Ackie Monitor

[Sarcosuchus]

Does anyone have them? I live in Asia, I hope Ackie Monitors are sold here. Having been in MFK, I have treasured more awesome animals in my life, and the Ackie Monitor has been the recent discovery for me.

Share your experience if you can and post pictures too please. What do you feed them? How do I sex them? Which one do you prefer between the Red and Yellow Ackie? Can I have a pair of Yellow and Red? Or should I have the same?

If it ever bites, can it draw blood? And if it does can it cause infection? I know Monitor Lizards have bacterias in their saliva...do they drool? I read they have awesome personality, it would be great if you could share that experience too. Do you allow them to go walking in the house? Or would they flee like crazy? This Monitor Lizard facinates me, been reading about them online...would love to own a pair.

 

[TheBloodyIrish]

What do you feed them?

Staple: Crickets, roaches
Treat (Once a month, once every two months): Mealworms, waxworms
Rare Treat: Quail egg, Finch egg

How do I sex them?

Take your hand and gently squeeze the tail and go down until you hit the base of the tail. Somewhere along the line you will feel spurs if it is a male. Other than that the probe is the most accurate. Sexing them by erecting the hemipenis can be quite difficult as it is almost identical to the hemiclitoris.

Which one do you prefer between the Red and Yellow Ackie? Can I have a pair of Yellow and Red? Or should I have the same?

I never had trouble mixing them, I don't have preference though.

If it ever bites, can it draw blood? And if it does can it cause infection? I know Monitor Lizards have bacterias in their saliva...do they drool?

I never had one bitten me yet. One that feed on carrions usually have bacterial buildups in their saliva. They don't drool at all.

I read they have awesome personality, it would be great if you could share that experience too. Do you allow them to go walking in the house? Or would they flee like crazy? This Monitor Lizard facinates me, been reading about them online...would love to own a pair.

Depend on the herp. Each individual is different, however genetic and instinct of a species would make them to be more prone to certain behavior than others. Most ackies are quite docile and can become dog-tame if treated properly. I haven't tried letting them have the run of the house, just a play pen.

 

[Sarcosuchus]

That's awesome, thanks a lot for the reply, it helps a lot. I hope you could share pictures of your Ackies!

 

[evilxyardxgnome]

I want one. Just kidding I could never house one properly, so the net is where I will pretend to have one.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

Great pics. Some day I want to get a small monitor, this might be the one.

 

[jopbgon]

That's a beatilful lizard, hope you get one soon

 

[davo]

I havent kept them, but no some people that do, very "friendly" for lizards, don't bite. I prefer the reds personally, but again this will be down to personal preference.

 

[dovii88]

i wanna get some..the tripod is awesome

 

[krj-1168]

Generally most Ackie breeders say there are two forms of Acanthurus - the Red & the yellow.

But Acanthurus monitors - Ackies for short - actaully have 3 sub-species
with dozens of morphological & color variations.

The species are seperated by their ranges, although in the case of V.a.acanthurus & V.a. brachyurus the ranges may overlap - possibly causing a hybred of the two sub-species.

V.a. acanthurus is generally thought to be the largest of the 3 subspecies generally ranging from about 24-28" in captivity, but have been found over 32" long in the wild - these are sometimes sold as "Giant Ackies". V.a. brachyurus is the most common sub species in the pet trade - usually reach about 16-20" in length. The 3rd Subspecies is very rarely seen in captivity- as it's only found near the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory.

Also V.a. acanthurus tend to have longer tails, and have more visible & brightly colored ocelli than the brachyurus sub-species. In V.a.acanthurus the ocelli are either bright yellow or off white with a black center spot in the center. in V.a.brachyurus the ocelli are yellowish with a brown center spot.


Both V.a.acanthurus & V.a.brachyurus come in "yellow" & "red" forms, so don't be fooled by breeders stating that yellow are "brachyurus" and reds are "acanthurus". Not true. If the parents are over 24 inches in length then you've likely got "acanthurus". If they are under 20 inches you got brachyurus. And if the parents are between 20-24" you likely have a Hybred of the 2 species.

 

[monsternoob]

I'm going to get a trio for my sixteenth birthday probably. Been saving up for 18 months, ever since I saw some at TARAS I've been enthralled.