Ridge-Tail Ackie (Varanus acanthurus) Monitor (Yearling)
 

SOLD yearling Ridge-Tail Ackie (Varanus acanthurus) Monitor SOLD
- $250 (OBO)
plus any applicable shipping costs
(Located in/shipping from Sacramento, CA)

This is an absolutely beautiful animal, and one that is not all that common in the trade. Which is a shame, since Ackies are one of the hardiest and most attractive, responsive, and rewarding reptiles you could hope for.

Acanthurus (Ackie) monitors stand head and tails above the rest. They are simply the best overall choice for a captive monitor. Perhaps the best overall choice for a captive lizard period. Ackies provide for a fantastic captive husbandry experience and make for an excellent choice for the beginner and expert alike.

Being a native Australian species, you won't find imported or wild caught Ackie monitors available on the market. That means you can get the best possible start with a healthy captive bred and born lizard.

Many new monitor keepers choose to start with Savannahs, or Niles, or Waters, some of the heavily pushed "pet store" monitors that are not necessarily a good choice for a captive lizard. They are drawn to the sheer size of a big monitor. Being huge makes it "cool". But size is such a small part of monitor enjoyment. That "huge" thing wears off really quickly, and you are left with a big giant monitor that is not only more difficult to interact with, but an animal that is difficult, and expensive, to cage properly.

Economically, Ackies are within the reach of most monitor hobbyists. Sure the initial cost of the monitor itself might be a bit more, but you are talking about a captive bred and born lizard , not a farm hatched or wild caught baby, or one that may be in need of a veterinarian check up ($$) and a 15 ft. cage. Trust me, let the size thing go, make an educated decision, give yourself the best chance of success, and get yourself a monitor you will really enjoy!

Ackies aren't a big massive lizard. They stay in the 16-30 inch range, and you can do a small group of them in a 4 ft. cage (as adults). A 4 ft. cage is a lot cheaper than a 15 ft. cage, that's for sure! Feeding bills aren't nearly as frightening either. You can feed a single Ackie for a year with what you are likely to offer a large Water monitor over a couple of months!

Provide proper husbandry and a good diet, and in a very short time (it goes by quickly) you will have that polished, beautiful, full sized adult Ackie you have been dreaming of.

Ackies are a great social animal as well. They will thrive and do quite well if set up as a single animal, but they are also very easy to socialize as a group, assuming you start with a group of the same size/age .

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For care information about Ackies, and much more, check out the following:

http://www.proexotics.com/ackie_article.html

http://www.reptipro.com/care-sheets/...are-sheet.html

http://www.herpcenter.com/reptile-ca...ckie-monitors/

http://www.captivebredreptileforums....are-guide.html

I can be contacted at: shiveley@csus.edu