Nile

Family: Varanidae, the monitors. This is an Old World family of small to enormous lizards.

Care Difficulty: Moderate. The Nile Monitor is an aggressive species that, if given enough time and space, can grow to be one of the larger lizards on the planet.

Size: Even though it is little more than 10 inches long at hatchling, an adult Nile Monitor can easily reach lengths of over seven feet and may grow to as long as eight feet in length. An adult's weight is usually between 90 and 120 pounds.

Description: As an adult, the sleek Nile Monitor is a drab mixture of gray with dirty yellow spots on the dorsum, rings around the tail, and faded bars and flecks on the face and limbs. As juveniles, however, this lizard is a brilliant gem of black, splashed with lemon yellow and ivory white rings, blotches, and ocelli. The belly is yellow with black to gray speckles extending inward from the edges. The tail is longer than the snout-vent length and slightly flattened laterally, like the tail of a crocodile, to add power and speed when the creature is swimming.

An elongated snout with nostrils sittuated on top (about halfway between the eye and snout-tip) also play in the Nile's favor when hunting fish. Nile Monitors have long and extremely shar claws for gripping bark and tree limbs. they have large eyes with round pupils. Like snakes and other common monitors, the Nile has a long, forked tongue that it constantly flicks out, tasting an smellin its surroundings.

Range: As its name implies, this species is found along the Nile River, ranging over to wester Africa, excluding only the Sahara and the Mediterranean Coast.

Habits: Adults, perhaps due to their great bulk, do not often venture into trees, but stay mainly on land or in shallow water. However the young may be semi-arboreal. Throughout much of their range in the wild, Nile Monitors are near the top of the food chain and are voracious predators with keen eyesight and excellent hearing. A diurnal hunter (although sometimes active at night, especially during very hot weather), the Nile Monitor spends its mornings basking on a rocky riverbank or other sunny area until it reaches its optimum temperature. Once it is warm enough to hunt, this giant will either dive underwater in search of crabs, fish, and mollusks, or scour dry land for mmammals and birds. Niles have also been known to stalk the forest floor beneath large colonies of roosting fuit bats, waiting for a juvenile bat to fall from its mother. When sleeping or digesting a large meal, Niles will seek safe haven amidst a dense grove of reeds, in a forested thicket, or under a washed out riverbank. If thratened by a larger monitor or other predator, this highly aquatic creature will submerge and hide amidst underwater vegetation or other debris. Mating occurs in late winter, and the female deposits up to 60 spherical eggs in a termite mound or burrow. Young will emerge in four to six months after the start of the rainy season.

Diet: Niles, as well as most other monitor species, are strict carnivores, but Niles are no less scavengers than they are predators. They are opportunistic animals that will capitalize on any chance they get to feed and will often strip meat from even the most rancid of decaying carcasses. As Juveniles, however, Niles prefe to hunt tiny creatures uch as minnows, snails, grasshopers, spiders, and a host of other small invertibrates. With age comes an extension of their diet; small lizards, rodents, crabs, larger fish, and snakes fall victim to the Nile's appetite. As adults, there is virtually nothing that these creatures will not eat. Feral pigs, crocodile eggs and juvenile crocs, smaller monitors, snakes, mammals, and waterfowl are all consumed. This same type of variety should be kept in mind when feeding a Nile Monitor in Captivity. crickets, mealworms, minnows, shellfish, mice, small rabbits, eggs, and larger fish should all be offered as your Nile grows bg enough to take them. Do not be fooled into thinking that a larger monitor only wants larger food items, however. Keep offering your animal a variety of prey, no matter how large it grows. For proper bone development and nutritional balance, every third feeding should be dusted with a calcium and vitamin (particularly vitamin D-3) powder. In captivity, adult monitors are prone to obesity. Keep a careful eye on your pet's weight and feed accordingly. Juveniles should be fed daily or every other day. Adults probably need only be fed twice a week.

Temperature/Humidity: Considering that this species is native to the tropical and semi-desert regions of Africa, it requires a fairly high temperature when in captivity. An ambient daytime high of 85 f with basking areas of about 100 f should do nicely. A nightly drop to no less than 70 f will ensure your monitr a low stress level and healthy digestive system. Basking areas should be big enough for the monitor to warm its entire body. An ultra-violet light or several hours of direct (non-glass fitered) sunlight each day is beneficial for this species, as sunlight aids in calcium metabolism. As long as it has a constant supply of clean water and a cage that allows ample ventilation, your Nile Monitor should have no problems with humidity. During a shed, a light misting may help the process proceed smoothly.

Housing: Your Nile Monitor will need an area that is at least twice the total length of the animal, so as to afford it room to move about and grow. Juveniles may be housed in a 20-gallon "long" aquarium, while larger individuals will require a more sizeable enclosure, probably one that is custom-made. With Niles, as well as many other massive reptiles, a custom-constructed cage that is built with the particular species in mind is often a keeper's best bet. Build a cage of sturdy, water-proofed wood and hardware cloth. The bottom of the cage should hold the substrate and not allow water or waste to seep beneath the cage. Make sure the cage is absolutley secure[ Nile Monitors are wonderful escape artists.

As Niles are semi-aquatic, they fare best when given a sizable water area. For young specimens that means a large water bowl, but for adults a kiddie pool may be needed. Be sure your Nile can easily get in and out of its pool. An aquarium or pond pump and filter system is suggested for keeping the Nile's water clean. Whatever water basin you use, it will need disenfecting with a solution of bleach and water at least weekly.

This species thrives on sandy and rocky riverbanks in the wild, so fine-grained sand is one recommended substrate. Other possibilities are newspaper, pulped wood bedding, mulch, and reptile bark. Appropriately-sized hide boxes are recommended. For juveniles. these can be boxes, commercially produced herp hiding areas, cork bark hollows, or other suitable materials. Larger specimens may need large dog carriers or custom-made hide boxes. Place one at the warm end of the cage and the other at the cooler end, so the animal may properly thermoregulate while still feeling secure. Climbing branches will be used but are not necessary.

Temperament: Although the occasional Nile can be tamed somewhat through etensive handling, most members of this species are aggressive and violent. Taming is most successful if started when the animal is very young.

Other Notes: Too many people purchase giant reptiles without considering their needsin captivity. If you cannot accommodate a six-foot-long, powerful, illtempered lizard, then you and it are much better off purchasing somethi else. Nile Monitors are often confused with Asian Water Monitors, V. salvator. Water Monitors have more flattened tails than Niles and the nostril is on the tip o their snouts. Water Monitors grow larger but tend to be more docile than Niles. The care requirements of both animals re similar.

Pet Suitability: poor. This animal is large and dangerous. Only the most experienced hobbyist should try keeping a Nile Monitor. If you absolutely have to have a giant monitor, choose a more docile species such as a Savannah Monitor, V. exanthematicus, or Water Monitor.

Note: This care sheet ws copied directly and with permission from Reptile and Amphibian Hobbyist Magazine... Pet stores, herp clubs, and show vendors: please feel free to photocopy these Herp Care pages and give them to club members and your customers.