09/03/2018
Here is a rough draft of a water monitor care sheet I started working on. Any comments are appreciated.
Hijinks Herpetoculture’s guide to Varanus Salvator in captivity:
I’ve found varanus salvator to be one of the most rewarding animals that I have had the pleasure of working with. Commonly referred to as Asian Water Monitors, they are one of the three largest lizards on the planet. In addition to their awesome size they also are incredibly intelligent lizards. In my opinion, they have the capability to build a degree of trust with their keeper and become very docile and fun to interact with. That is the good news! The bad news is that they are not appropriate captives for the vast majority of people. They just get too big and most people, despite their best intentions, are just not able to provide them the care that they need to thrive. Their large size also creates a situation where a certain amount of experience is necessary to safely handle and care for them. My goal, in writing this is to provide information that will help people provide better husbandry for their salvator, and also give an over view of what is necessary to provide an animal of this size. Hopefully this will help potential keepers of this amazing species decide if varanus salvator would be a good fit in their collection.
Varanus salvator covers a wide range of animals. When you include other animals considered “water monitors” it really gets confusing. Animals like Varanus mertensi are commonly called “Merten’s water monitor” but their care is different than v. salvator. Another commonly kept species is Varanus cumingi. While they are not salvator, their care is very similar, and the advice suggested here is, in general, appropriate for Varanus cumingi. Most of the water monitors sold in the pet trade are Varanus salvator macromaculatus. These are also the largest animals found in the pet trade. The second most common are Varanus salvator bivittatus or banded water monitors. These also get to a very impressive size. Both macromaculatus as well as bivittatus can reach adult sizes of 6 to 8 feet. There are also many insular island localities that are making their way into the pet trade. These tend to stay smaller and also to be more difficult to socialize. They can be more difficult to acclimate to captivity but are often very striking in appearance. Locales like Sumbawa are very beautiful with bright yellows and amazing patterns. Palu locale animals have large ocelli and bright yellows. Care for these smaller insular localities is identical to the larger mainland animals, although a slightly (emphasize slightly) smaller enclosure may be acceptable. In addition to the locality salvator, there are also several “morphs”. Both t+ as well as t- albinos are being captive bred by the likes of Kevin McCurley of NERD in the USA and Tim Heeley in the UK. Other traits include melanistic or black dragons, as well as Sulphur.
Choosing an animal is one of the most important decisions you can make. It can be tempting to buy that cute little inexpensive water monitor in the pet store or at the reptile expo, but it is generally not the best course of action. I have wild caught animals in my collection, but by the time you get them healthy it is unlikely that you will have saved much money at all. Most wild caught or farmed animals will have parasites and many will be so scared that they will regurgitate food and be, in general, poor captives that are very scared of their new environment. If your goal is a social animal, this makes for a difficult uphill battle. Captive bred and born (cbb) animals will come to you, for the most part, parasite free and much less afraid of people. You will be able to work with them much quicker without the fear of them going off food or regressing and hiding from you all the time. Often times people do not want to spend the money on a CBB animal because they just cannot afford it. If this is the case, I respectfully think than you should take a hard look at if you can afford to keep these animals at all. They are not cheap and the food bill alone will cost more than a CBB neonate in no time at all. Getting a CBB baby in no way guarantees you will have success and that your lizard will thrive and become social, but it gives you the best chance possible.
Before you purchase your water monitor you need to build a home for it. Yes I said build, because there are not really any suitable monitor enclosures on the market. Many people attempt to use fish tanks for juvenile water monitors, but it really is not an acceptable option. It is possible to modify some pre built pvc cages, but it really is more trouble than just building a proper one, in my opinion. When it comes to caging for adult monitors, bigger is better, but that is not the case for smaller water monitors. A large cage gives the animals a lot of room to hide and stay afraid of you. I start neonates in a 3lx2wx2h enclosure built out of wood. Some keepers have good luck socializing animals in cages as small as 2’x2’2’, and while I see some benefits to that, I prefer to go a little larger. As the animal grows I move it to gradually larger enclosures until it is in it’s adult cage, which will be approximately 8lx6wx7h. I’ve had success keeping adults in cages as small as 6’lx6’wx6’h, for smaller adults, but they will make use of whatever space is provided, so go as large as you can, while still being able to control the heat and humidity. I use (plywood, sealed with either fiberglass resin (allow two-three weeks for it to fully cure) or two part marine epoxy. For juvenile enclosures I will sometimes just use Drylok or Latex paint, but this will not last as long. I build the enclosures with very little ventilation. The opening and closing of the door will provide adequate air exchange and little ventilation will greatly aid in keeping the humidity high in an enclosure that will be kept very warm. I like to use 4’x4’ sliding glass windows for my viewing windows as well as the doors to my cages but there are many ways to go about constructing an enclosure.
How you furnish the enclosure is as important as the enclosures overall size. It is important to have not only space, but usable space. Many keepers neglect things like the walls. A simple lattice or large pieces of bark will create usable space on the walls, greatly increasing the overall effectiveness of the enclosure. Water monitors not only like the water, as their name implies, but also will climb and dig. Therefore it is important to provide sturdy logs and branches (stay away from cedar or pine and look for hard woods like oak) for them to climb on and deep substrate for them to dig and burrow in. I use logs and branches straight from the woods and embrace the bugs that sometimes come with them. For substrate you want a sandy loam type soil. If the dirt where you live is suitable you can simply dig it up, so long as you know that it is safe and free of pesticides. If that is not possible then I have found a mix of topsoil, peat moss, and play sand to be a very good substitute. Several times a year I will add fresh leaf litter to the enclosure which my animals always seem to enjoy. This also brings in some new hitchhikers of springtails and isopods that help break down waste in the cages. I look out for ants and ticks, but am not especially worried about anything else. You will need a lot of substrate! While neonates may be ok with only a few inches and some leaf litter, adults will need between 18” and 24”. In a suitable adult cage this equates to thousands of pounds of dirt. This is especially important for females who need the ability to nest and lay eggs whether they are housed with a male or not. Not only does this deep layer of substrate provide nesting opportunities but it also will greatly aid in keeping the humidity at a proper level and stabilizing the temperature and help to avoid fluctuations.
The temperature that you keep your Varanus salvator is one of the mostimportant aspects of proper husbndry. Both basking, as well as ambient temperatures play a vital role in a water monitors overall health. For younger animals in smaller enclosures I generally try to provide a basking spot that is approximately 135 degrees. For larger animals I aim for around 145-150 degrees. The only way to properly measure basking temperatures is with an IR temperature gun (this is a must have piece of equipment). Without these high temperatures your animals will not only have a difficult time digesting their foods, but they will also be unable to fight off parasites and illness. These high temperatures also are the start of creating the wide range of temperatures that will be encompassed in a well set up enclosure. I attempt to create ambient temperatures that are in the low 80’s in the coolest, above ground, areas of the enclosure. This will give the animal a wide range of choices as far as temperature is concerned. They will be able to burrow and get to even lower temperatures if they require it. I position the water feature on the cool side of the enclosure so they can also use that to thermoregulate.
A large water feature is an absolute must for Varanus salvator. Whatever you choose, it must be large enough for the animal to completely submerge itself. These animals have a close relationship with water and will spend a good deal of time in the water. Stock tanks, water troughs and large concrete mixing tubs make good options for water features. Whatever you use, try to spend the extra time to plumb the water features that will be in your adult enclosures. My water features drain by turning a ball valve into a container that has a pump that pumps it into the waste water drain in my house. It makes my life much easier! Picking up and dumping out smaller water bins is no big deal but it can be quite tiresome to change very large containers several times a week.
Once you have your enclosure set up, and have purchased your animal you are likely to want to socialize your monitor. This takes some experience and you must learn to realize when you are causing the animal undue stress. I strongly suggest that you watch Kevin McCurley’s videos on socializing water monitors. While my methods are somewhat different they are all based on Kevin’s observations about monitor lizard psychology and his techniques. Like Kevin suggests I try to base my socialization around short, positive interactions. Once the interaction goes bad and the animal is stressed, understand that there is no way to save the session. Back away and come back later. Try to offer food from tongs or by hand (provided the animal is small enough that it will not do damage if there is a feeding mistake). Try to rub the animals chin or pet it. Eventually, push on the animal’s chest and try to get it to climb up on you. Some animals will be naturally social, and others will require a tremendous amount of work. Some will never come around. Be prepared for this before you buy a Varanus salvator.
What you feed your water will have a lot to do with it’s overall health. Staples can include rodents, chicks and fish. I try to feed mostly whole prey or at the very least meat with bone and cartilage attached. I will supplement with chicken wings and necks as well as scraps of fish on occasion. I do not suggest feeding an abundance of meat without bone. I personally never feed ground meat from the grocery store. I have a meat grinder and I will grind entire chickens and turkey with the bones and I think this makes an acceptable substitute as long as it is not used too much. Another good option is to use some raw diet dog food. Most brands of raw diet dog food include bone and organ. Repti links can also be used, although it can be an expensive option. Young monitors can be fed daily, or every other day. As your monitor gets older, much more care must be paid to not over feeding them. I feed my adult water monitors around 3 times a week. If they are breeding or for whatever reason are using more energy I will feed more often. If they are not responding to the food, then I will feed less. Around a year old is when I start to be more conservative with my food offerings.
In conclusion, owning a Varanus salvator can be one of the most rewarding experiences a reptile keeper can have. It is not a commitment one should take lightly. Most keepers will have a hard time providing an enclosure that is appropriate for a lizard that can reach lengths of over 8 feet (specimens like these are rare, but possible). If you are able to provide for one, and are willing to spend the time working with, and building a relationship with your water monitor they can make incredible captives. They are personable, beautiful animals, that it is possible to develop a relationship with. Few animals are quite as impressive as a large salvator and they can be a lot of fun to observe in their enclosure. Hopefully this has given you some things to think about that will help you decide it keeping one of these magnificent animals is right for you.
