Advice needed: Spiny-Tailed Monitor
 

I was just over at my friend's house and he was showing me around his gecko room so that I can watch over them while they're gone for an extended weekend. He showed me what he called a Spiny-Tailed Monitor that he got from the family of a friend who just passed away unexpectedly. Something makes me think the guy would be rolling over in his grave if he knew the poor thing was being kept in a shoebox-sized tub in amongst a bunch of leopard geckos. Apparently the thing is quite valuable, and it does appear to be in good health. I admit I don't know squat about monitors, but I KNOW that an un-lit shoebox on heat tape isn't going to cut if for long.

The animal is about 12-14" long, and amazingly easy to handle. I was thinking of bringing him home and putting him in an empty 29 or 45 gallon aquarium with a basking light and UV bulbs, but other than that I have no idea what type of substrate, humidity, basking temps, food etc. that this thing needs. I would take an aquarium over there for him, but they have absolutely NO room for even a 10 gallon.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Paul

Paul good luck! I found this website:
http://www.pythonpete.com/info/ackieinf.htm

I have a good friend who currently owns around 10 monitors of various sizes and species. Your ideas are great for the monitor, they need room and lots of heat. My friend keeps his monitors at 95+ on the hot side and cooler on the other. The website is even more extreme in their temps.

I would suggest your friend does not keep that monitor if they have no room for it. I read the get to about 3 feet in length-60cm, they are on the small side of the scale for monitors. They need to have room to run around, I would figure a 6 foot long tank would be the smallest tank for it when it is full grown.

Our yellow Ackie adults or Spiny Tailed monitors are approx. 18" and are very active. We house them (1.2) together in a 2'x4' cage set up just like a beardie, clean sand as substrate, with a hotspot approx 105+ degrees. The diet is mostly adult crix, with ground turkey and scrambled egg every few days. I think you need to take over, good luck!

Thanks guys, I had better luck finding info. on them when someone pointed out to me that they're also known as ackies! lol. See? I told you I didn't know much about them. :slamit: I think I'm going to kidnap him/her this weekend when they're gone and set her up in one of my 75's. Trust me, my friend really won't care if I explain things. Besides, I raise mice and he doesn't, and right now I have more pinkies and fuzzies than my snakes can possibly eat.
Thanks again. I'll get a picture this weekend and post it here. Hopefully someone can confirm that s/he is indeed a yellow ackie.

FWIW, my adult ackies love superworms. They also get crickets and some roaches (they will be moving ore and more to roaches as I my colonies mature). I give them each a large fuzzy/small hopper about every ten days and scrambled eggs and ground turkey about once a week each. I cook the eggs in a bowl scrambled with the shell in the microwave with no extra grease. The ground turkey I buy a pound or so at a time and make little meal size"meat balls" and freeze them separately so they are ready to go.

For substrate I use mostly coconut fiber with some sand added. It holds moisture well and holds a burrow really well. These guys really like to burrow. I have a couple of pieces cork bark on the bottom of the cage and they love to hide under them. I have some climbing branches near the heat source so they can choose a level where the temp is to their liking. I keep the top around 110°-115°F.

These are really neat little animals Paul. You'll should enjoy this guy or gal. If you can post a picture that will be great, especially of the face/eyes so we can perhaps determine if this is a red or a yellow ackie.

those temps arnt extreme my ackies bask at 150 and there warm side is about 90 and there cool side is about 75 they need temp choices.for substrate i would use dirt or a peat moss play sand mix there substrate needs 2 be able 2hold a borrow because they go under groud 2 conserve mostior where its 100 percent humidty with out there borrows they get really dry.mike

Update
 

Dog Gamnit! :hot:

Well, I was running short on time yesterday and didn't bring the animal home with me. I did however snap the pic I'll attach. Sorry it doesn't show much detail. Anyway, I went over there this afternoon to feed/water the other animals with the intention of bringing the little fella home and putting him in what was supposed to be his new home (75 gallon tank). The flimsy home-made rack that he was in must have shifted or started to collapse, and some of the shelves slid apart from the tubs, allowing the animals a space to escape through. Some of the gecko tubs were half-crushed, but it doesn't look like anybody got hurt. BUT, the monitor as well as a bunch of leopard geckos is missing. There's NO way I'd ever find him/her amongst all the clutter in that room. Damn damn damn. I'm planning on going over there tonight when it's dark and hope that s/he comes out.

Yeah, that's the tub s/he's been living in...

that is not an ackie i think it might be a yellow monitor.that cage is not right for monitors if you do find it i hope you give it a good home.i would look for him during the day because that when he will be active.mike

I use to own a mangrove monitor. I think it was an import though and at the time I didn't know any better. It unfortunately died about 2 1/2 to 3 years later. That was a case of me leaping before I looked. Monitors seem to have very quirky personalities and I would love to own one again some day.

I agree, it looks like a Yellow Monitor, Varanus melinus. More pics would help if you find it.

It is likely a diurnal animal and more likely to be acitve by day. Set out some canned cat food or ground turkey and a big water bowl in a sunny area of the room. You may get lucky and find it soaking.