So my varanus panoptes horni turns 17 years today...

[PatrickT]

I got him 7 years ago. His trader sold him because he killed his female. He is a beast. Extremly agressive. He is halfway kind towards me but hates anyone else. He is clearly my king of all my animals.

But i checked his papers today and saw his age. Well i was aware of it already but i always wonder how long he will stay with me. Normally they tend to get only 14 years. Similar to a dog. I must admit he shows his age. He is not as active. He is healthy and eats like crazy. But is much more calm.

I fear the day may come where he does not walk under his basking place anymore.

I guess evryone here has "that special" one in his care that he cares most about.

[Minkness]

Can we get a photo?

[sirtalis]

14 lol who said that? with proper care most monitors should get at least 20.

[PatrickT]

Sure i will make a pic. Well 14 - 15 say most care sheets. I just wonder because he really shows his age recently. He is all healthy but much calmer than he was once.

[PatrickT]

Here he is:

[sirtalis]

What's his basking temp, humidity, and the substrate, most care sheets are outdated by about 10 years, so you should take them with a ggrainof salt, I get most of my info from biawak, it's a scientific journal written by scientists, not a 20 year old who works in a pet store

[PatrickT]

Originally Posted by sirtalis

What's his basking temp, humidity, and the substrate, most care sheets are outdated by about 10 years, so you should take them with a ggrainof salt, I get most of my info from biawak, it's a scientific journal written by scientists, not a 20 year old who works in a pet store

The temperature under his basking spot is roughly 49°C and in the average temperature in his cage is 37°C at the warm end and 25°C at the cold. It varies over the year and can fall as low as 16°C in winter nights. Humidity is between 50 and 65°.

[Albert Clark]

Awesome animal! Looks like he don't play. Haha.

[AlexCrazy]

Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Awesome animal! Looks like he don't play. Haha.

That is a real nice looking animal! and he poses good.. ha ha

[pinefamily]

Obviously you are doing something right with him, but I would have thought the basking temp should be in the mid 50's at least. How much time does he spend in the basking spot?

[PatrickT]

Originally Posted by pinefamily

Obviously you are doing something right with him, but I would have thought the basking temp should be in the mid 50's at least. How much time does he spend in the basking spot?

Not that much. He walks under the basking spot in the morning, sits there like 2 or 3 hours and then prefers other areas of his enclosure.

[pinefamily]

Have you seen this article? Very interesting.
Goannas Dig the Deepest, Twistiest Burrows of All - Tetrapod Zoology - Scientific American Blog Network

[PatrickT]

Interesting. too bad they can´t show that behavior in terrariums

[millertime89]

Good work! I too would turn up the heat a bit. 55C is what I had my old Argus at and he thrived. My former roommate has him now and keeps the temps the same and he's feisty as ever! Yours looks awesome by the way!

[PatrickT]

He is shedding right now. So he looks a little bit...grumpy ;P