy tail that it uses to swim.
Temperament and Behaviour:
It is a solitary lizard that becomes anxious when introduced to a new environment. Provide several hiding places in the large dungeon to make him feel safe. They should preferably be kept separate, especially during the breeding season.
These lizards become fast and aggressive when they feel threatened, and their bites can be harmful to humans. They release venom when they bite their prey, and although their teeth can cause damage and pain, their venom is not fatal to humans. Often when they feel threatened, they waste on the perceived threat.
Mangrove monitors do not like to be touched and may attack with their teeth and tails if pressured.
Food of Mangrove Monitor:
They often hunt in the wild to eat meat and other foods as well. In captivity, they often like a variety of foods such as mice, crabs, fish, insects boiled eggs etc. Adults can also like seafood such as prawns and crabs. Adults should always be given a good diet that they like. Young should be given small meals such as pink rats, snails, and mealworms. Feeding live prey can help them adjust to a new cage and maintain their natural hunting habits like they used to hunt in the wild.
Mangrove Monitor Care:
Caring for a him is not an easy task. They require special attention and a very high level of knowledge of reptile husbandry. You’ll need a very large cage, one that provides the right levels of heat, light, and humidity, a specific diet, and a constant source of water.
Whatever type of cage you use, it must be kept very clean, and the floor layer should never be too wet. Finally, you have to understand your pet’s temperament well. These animals are not at all warm and loving. They can also prove dangerous in some situations, so caution is required.
Housing of Mangrove Monitors:
They live in forests where the temperature is warm and the air is humid, especially near rivers. This creature likes to live in wet forests where there are plants and trees. They live close to the water and swim to catch fish. Use heaters to keep their enclosure warm, and fill it with live plants. Add a large bowl of water so the monitor has a chance to float.
Place the Laser in a specially designed enclosure to accommodate its large size and provide it with plenty of branches to climb and water to swim in. This unique enclosure provides more freedom to create a space closer to the natural environment.
Enclosure size:
While young can be kept in a 20-gallon tank or vivarium, it is best to place them directly in an adult-sized enclosure to support their large and rapid growth.
A custom-built enclosure should have a minimum length of 6 feet, width of 5 feet, and height of 4 feet. They will feel more comfortable and secure in such a large enclosure. Also, add vertical branches to satisfy their desire to climb.
Maintenance of temperature and light:
To maintain the health of your mangrove monitor it is important to maintain the right temperature and lighting in the enclosure. As with other pet reptiles, enclosure heat ratings for him are not required, but are recommended.
Let’s look at a few tips and tricks on how you can establish and maintain the ideal heating in your monitor enclosure.
- .The first step is to place thermometers in various places in the enclosure to make sure the heating stays between 82F and 92F.
- Next, the basting area has to be arranged. To keep the basting area between 95F and 97F, you can use special basting bulbs or regular halogen bulbs. These steps will help your monitor in a comfortable environment
Substrate and Decoration:
- Add cypress mulch, newspaper, or reptile carpet to keep moisture levels stable in the enclosure. Although clay can be used as a substrate, it is difficult to keep clean. They like to hide their bill in the substrate, so place it 7 to 8 inches deep.
- Fill the enclosure with live plants and vertical branches as this lizard likes to climb and bask in trees. Provide a place to rest by placing flat stones in basting areas. Create safe hiding places with moss and hearth wood.
- Place a large water tub in the enclosure so the lizard can have a place to drink as well as play and rest. Also, add coconut husk to the enclosure to retain moisture.
Common Health problems:
Metabolic bone disease:
This disease is caused by calcium deficiency or not getting proper UVB light. This weakens the bones, making it difficult to walk and increasing the risk of fractures. Sufficient UVB exposure is essential to prevent this disease.
Dehydration:
If they don’t get adequate water, water droplets on the leaves, or a good ripening system, they often suffer from drought. Symptoms include sunken eyes and dry skin. Proper hydration and Regular cooking are essential to protect them from drying out.
Handling Caring Tips for Mangrove Monitors:
- Keep them in a perfect and safe enclosure in which they get a natural-like environment.
- Provide them with a balanced diet to keep them healthy and for proper growth. Otherwise, they started to become weak.
- Provide them access to an amount of water and make a perfect misting system for them to protect them from dehydration.
- Keep the humidity level of the enclosure normal according to their needs. High or low humidity may cause many diseases.
Breeding of Mangrove Monitors:
Breeding mangrove monitors should only be done by experienced reptile owners, as the process is dangerous and complicated.
Male mangrove monitors try to control and sometimes fight females to attract them.Female mangrove monitors produce a clutch of 2 to 12 eggs. Well-fed and healthy female mangrove monitors can produce up to five clutches in two years. Mangrove monitor eggs are long and white, one to two inches long. Females protect the eggs during incubation, but once they hatch, they must fend for themselves. Mangrove monitors hatch seven to eight months after the eggs are laid.
Price of Mangrove Monitors:
Mangrove monitors can be found at expert pet stores or reputable breeders. Online exotic pet stores also sell mangrove monitors, and they cost between $120 and $400.Where possible, buy captive-bred mangrove monitors, as they adjust better to new enclosures. Wild mangrove monitors require treatment for bacterial and parasitic infections before sale.
Conclusion:
The mangrove monitor lizard is commonly found in New Guinea, the western Pacific Ocean in Australia, and the Marshall Islands. This creature likes to live in wet forests where there are plants and trees. Mangrove monitors live close to the water and swim to catch fish. It has a striking coloration, and its black body with bright yellow spots makes it popular with reptile enthusiasts.
