Care Sheet for MonitorsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 3.39 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 01/21/2007 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Monitors |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Dragon Guy |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Nile Monitor |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | N/A |
Sexing and Characteristics: | The males have a more pronounced set of nobs or bumbs in front of and behind his vent, the females are a bit less. |
Mostly Active During: | Day |
Substrate and Water Needs: | First let’s start with water. Nile monitors need alot of water. They love to swim and take hours long naps under the water. A healthy monitor loves to have enough water space as to completely submerge and it is even recommended that he/she has plenty of room to swim and even a place to hide under water. (a reason aquarium cave decoration will do nicely)
as for substrate I highly recommend gravel in the water and some of the shredded coconut bedding (repti soil bricks) they love to burrow. You can also mix in a little aquarium gravel into the soil to help keep their claws ground down. this will usually keep you from having to clip them. As well as alot of water space they need plenty of room to climb so give em lots of sticks and things like that. |
Lighting and UVB: | Lots of UVB. remember that these lizards are from the egyptian dessert. So while shade needs to be provided I suggest bright full spectrum lighting during the day. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | The basking area of the enclosure should be around 120 f. and the cool area anywhere between 80 - 90 f. make sure however that you provide a cave or something for the lizard to really get cool if they want to.
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Heating and Equipment: | I suggest using full spectrum florescent lighting with a ceramic heat bulb for basking. Leave the ceramic heat bulb (lightless bulb) on 24/7 and just turn the florescent lighting off for day/night cycle. I don’t suggest a heat rock so much as just a darkly colored rock that you let bake under it’s heat lamp. since they like to dig sometimes they will burrow under an electronic heat stone and burn themselves. |
Caging Provided: | I use a 50-60 gallon tank with a glass divider to give it a pond until they get too large. When full grown they get 5-7 feet long and need a space the size of an average bed-room. (but this takes a long time) sadly most people get rid of or abandon their niles when they out-grow their terrarium. I suggest that before you get one of these beautiful lizards that you get ready to make an out-door enclosure. Something like a bird aviary. They will need something the size of a kiddy pool at least for water and some very large sticks to climb on much like one of those big parrot or iguana stands. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Variety is key. I suggest buying some feeder fish and keeping it’s water stocked with a few fish. I also suggest live meal worms. Not only are the meal worms very healthy but it gives the lizard something to do. It is really fun to watch them sniff out worms in the soil and dig for them. Dusted crickets from time to time is ok but too many can make your monitor lazy and bored. a bored monitor is likely to rub it’s face raw on the glass or screen enclosure. So I suggest a diet of mostly worms fish and if you can get them, grasshoppers. basically anything it has to hunt. (as a treat mice are a good meal as well) Something to remember, Niles eat and eat and eat. if you give them easy prey they will eat until they puke. they have no concept of their own limits. so make them hunt and they will only eat when they really need to. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Some gut loaded and dusted crickets once in a while is great. |
Maintenance: | Spot clean the entire cage at least twice a week, they are messy. I suggest heavy filtration with a filter specifically designed to take ammonia out of water. Change their substrate 1nce every month or two. |
Some Words on this Species: | This species is incredibly aggressive, always hungry, gets enormous, and will never really like you.... but they are awesome to watch and absolutely beautiful. I do not suggest this animal unless you have the space and money to eventually make a totally enclosed out door living area. These animals when full grown carry a nasty nasty bite, huge sharp claws and a strong lashing tail. I suggest that anyone who wants to own one either spend nearly every day handling them to get them used to their presence (which is almost impossible, they really hate being handled) or be an experienced animal handler. PLEASE PLEASE do not get one of these amazing herps and dump the poor thing when it gets too much for you. |
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