Tegu and Monitor Lizards

BLACK AND WHITE TEGU Lizard tupinambistequixin teupirambixmerianae

• RATING: intermediate
• FOOD: crickets, mealworms, earthworms, grasshoppers, pinkies, fuzzies, hoppers, rat pups, fish ...
• WATER: Large water pan for drinking and soaking
• DAY TEMP: 85 F - 90 F ( 29.4 C - 32.2 C) 95 F ( 35 C) Basking
• NIGHT TEMP: 75 - 85 F (23.8 C - 29.4 C)
• LIGHTING: Incandescent and UVB fluorescent
• SUBSTRATE: playground sand, leaves, orchid bark, cypress mulch, newspaper, butcher paper ...
• NOTES: 3 - 4 feet stl, hardy

GOLD TEGU Lizard tupinambistequixin

• RATING: intermediate
• FOOD: crickets, mealworms, earthworms, grasshoppers, pinkies, fuzzies, hoppers, rat pups, fish ...
• WATER: Large water pan for drinking and soaking
• DAY TEMP: 85 F - 90 F ( 29.4 C - 32.2 C) 95 F ( 35 C) Basking
• NIGHT TEMP: 75 - 85 F (23.8 C - 29.4 C)
• LIGHTING: Incandescent and UVB fluorescent
• SUBSTRATE: playground sand, leaves, orchid bark, cypress mulch, newspaper, butcher paper ...
• NOTES: 3 - 4 feet stl, hardy

Nile Monitor Lizard varanus niloticus

• RATING: intermediate
• FOOD: crickets, mealworms, waxworms, king mealworms, butterworms, rodents, fish
• WATER: large water dish for bathing and drinking
• DAY TEMP: 80 - 90 F (26.6 - 32.2 c)
• NIGHT TEMP: 78 - 80 F (25.5 - 26.6 c)
• LIGHTING: Incandescent basking lights and UVB fluorescent
• SUBSTRATE: Pine shavings, aspen shavings, orchid bark ...
• NOTES: Will reach lengths of 7+ feet, 4-5 feet average, hardy, Needs very large enclosure, rocks, driftwood, hollow logs...

Savannah monitor Lizard Varanus (exanithematicus, e. exanthematicus, exanthema)

• RATING: intermediate
• FOOD: crickets, earthworms, mealworms, pinkies, mice, rats, hampsters
• WATER: Large pan for soaking and drinking
• DAY TEMP: 85 - 90 F (29.4- 32.2 c)
• NIGHT TEMP: 75 - 85 F (23.8 - 29.4 c)
• LIGHTING: incandescent bulbs, UVB fluorescent
• SUBSTRATE: paper, astroturf, wood chips
• NOTES: Needs very large enclosure with shelter

Monitor Lizard Books

Nile Monitors: Everything about History, Care, Nutrition, Handling, and Behavior by Robert M. Faust, Rob Faust

      Terrarium keepers can depend on this manual to tell them everything they need to know about the care and maintenance of Nile Monitor lizards. Books in the Complete Pet Owner's Manuals series present basic information about pets for new or soon-to-be owners. Advice and instruction covers feeding, housing, health care, training, grooming, protection against hazards, and more. Texts emphasize pet care basics and are easy for all readers to understand, but most titles also present facts that even experienced pet owners and breeders will find new and useful. All books in this series are filled with high quality full-color photos and instructive line art. Length averages between 64 and 104 pages.

Monitors: The Biology of Varanid Lizards by Dennis King, Brian Green, Frank Knight, Keith Newgrain, Jo Eberhard

      Retired Australian researchers in agriculture protection (King) and wildlife ecology (Green) offer a non-technical account of the fascinating lizards from down under that include the famous Komodo dragon. Updating their 1993 , published by the University of New South Wales Press in its Australian Natural History Series, they reveal new findings such as that one of the lizards can count and that another swims in the ocean when not searching for food. The also add a chapter on parasites of the varanids and a section on foraging strategy. Line drawings and 21 color plates illustrate the treatment.

The General Care and Maintenance of Popular Monitors and Tegus (The Herpetocultural Library Series) by Michael Balsai

Gray's Monitor Lizard by Walter Auffenberg

Living Dragons : A Natural History of the World's Monitor Lizards by Rodney Steel

Giant Lizards by Robert George Sprackland

     Beautifully illustrated, highly respected text. This book has a great deal on biology and life in the wild. The primary focus is monitor lizards, but it does a complete over view of all giant lizards (3 feet or larger).

Komodo, the Living Dragon : The Living Dragon by Richard L. Lutz, Dick Lutz, Judy Marie Lutz

     Details include the first successful U. S. breeding of the Komodo dragon, eye-opening insights on the hardships of travel to the few islands housing the Komodo dragon.

Komodo Dragons: Biology and Conservation by James B. Murphy

      More than twenty years have passed since Walter Auffenberg's monumental The behavioral ecology of the Komodo Monitor. In the intervening years the populations of Komodo dragons--native only to a handful of islands in southeast Indonesia--have dwindled, sparking intensive conservation efforts. During the last two decades new information about these formidable predators has emerged, and the most important findings are clearly presented here.

Eat This Bug : A Guide to Invertebrate Live Foods for Reptiles and Amphibians by Lynn Davis

      This book is a guide for owners of reptiles and amphibians who feed insects and other live foods to their pets. Advice is offered for selecting , ordering and raising your own supply of live invertebrate foods. More than a dozen species of live foods are discussed. The book includes instructions on keeping cultures of insects, and recipes & diets for insects.

Feeding Insect Eating Lizards by Zoffer, David Zoffer

      The proper feeding of lizards is important to their survival in captivity. Diet is one aspect of lizard keeping that many new lizard owners know little about, and their pets suffer as a result. This book provides lizard owners with plenty of information on the diets of insecting-eating lizards, including the right feeding techniques for making sure that their pets get the right nutrients.

The Guide to Plants for the Reptile Terrarium by Jerry G. Walls, Maleta M. Walls

     If you are thinking of adding plants to your reptile or amphibians terrarium this book might be of interest to you!

Terrarium and Cage Construction and Care by Richard D. Bartlett, Patricia Bartlett, Fredric L. Frye

     Reptile and amphibian owners add a new dimension to their hobby when they design and build terraria that simulate the natural habitats of their companion animals. This book gives directions for a variety of terrarium options. You can build enclosures in spare rooms, glass tanks, greenhouses, outdoor pools, or virtually any other available space. With this book's help, you can also transform your terrarium into a scaled-down replica of desert, rain forest, semiaquatic, or woodland environment.

The Terrarium: With Full-Color Photographs (Complete Pet Owner's Manual) by Harald Jes, Johann Brandstetter

     Here are detailed instructions for constructing both indoor and outdoor terrariums in different sizes to fit different needs. Books in the Complete Pet Owner's Manuals series present basic information for new or soon-to-be owners. Advice and instruction covers feeding, housing, health care, training, grooming, and much more. Texts emphasize pet care basics and are easy for all readers to understand. All books in this series are filled with high quality full-color photos and instructive line drawings.

Reptile & Amphibian Parasites by Eric M. Rundquist

     Loaded with good information and practical, sensible, easy-to-apply advice. Great for beginners, but even the pros can learn a lot from them.

Understanding Reptile Parasites : A Basic Manual for Herpetoculturists & Veterinarians by Roger Klingenberg

     An important manual for the reptile breeder. This manual takes the reptile owner beyond the simple task of care into the subject of why to prevent and how to treat parasites in our reptiles. The manual explains in simple terms the complexities of reptile parasites. It goes into the how-to of fecal floats, parasite identification and treatments. It takes the mystery out of the vet's back room. One of the shortest yet most useful chapters is "Hygiene and the Herpetoculturist". An important read for all reptile keepers and breeders.

Lizard Care from A to Z by Richard D. Bartlett, Patricia P. Bartlett (Contributor)

      Which lizard might be right for you? Find out with this overview by the Bartletts, two of herpetology's most respected figures. This is a great book for beginner-intermediate lizard keepers; illustrations and diagrams on how to actually set up the terrarium for the lizards.

Loco for Lizards by Jim Cherry, James Cherry

      This is a real find. Even if they have zero interest in reptiles, anyone who has curiosity and a sense of humor would enjoy this little book. The writing style is a combination of Dennis Miller's sarcasm, Bill Nye the Science Guy's mix of facts and fun, Monty Python's surrealism, and a pinch of David Sedaris's self-deprecation. A great airplane or lazy day read. Makes a great stocking stuffer gift for the readers on my list. Most amazing is this book's artful blend of solid information, interestingly presented and wacky fun. Great colorful graphics, too, including paintings by Hieronymous Bosch, Ed Mell, Maynard Dixon and others. Godzilla makes a couple appearances, as well.

Lizard Social Behavior by Stanley F. Fox

     This is an original, substantial, and long-needed contribution. The introduction places the subject in context and shows how lizards can provide unique information not readily available through study of other organisms. The book is logically organized, beginning with a focus on individual variation, moving to comparisons between populations, and finishing with species comparisons. Readers with a general interest in social behavior will be drawn to peruse other sections where they will find an abundance of additional interesting and informative material.

About these mini care sheets

      The following mini care sheets are meant to provide only basic care information. In order to provide the most accurate and up to date data I searched for and cross referenced information about the following herps on the Internet, through herp magazines, and through specific herp care books. If you come across information that is inaccurate or out of date please write to me with the correct information.

      I only keep Chinese water dragons an iguana, and yellow backed geckos. I receive many letters asking me for advice or to help identify the particular amphibian, or reptile that they have found. To tell you the truth- I probably wont be that much help other than with basic, general care guidelines, most of which can be found on this page. :) If you need help identifying an amphibian or reptile- either take it in to a reptile store where the staff may be helpful, call your local herpetological society, or look through a book that contains many pictures of different reptiles and amphibians and see if you can identify it in the book. :)

      You might also think about joining one of the many reptile or amphibian related mailing lists that are on the net, where you can ask questions about your reptile or amphibian and learn more about it. To see if there is a mailing list for the reptile or amphibian that you want to know more about please go to my mailing list page and check out all the herp lists!

      You might also want to visit my Reptile and Amphibian Care Sheets page to see if I have listed any links to specific reptile or amphibian sites that you might be interested in visiting.

      In addition to providing the basics of care as listed below, any new animal in your collection should be kept in a separate enclosure (quarantined) for one to six months and monitored for illness, mites or ticks, internal parasites, and treated accordingly during this period.

      Please take your new herps to a qualified reptile vet for a check-up when you purchase them - or, at the very least have a fresh stool sample tested for parasites in the first week or two of having your new pet. If you don't know of a reptile vet in your area you can visit Melissa Kaplan's Herp Societies/Vets Page: http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html for American and international vet listings, or you can visit my Canadian reptile vet page: http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/canrepvt.htm for Canadian Reptile vet listings.