Anyone interested in monitor lizards?

Tom

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Every once in a while, you come across something so amazing, you just have to share it. Well, I'm sharing it...

I've been keeping all sorts of monitors lizards since the 80s. Niles, savanna's, waters, mangroves, dumerils, black throats, and most recently red ackies. I love the whole family and have studied them for years. Decades. I was sitting in my car at work today avoiding the rain, and this came up in my YT feed. Never have I seen something so well done, so thorough, so complete, so well executed with visual aids, graphics, still photos, and videos that perfectly illustrate every detail of what is being taught, and entertaining too. I don't know who this guy is or why I've never found this before, but I'm glad I found it now. I've made it to part five, and there is SOOOOOOO much that I did not know. Watching the details of his videos is bringing back tons of memories of me seeing these signs and not recognizing what I was seeing. The video is primarily about lace monitors which have always been a favorite of mine, but I thought they were near impossible to get. Only recently, in the last few years, have I learned otherwise. Someday I will have this species, and I will refer back to these videos to learn more. The videos also show other species and give helpful info for them too. He specifically mentions V. albigularis, which is my current species, and gives helpful info for them too.

There are 9 videos in this series, and it looks like a bunch more videos on interesting subjects from this same guy. I intend to watch them all. If you like monitors lizards, just the footage alone is worth the watch, even if you have no intention of ever breeding them. If breeding them is your goal, I have seen no other info source that even comes close to this one.

 

DoubleD1996!

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Every once in a while, you come across something so amazing, you just have to share it. Well, I'm sharing it...

I've been keeping all sorts of monitors lizards since the 80s. Niles, savanna's, waters, mangroves, dumerils, black throats, and most recently red ackies. I love the whole family and have studied them for years. Decades. I was sitting in my car at work today avoiding the rain, and this came up in my YT feed. Never have I seen something so well done, so thorough, so complete, so well executed with visual aids, graphics, still photos, and videos that perfectly illustrate every detail of what is being taught, and entertaining too. I don't know who this guy is or why I've never found this before, but I'm glad I found it now. I've made it to part five, and there is SOOOOOOO much that I did not know. Watching the details of his videos is bringing back tons of memories of me seeing these signs and not recognizing what I was seeing. The video is primarily about lace monitors which have always been a favorite of mine, but I thought they were near impossible to get. Only recently, in the last few years, have I learned otherwise. Someday I will have this species, and I will refer back to these videos to learn more. The videos also show other species and give helpful info for them too. He specifically mentions V. albigularis, which is my current species, and gives helpful info for them too.

There are 9 videos in this series, and it looks like a bunch more videos on interesting subjects from this same guy. I intend to watch them all. If you like monitors lizards, just the footage alone is worth the watch, even if you have no intention of ever breeding them. If breeding them is your goal, I have seen no other info source that even comes close to this one.

You should check out Jerry wolf on YouTube. I love his set ups he builds.
 

etreal

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Has anyone else watched any of the videos? What do you think?
Hi Tom.

I like monitor lizards, but I don’t know anything about them. They are animals that I may never have. I prefer tortoises and some day I would like a chameleon.

I watched the first 3 videos and what I found interesting is the great difference that observation makes when owning and caring an animal. Specially on reptiles, that do not interact with its owner as a dog or a cat or mammals in general.

Careful observation of our animal’s behavior, combined with some study, gives us a huge opportunity to be successful in this fantastic endeavor of caring tortoises and giving them the best possible live.
 
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KarenSoCal

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I just watched parts 1 and 2, and they are really well done. The graphics are excellent...clear, easy to understand, and sometimes even funny. The narration is well written and also easy to understand, plus the guy that narrates has a cool voice.

I would never want a lizard that large (then again, I thought I would never want any lizard, and I was so wrong on that 🙂). But this video series is the place to go to learn all about monitors and other reptiles.
 
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PollyAda

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Every once in a while, you come across something so amazing, you just have to share it. Well, I'm sharing it...

I've been keeping all sorts of monitors lizards since the 80s. Niles, savanna's, waters, mangroves, dumerils, black throats, and most recently red ackies. I love the whole family and have studied them for years. Decades. I was sitting in my car at work today avoiding the rain, and this came up in my YT feed. Never have I seen something so well done, so thorough, so complete, so well executed with visual aids, graphics, still photos, and videos that perfectly illustrate every detail of what is being taught, and entertaining too. I don't know who this guy is or why I've never found this before, but I'm glad I found it now. I've made it to part five, and there is SOOOOOOO much that I did not know. Watching the details of his videos is bringing back tons of memories of me seeing these signs and not recognizing what I was seeing. The video is primarily about lace monitors which have always been a favorite of mine, but I thought they were near impossible to get. Only recently, in the last few years, have I learned otherwise. Someday I will have this species, and I will refer back to these videos to learn more. The videos also show other species and give helpful info for them too. He specifically mentions V. albigularis, which is my current species, and gives helpful info for them too.

There are 9 videos in this series, and it looks like a bunch more videos on interesting subjects from this same guy. I intend to watch them all. If you like monitors lizards, just the footage alone is worth the watch, even if you have no intention of ever breeding them. If breeding them is your goal, I have seen no other info source that even comes close to this one.

Coincidentally, I came across information regarding the AHH/BHS Conference, and Dr David Kirshner, Curator of Reptiles at Sydney Zoo - https://sydneyzoo.com/about/team-member/dr-david-kirshner/ - was the keynote speaker this year. I'm pretty sure he's your guy!
 

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Tom

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Not sure if you'll be able to open this link or not in the US, but it is a list of peer reviewed reptile husbandry videos, and David Kirshner is noted as the creator of the Breeding Monitor Lizards in Captivity series
The links work. Super cool. Thanks for this!
 

mike taylor

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Man, Tom I have some pretty cool monitors. I have one Crocodile Monitor 0.1 Ackie monitors 1.2 Black Dragon 0.1 Asian water monitor 1.1 Savannah monitors 1.1
 

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Tom

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Man, Tom I have some pretty cool monitors. I have one Crocodile Monitor 0.1 Ackie monitors 1.2 Black Dragon 0.1 Asian water monitor 1.1 Savannah monitors 1.1
The crocs are cool to look at, but I've never wanted one. I had 1.2 Ackies for a while and sold them to a guy with a much better cage set up than mine. I've raised several waters and love them a whole bunch. Never had the komani type. How are they? Some say more skittish and fearful than the regulars. Are they? Lots of savanna's over the years too. One dumerils, a mangrove or two, peachthroat... I'm currently starting two baby black throats at the moment. I want to get ackies again. They were awesome. If lace monitors ever get cheaper, I'd like to try them.

You should post pics Mike!
 

mike taylor

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I got yellow and red Ackies. Man from what I've seen all monitors I've had need space and a bunch of patience. You'd be surprised at how calm they get when you just sit and let them come over to you. I also find as long as you never approach from above they stay calm. My youngest son is like a monitor the whisperer. He reads them like a book. My crocodile monitor came to us by happen stance. He had a large wounds on it tail and a broken finger. Was almost 7 foot long when we got her and kept in a 6/2/2 enclosure most of her life. We got her fixed her and build her a 16/20 room in my reptile building. As soon as we got her in a big space we started working with her. You couldn't touch her when we first got her. Now you can give her chin scratches and handle her. She is 8 foot from head to tail. With monitors I've found space is key to how they behave. Large enclosures with a hide and big water tanks are key. You have to be on their terms with the larger monitors. All of my Monitors are 100% docile and crave attention much like how a parrot acts. Yeah they can bite and give you a nasty wound but choose not to. If you learn how to properly approach them and use a lot of patience they tame down fast. I've even been working with my cuvier's cayman and have built a bond with him. I don't know if you've worked with any rattlesnakes but when they're young they are very defensive. But as you work with them they slowly loose the fear and totally stop rattling. Monitors are about the same to me. I've really have gotten into keeping many different types of venomous snakes over the last few years. Especially the blue insularis. It's one of my favorites. But as far as larger monitors go just build them a large enclosures and speed time with them. Slow movements and approach from below especially the smaller young ones. If you get one that is flighty never force yourself on it. If it lets you pick it up and it starts trying to freak out just hold it higher above your head it calms them. Feeding time is training time. I never just place food in for them. Feeding time is the best bonding time. Just sit down hold the pray item with long tongs and slow work the closer to you while you sit in the enclosure. Kinda like training a dog to sit or stay. They do something you reward them. The monitor lets you know when they don't like something. You can see it in their eyes. Very intelligent animals for sure. Right up there with pigs in my opinion. They are problem solvers. I have a 6 foot Asian water monitor het for black dragon named Chris Angel because he is an escape artist. They will exploit every weakness in a enclosure that's for sure.
 
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