Ackie monitors are the most common lizards found in Australia. They are medium-sized and very intelligent lizards. Many people think that it's hard to take care of these lizards but if you know the top features of the Ackie monitor and with the right equipment it's very easy to care for them. Here in this blog, we will discuss the top features of Ackie monitors that you should know and how you can keep them happy and healthy.
Top Features Of Ackie Monitors
- Varanus Acanthurus is the scientific name of Ackie monitors and it originates from Latin.
- They are also famous as Dwarf spiny-tailed lizards or Dwarf ridge-tailed lizards.
- These lizards are mainly found in Australia.
- Ackie monitors have a different range of colors like red, brown, yellow, black-brown, yellowish brown, and reddish brown.
- Ackie monitor can grow up to 2 feet.
- They need substrate more than one foot deep for burrowing.
- Ackie monitors are lifelong companions and live up to 20 years.
Reptile Housing
Ackie monitors are very active species so they will need an reptile enclosure where they can use a place to climb and enjoy. You can either add a lot of floor space or you can add height with climbing branches. The minimum to start with is 48x24x24 inch. If you are starting your journey with a baby Ackie then get a small enclosure and as they grow upgrade the enclosure.
Substrate
In Ackie monitors substrate is one thing that is a little different from other lizards. They need a deep layer of substrate to stay happy and healthy. If you look at their wild habitat they dig burrows that are more than 1 foot deep so the best thing to do for them is to make a minimum of 1 foot deep substrate. You can provide this either in the whole cage or in a dig box.
The top substrate to use in the enclosure is a mixture of washed play sand and organic topsoil. You can adjust the ratio by your choice but the thing to keep in mind is that the top layer should stay dry and the deep layer should stay moist. Ackie monitors maintain their hydration level via pulmocutaneous exchange from humid air so it plays a very important role in their health. A digital hygrometer can help you check the humidity level when it is buried in the substrate. However, check the layers of the substrate regularly for the build-up of fungi and molds.
Decoration
Multiple décor items can be in the Ackie enclosure like cork tubes, tree branches, slater rock, multiple hides, rock ledges, and water bowl. Slater rock can be used at the basking spot because it can hold the heat well. Ackie monitors are very active so the climbing branches will provide a place for exercise and enrichment. Cork tubes can used s hiding spots and you can also hang them in the enclosure and use them for climbing. Hiding spots are necessary because they provide a place to hide when your Ackie monitor feels stressed.
You can also add plants in the enclosure to make it bio active setup. You can choose different plants for the enclosure but you can make sure that these plants are not toxic for your Ackie monitor. Although the Ackie monitor doesn’t eat plants some insects eat plants and ingest toxins that are then ingested by the Ackie monitor. You can use Mundo grass in the enclosure but keep them away from the basking spot.
Heating
Ackie monitors love to bask in the sun, especially in the full heat of the sun. They need a warm basking area with a temp up to 110 F during the daytime. This temperature should be provided in one part of the enclosure and the rest of the enclosure temperature should stay around 80 F. To achieve this temperature a basking lamp should be hanged to the ceiling of the enclosure. The heat of the lamp should be controlled with a thermostat so the temperature stays correct throughout the whole day. Usually, the basking lamp stays on for 10 hours a day.
Humidity
Humidity plays an important role in the health of Ackie monitors. In the enclosure, we try to recreate the atmosphere that they found in Australia usually on the edge of the forest where they find a lot of burrowing areas. Overall the optimal humidity in those areas is around 60 to 65 %. This level can be easily obtained in the enclosure with a large water bowl and regular misting. However, you have to be cautious while misting you can check the substrate by digging a hole in it and check if the substrate holds or it crumbles. The one that holds shape is ideal.
In the burrow, they need humidity around 90% and an ideal substrate can easily provide that. The main thing is to provide them with enough substrate where they can burrow and make places to hide. You can provide them with different boxes and other things to hide but if they have ample opportunities to burrow then you don’t have to worry about their shedding needs as well.
However, if the enclosure has too much humidity it will create health problems for the Ackie monitor. So don’t do a lot of misting and try not to increase the humidity of the whole enclosure.
UVB Lighting
UVB light is very important for Ackie monitors, although you may find online that some people will contraindicate with this information. In the past Ackie owners believed that they didn’t need UVB light, but with recent research and advancement by veterinarians, it was found out that UVB light has more importance In Ackie lizards than any other lizards.
In the Ackie enclosure, the UV index is very high that is around 4 to 6. It is very easy to calculate the UV index you just have to measure the distance between the basking area and UVB light. Keep in mind that this is the distance where the Ackie monitor basks not the floor. The basking area is usually a raised platform.
- The UVB used in the enclosure depends on the area for example:
- If the distance is 10 to 12 inches T5 6% or T8 12 % bulb
- If the distance is 12 to 18 inches then T5 12% bulb is used.
- If the distance is 18 to 24 inches then the T5 14% bulb is needed.
The other option on the market is the Mercury bulb MVB that is combined with UVB light. However, these MVBs can not be regulated by thermostat so you have to be very careful when using them in the enclosure. If you are using both always test the temperature of the enclosure before you put the Ackie monitor in it. MVBs have very high output heat and UVB so they are only recommended in the large enclosure.
The UVB and MVB lighting should stay on for only 10 to 12 hours a day and for that, you can set a timer. It is essential to turn off all lights including the UVB and basking lights at night.
Diet
Ackies are insectivores in their wild in their natural habitat they frequently consume other smaller lizards. The most common items they consume are locusts, grasshoppers, beetles, cockroaches, and lizards. In the captive habitat, their diet should be similar to the wild. Their diet must include a large portion of grasshoppers and species of cockroaches (discoid, red runner, dubia, etc.). You can also feed them other insects like black soldier flies, crickets, hornworms, and silkworms. Try to avoid wax worms, and superworms as they are excessive sources of fats.
When you are feeding any type of insect always gut load them with high calcium and supplement their overall diet with vitamin D3 and calcium. Multivitamins especially those that contain vitamin A should be given once a week. You will not get lizards to feed your Ackie monitor because there is not enough population of small captive lizards. Other food options like mice, eggs, chicks, and ground turkey should not be fed. These foods are full of fats and they can cause obesity if you feed them in excessive amounts. If you want to feed these food they should only be given in small amounts.
Feeding is also different according to the life stage of the Ackie monitor. The hatchling of the Ackie need food daily, and after reaching 6 months of age they need food every other day as they reach the adult stage Ackie monitor need food 2 to 3 times a week. You might have heard from some people about ad-lib feeding in Ackie but it is not the right option. This feeding strategy is recommended by keeping in mind the higher metabolic rate of these lizards but a 100-gram lizard needs only 1.32 grams of food for good health. If you feed Ackie more than their metabolic needs they will suffer from health issues.
Handling
mostly the Ackie monitors you find are bred in captivity but this doesn’t mean that they don’t have their wild instincts. It will take time to get comfortable with Ackie monitors especially when they are in a new enclosure. Similarly in the juvenile stage of their life, they have an instinct to avoid predators which means anything that tries to grab them. For Ackie you are a predator because you often try to grab them so they will try to bite you.
However, with time they can get used to the conditions and can be tamed. When Ackie reaches the adult stage of their life they naturally become more confident and stop feeling scared and threatened. The best thing you can do is to not do any forced interaction instead let them get used to the conditions and once they reach the age of maturity you can start taming them.
The only thing that makes your bonding and interaction more strong is the consistency of your interaction. There are times when bad interactions happen but that doesn’t mean that you should stop dealing with them, keep your training going and they will become familiar.
Cleaning
The Ackie monitor likes to live in a clean environment so regular cleaning of the enclosure is necessary. The spot cleaning can be done at any time, however deep cleaning should be done every 4 weeks. If your Ackie is living in a bioactive enclosure then spot cleaning should be done but the bedding should be replaced a few times a year.
When you are doing the cleaning process you need to remove your Ackie from the enclosure and along with that all the bedding and decoration. Once all of this is done a friendly disinfectant should be sprayed in the enclosure and left for 30 seconds and then wiped with a paper towel. You can see the instructions for using disinfectant on the packaging. You can repeat the process a second time to make sure that it is thoroughly cleaned.
Breeding
Breeding Ackie monitors is not that difficult once they reach the age of maturity you just have to put them together. Ackie monitor grow very fast and they reach their age of maturity in six months with females start laying eggs at this age. However, some Ackies don’t start laying until they reach the age of 12 to 18 months.
For breeding, you need to use the Ackie monitor before you put them together. The sexing process is not easy and only the experienced owners can help in finding the right sex at the age of six months. However, after 10 months it's easier to identify male and female. Males are larger and they have wider bodies and head.
Conclusion
Ackie monitors are one the most intelligent liards out there and they can be tamed with the use of the right techniques and strategies. Ackie monitor is also very easy to keep you just need to know about their daily routine, feeding, temperature, feeding, etc. When you learn about their needs you will get to know that they are one of the best companions to have around