Baby Black Roughneck Monitor For Sale

Baby Black Roughneck Monitor For Sale

The Dumeril’s Monitor and Baby Black Roughneck Monitor For Sale are two closely related monitors that have been little studied in their natural habitat. Even so, both species of monitors are known for their fondness for water as well as their excellent climbing abilities. These monitors spend so much time in water that their nostrils have a specially adapted scale that seals shut while the monitor is underwater, allowing them to remain submerged for extended periods of time with ease. The two species have similar care requirements, and they are often confused. The Black Roughneck has a slenderer snout and spinier neck scales than the Dumeril’s, as well as being black while the Dumeril’s is brown. One of the biggest differences between the two would be what the monitors are thought to eat in the wild – the Dumeril’s could be considered a specialized crab eater, while the Black Roughneck is thought to eat mainly insects. Both monitors dine readily on a variety of prey items when properly maintained in captivity.
Dumeril’s Monitors hatch out of their eggs with brilliant orange heads and deep black bodies, but these intense markings fade quickly, often within just a few weeks. Black Roughneck Monitors also hatch out with interesting patterns, but they fade as well as the monitor matures. Due to the secretive nature of both species, they can be seasonally difficult to come by, especially as babies.

Size and Longevity:
Dumeril’s monitors regularly grow to at least 3 feet long, some as great as 4 feet, while the largest Dumeril’s on record was 5 feet long – including its 36 inch tail. Black Roughneck Monitors regularly grow over 4 feet long, with some individuals as long as 5 feet or more. It generally takes at least 2 – 3 years for monitors to begin to approach their full adult length, and older adult animals can be expected to be larger than young adult animals. Roughneck Monitors of both species are relatively dainty lizards with slender bodies and long tails. With proper care, either of the roughneck monitors can be expected to live at least 10 years, with 15 or 20 years not an uncommon average. These monitors are not commonly kept, though, and their scarcity combined with misinformation and improper husbandry resulting in early death leads to little information being known about exactly how long these monitors can live for.

Heating and Lighting:
Roughneck Monitors are from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, and should be provided with the heat and humidity commonly found in their native habitat.
Ambient temperatures within the monitor’s cage can range from the 80’s on the warm side of the enclosure to the low 70’s on the cool side. It is vital for the monitor to have a warm basking spot to properly digest its food. If at all possible, in a large cage (6′ or greater) the basking site should be around 130 degrees. In smaller cages, a basking site of 100 will usually suffice, but these monitors will do better if given a wide range of temperatures to choose from.
At night, temperatures can safely drop into the mid 70’s. If needed, temperatures can be increased using ceramic heat emitters, heat pads, red lights, or black lights. During the day, basking or halogen bulbs should be utilized to create suitable temperatures and plenty of bright light. There are a wide range of opinions on the necessity of UVB or full spectrum lighting when housing monitor lizards. While some very experienced keepers have had success without UVB lighting, for the beginner or even moderately experienced keeper, full spectrum lighting is highly recommended. UVB, calcium supplements, and a varied diet containing lots of whole prey items is the ideal way to ensure that your monitor has strong bones and remains healthy and active for its entire life. In larger enclosures, a self-ballasted mercury vapor bulb can be used both as a source of heat and as a source of UVB. These lights have been shown to be extremely effective and are highly recommended in cages that have enough space for the heat to dissipate. In smaller enclosures, a combination of fluorescent UVB light and basking lights is suitable.

Substrate and Furnishings:
Baby Black Roughneck Monitors are tropical animals and as such should be kept in a humid environment with ready access to a large bowl full of fresh, clean water. These monitors will dig and bury themselves in their substrate, and the use of one of many pulverized coconut husk beddings or similar substrate is highly recommended. Making the substrate layer thick and moist will aid in keeping your monitor hydrated and shedding properly. In addition, a thick cover of sphagnum moss is highly appreciated and utilized as a hiding area.
In the wild, these monitors are extremely secretive, and if care is given to allow them their privacy in captivity, they will feel much more secure and be out more than if they feel they have inadequate hiding areas. There are a variety of ways to provide hiding spots, which include cork bark stacks, half logs, flat pieces of wood, thick layers of bedding and moss, caves, and lots of cover in the form of fake plants. A monitor’s need to hide and stay warm can be duly accomplished in the form of providing a stack of cork bark or wood underneath the basking light, with the highest level being a few inches away and the hottest spot in the cage, and the lower levels being significantly cooler.
Live plants can be attempted in the cooler parts of the cage, but the monitor’s curious nature and love of digging will usually result in the plants’ demise. Fake plants are easier to keep clean and will withstand the strains that a monitor is likely to put on them.
The key to success in a monitor’s cage is to offer the lizard as many choices as possible. The more options the monitor has to utilize for thermoregulating, hiding, or basking, the better it will do.

Water and Humidity:
These monitors absolutely adore water, and will spend large amounts of time soaking in their water bowls, either with their chin resting on the rim or with their heads completely submerged. Because they spend so much time in their water, it is imperative that the bowl be kept clean to prevent disease and skin infections. In large enclosures, multiple water bowls can be utilized to provide water of varying temperatures and to increase the humidity in the cage. This is one area of difference between the two monitors; Dumeril’s Monitors spend hours a day reclining in their water, while the Black Roughneck Monitor For Sale will typically only venture in for a quick dip. These monitors are from an extremely muggy and humid climate, so steps should be taken to mimic natural conditions within the cage. Things that help with humidity include damp moss piled throughout the cage, ultrasonic foggers, and regular misting, either by hand or automatically with timers.

Nutrition:
Little is known about the actual feeding habits of wild roughneck monitor for sale
. One scientist theorized that Dumeril’s were specialized crab eaters based on their head structure and on field studies that found crabs in the stomach of every specimen caught. Roughneck monitors in captivity have been known to take a wide range of prey items, including: rats, mice, hamsters, birds, lizards, frozen/thawed fish, frozen/thawed krill, live fish (both fresh and salt water), crickets, hissing cockroaches, super mealworms, snails, raw meat (cow and horse), eggs (chicken, quail, and leopard gecko), crabs, crayfish, commercially prepared “bird of prey” diet, dog food, cat food, and even cottage cheese. Dumeril’s have also been known to eat the raw turkey and egg diet first formulated by the San Diego Zoo. It should be noted that just because a monitor can eat something, that does not mean that it is a suitable food. While a wide variety of food will be accepted, some foods are more readily eaten than others and some are far more appropriate as food items than others. While these monitors will eat dog and cat food, it is not recommended as a part of the diet. Ideally, a diet consisting almost entirely of whole prey items with a small portion consisting of the raw turkey and egg diet is best. Suitable prey items include hissing cockroaches, dubia roaches, lobster roaches, crickets, superworms, mealworms, mice, small rats (avoid unweaned rodents as they are high in fat and low in calcium and other nutrients), frozen/thawed crayfish, frozen/thawed crabs, frozen/thawed krill, and frozen/thawed fish. With wild caught prey items, it is important to first freeze them for several hours to ensure that any parasites present in the prey are killed and will not infect your monitor.