New Timor Monitors!

[StinaKSU]

Here's a link to photos of the 2 timor monitors steve and I picked up at Hamburg yesterday!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stinaksu/sets/72157614613538306/

Their cage is obviously not permanent....lol and we need to pick up some more things for them to climb on today, but they seem to like it and have been active and basking.

They're eating their first meal of crickets as we speak...really amusing...watching them try to beat the crickets into submission...lol

Anyway...Turi, the larger one, has a few little red pimple-looking bumps on him...one below his mouth, one or two on his belly, and one on his tail. There's photo of one on flickr with the others. We didn't see the bumps when we purchased them b/c they're small and the main lights were off. If anyone has any idea what the bumps might be we'd greatly appreciate it if you could let us know!

 

[bubblez825]

VERY cool! They're very cute :main_yes:

 

[StinaKSU]

Aren't they though?!

No one has any idea what the bumps are on Turi?....We're really stumped by them!

 

[Lena]

Aren't they though?!

No one has any idea what the bumps are on Turi?....We're really stumped by them!

Something that requires vet attention.

I was just reading an article in reptiles magazine on different types of rot. This looks kind of like a picture of scale rot they had.. Though not as extreme. Don't get me wrong, I'm no expert.. But I would definitely be alarmed if I saw something like that.

Definitely cause for concern. You should contact the vendor you bought him from and complain. :main_thumbsdown:

And are you planning on permanently housing these two together? Is that ok for this particular species? Most often it's stressful for reptiles to be housed together.

 

[Gregg M]

Stina, those are very pretty imports... With a little work they will be more than awesome...

Just a few pointers on their care...

1- You should have a mix of sand and soil as a substrate atleast 3 to 4 inches deep... What you have them on now looks way too humid... This could be the reason for the bumps... No need to bake anything...

2- Timors are climbers... They would rather be in tall branches than on flat surfaces... It looks like you do not have enough climbing material in the cage...

3- they should have a basking spot of atleast 100 degrees...

4- You will do your new monitors a great service if you custom build a nice tall cage that can retain high ambient air temps instead of buying a big AGA... Animal Plastics makes an awesome tall cage that will house a pair of timors well... I believe it is 3 high 2 wide and 2 deep...

The two can be housed together without issue... Small monitor species are not affected in ways geckos are...

Awesome pair you picked up for sure...

By the way, your water dish is too large...

 

[StinaKSU]

We're really happy with them...so far they seem to be pretty content with their surroundings and are active and alert.

They are on a mixture of coconut fiber and organic soil...it is a little more moist than I was going for, but its not soaking...and has dried some. We have added a lot of climbing space since setting them up...I knew there wasn't enough to start with. They have a basking area that reaches ~140*. We will give them much more space as they grow, but they are doing well in their current arrangements. I need to find a better water dish but forget when I was at the store yesterday... for now they have a stone in there to take up a little space and for them to climb in and out with.

I've contacted the vet I used in college for ideas on the bumps on Turi and sent him several photos...hopefully he'll have some good input. We don't have a vet in town here yet, and I trust him. I also tried to e-mail the seller but haven't gotten a response yet.

 

[Gregg M]

140 degree hot spot???? PERFECT!!! Should dry that soil out in no time... LOL... I would still add some sand...

 

[SteveB]

Hey Gregg, thanks for the tips. We had wanted to get into monitors for a while and are really happy to have jumped the gun on these. Maybe we'll get lucky with the sexes, but either way they're neat little guys and a good introduction for us. Now if only I can get Stina to let me breed roaches for them...

As for the cage suggestion... don't forget I used to be a distributor for Animal Plastics, I'm well acquainted with their product line

 

[StinaKSU]

Why do you suggest adding sand Gregg?...

 

[Lena]

Gregg, perhaps you could shed some light on those brown areas on the one monitor?

By the way.. Congrats on the two! I've always wanted a monitor.. These are beautiful. I was admiring them at the show!

 

[Gregg M]

Hey Gregg, thanks for the tips. We had wanted to get into monitors for a while and are really happy to have jumped the gun on these. Maybe we'll get lucky with the sexes, but either way they're neat little guys and a good introduction for us. Now if only I can get Stina to let me breed roaches for them...

As for the cage suggestion... don't forget I used to be a distributor for Animal Plastics, I'm well acquainted with their product line

Hey Steve,
Anytime...
And yes, that was a good species to jump into monitors with for sure... And the pair is beautiful...

As far as the AP cage goes, I guess you know exactly what I am talking about... LOL

Why do you suggest adding sand Gregg?...

Hey Stina,
A sand/soil mix is the best type of substrate to use for these guys and most of the dwarf species... Its good for digging in and can be packed well... It also does not retain a huge amount of humidity... There is no danger of impaction from substrates in monitors at all...

I also suggest a humid hid box/lay box with a sand/coco fiber mix...

Gregg, perhaps you could shed some light on those brown areas on the one monitor?

Not sure how they were kept with the previous owner but those look like the result of being kept too humid for an extended period of time... Keeping the animal dry and NOT putting anything on it should fix the problem in a shed or two...

 

[StinaKSU]

I wasn't worried about impaction, I just had not seen anything suggesting mixing sand in the substrate... **shrug**

The top of the substrate is fully dried out now (though its still moist underneath)...and since adding more climbing space they also recieved a fairly flat piece of wood on the bottom that creates a humid "hide"

We are trying to find contact information for the seller to ask them about the bumps, but are having trouble finding their information. I believe these 2 were farm raised....so God only knows their previous housing conditions. We haven't put anything on the bumps...and they don't seem to be changing at all (we are watching them closely)...for the moment we are just going to monitor them and see if we can get ahold of the vendor.

 

[Gregg M]

Stina, who was the vendor??? You dont have to tell me here but if you want PM...

Also, sand/soil mixes are commonly used with this and other dwarf monitor species... This species will do great on a sand/soil substrate... If you have not found this info on your own, you are looking in the wrong places... Trust me, I know my monitors... LOL...
I have kept and bred this species myself...

If you need any husbandry info, I am just a PM away...

 

[SteveB]

Gregg... any advice on reliably sexing these guys?

I don't think we're too far off, husbandry wise... do you find that they dig a lot, when given adequate hides? They've got plenty of cover right now, the way Stina set up the tank is pretty densely planted with a good number of places to climb, bask, and hide.
Right now the substrate is soil/coco mix (mostly coconut husk) but adding sand and/or clay would be simple.

 

[Gregg M]

I have a way of sexing juvinile dwarf Aussie monitors that has proven out 100% so far... Maybe I have been lucky but it was over 20 animals so far...
PM me and I will let you in on it...

And yes they do dig a lot... That is their nature... Dwarf varanids are not lazy lizards... They are very active and naturally dig and climb... You also may want to add some oak leaves in the cage as well... It is really cool to watch them go under the leaves hunting crickets... You are gonna love these guys...