Slide show
provided by the UVME metal halide, and additional light
comes from a GU10 LED lamp.
Shortly after this last move, one of the young females
was noticed to be persistently digging. A humid lay hide
was installed and she promptly laid four eggs overnight,
three of which were viable. This therefore confirmed that
V. glauerti become sexually mature at around 12 months
of age! A week later a second female deposited three
eggs, however all of these were unviable. I believe this
was more likely to be due to the unsuitability of the lay
site provided rather than an issue of maturity. The lay
box has since been replaced with a larger container and I
await the next clutch….
Kimberly Rock Monitors appear to be quite social
animals, and no aggressive behaviour has been observed
in any of our groupings. Likewise, we have never
witnessed predation of eggs by males; as recorded with
the original pair, if anything the males seem to take an
interest in the laying process and watch the lay box
intently throughout this period.
Above (slide show): each animal exhibits
personality, inquisitiveness and intelligence.
Images by Rob Grabowski.
Varanus glauerti are a rewarding species to work with, as
each animal exhibits personality, inquisitiveness and
intelligence. Even from a young age they appear to
identify routines and quickly become accustomed to
human interaction - most juveniles can be hand fed from
quite early on. Adults are generally very relaxed and tend
not to possess the skittish nature typical of some other
Odatria species. This also means they are often out and
about in their habitat during the day, rather than hiding
and leaving you with an enclosure that looks perpetually
empty.
Breeding appears to be relatively straightforward so long
as basic requirements are met, but I would like to see
success in a few more viable clutches from various
animals and in different enclosures in order to hone in on
a more specific list of what is needed for a ‘perfect’
environment. The variation in colour and pattern amongst
clutches may see some interesting lines developed in the
future, and I look forward to seeing more of these
amazing monitors in the hobby in coming years.