Care Sheet - Bosc Monitor

8/9/2019 Care Sheet - Bosc Monitor

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Care Sheet – Bosc monitor

Scientific NameVaranus exanthematicus

Other common names

Savannah Monitor

Range

Its range extends throughout sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Eritrea and northern Zaire.

Is primarily a ground-dwelling species that shelters in burrows although they are sometimes found

in bushes or low trees. In the coastal plain of !hana ". exanthematicus #uveniles are often

associated with the burrows of the giant cric$et %rachytrupes.

Size

Maximum si&e is rarely more than '.( feet in length. )he vast ma#ority are usually ' to * feet.

Life expectancy+sually ,-,( years though some have been $nown to live up to years in captivity.

Habitat

Arid semi-desert to desert

Housing

A baby monitor should be $ept in a vivarium */ x / x . )his enclosure should last for around a

year. )he %osc will then need moving into an adult enclosure. )his needs to be at least 0/ x '/ x '/

preferably 1/ x */x */.

2arge water bowl big enough for the %osc to bath in. )he water should be changed daily as they

will often defecate in it.Large hides, cork bark tubes and stout branches for climbing should be available in your

enclosure.Lights

,3+"% strip light the animal must be able to get within ten to twelve inches of the tube in order

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to utilise the benefits of the +". 4rovide a roc$ or stout branch for the %osc to get to the +"%. 5ith

the limited range of the +" it is advisable to use a reflector. )hey will still be producing light after a

year but the +" output will have dropped to &ero. +" tubes must be replaced every six - nine

months in order to remain effective.

A better alternative for an adult enclosure is to use a mercury vapour flood lamp 6such as

Zoomed/s 4owerSun +"7.

Set the thermostat to 0/c. )his estimate should get the tan$ close to the desired temperatures.)he thermostat will heat the point in the tan$ where the sensor is to 0/c the temperature at the

cool end should be a couple of degrees cooler than this 6around /c 8 */c7 while at the opposite

end of the tan$ at the bas$ing area the temperatures should be around * 8 */c. If you are having

trouble getting the bas$ing temperature high enough place an elevated platform or large roc$

under the lamp.

9aising the height of the bas$ing area will increase the bas$ing temperature. A pile of logs or roc$s

ma$e a very good bas$ing platform however as these li&ards are very powerful animals ensure that

any heavy decoration is securely fastened in place to prevent the monitor from dislodging it

brea$ing the glass of the tan$ or becoming trapped underneath it. 5hen chec$ing the temperatures

in the tan$ always place the thermometer where the animals are going to be. )he most important

temperatures are the bas$ing point and the cool end. :hec$ the temperatures in the tan$ after twohours. If they are correct leave a further two hours to chec$ they are stable. If the temperatures are

not ;uite right twea$ the thermostat and leave for a further two hours and then rechec$ them. <o

not ad#ust the thermostat too much as a small twea$ can ma$e a large difference to the tan$

temperature. Always leave at least two hours between ad#usting the thermostat and chec$ing the

temperatures to allow everything to settle down

Substrate

Mixture of coir forest bar$ and river or desert sand wor$s well.

Temperature/Humiity

=or a night temperature of >: 8 *>:. +sing a ceramic heater on a night drop thermostat will

provide a gentle bac$ ground heat.

In an enclosure for a young animal a single ceramic heater plugged into a thermostat will provide

plenty of heat. In a larger adult enclosure several heaters will be re;uired to provide a large enough

bas$ing area for the li&ard to reach its optimum temperature at a natural speed. Set the thermostat to

0>:. )his estimate should get the tan$ close to the desired temperatures. )he thermostat will heat

the point in the tan$ where the sensor is to 0>: the temperature at the cool end should be a couple

of degrees cooler than this 6around >: 8 *>:7 while at the opposite end of the tan$ at the

bas$ing area the temperatures should be around * 8 *>:/c.

If using a mercury vapour lamp raise or lower the lamp above the bas$ing area to get the re;uired

temperature as these lamps do not wor$ on a thermostat.

!eeing%osc monitors are predominately insectivorous. In the wild their #uvenile diet is almost entirely

composed of invertebrate prey 6cric$ets slugs millipedes termites and beetles7. As they get older

the li&ard/s diet expands to include hard shelled prey items li$e giant land snails. )he monitors are

opportunistic feeders and will eat anything they can over power. ?owever vertebrate prey 6such as

rodents7 still ma$e up less than ,3 of their diet.

In captivity savannah monitors are highly prone to obesity. )he main factor for this is the animal/s

diet. )hey should be fed as close to their natural diet as possible a wide variety of live insect prey

such as cric$ets locusts mealworms coc$roaches slugs snails and earthworms should be

offered. Any high fat high protein food such as rodents should be offered only occasionally once

every three wee$s or so. =ailure to provide the correct diet will ;uic$ly result in an overweight

monitor. %osc monitor/s can also become la&y feeding only large prey items means they have towor$ less for the food. )his inactivity can also result in an unhealthy over weight animal. It is

better for the li&ard to be offered a large number of small prey items that ta$e it a long time to





any time but do be cautious to avoid attacks and aggression.

If your Bosc bites, have a bottle of alcohol/vinegar at hand to drip some intohis mouth to make him release. Boscs have lockable jaw and can and will holdonto you for hours if they feel threatened. If your Bosc does happen to bite,allow him to calm down the next couple of days with minimal handling.

ohn !amesby

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Documents

Care Sheet - Bosc Monitor