Egyptian Desert Monitor (Varanus griseus griseus)

Hi all,
I just wanted to show u my egyptian sand monitor. I've had him since he was about 3 months old and i've had him for 3 years now.

Here's a pic that's i took a year ago.



Swallowing

 

Eating a skink.



Doesn;t he look like a raptor in this one?

 

Cool monitor! Yeah I think a lot of monitors have that "raptor look" to their faces.

 

Thanks man. Yea i guess that's true. But i think darker species (like nile monitors) will look more similar to raptors than this species.

Can u see were the nostrills are?
U can only see it in the last pic.

 

ahh man i love monitors lol. how often do you feed it skinks? hey man i see your in Egypt Salam ale koom

 

We alikom al salam.

You know not all egyptians use "salamu alikom", copts (egyptian christians) will say salam (peace) or saaida or the usual "good morning" greetings. :wink:
Most muslims will say salamu alikom and few will greet u the normal way.

This is the only species of monitor i've ever had. Although i hosted 2 nile monitors for 2 weeks. They were very nice, but i hate changing water every other day or so and i don't think i want to be responsible for an animal that i'm not sure i can provid for it the right conditions.

What's funny about this desert monitor, that i read in many sites that this species can not be tamed. However, with usual looking after it, it got to know me as the "thing" that provides food. If I ever want to offer it my hand for it to explore i have to close my fist, in order not to mistake it as a skink or so.

I used to feed him 4-7skinks a week depending on the size of the skink.
But this summer i used to feed it like one mouse a week.

Sometimes i feed it raw meat with my hand in order to make him get to know me better.

Anyway sorry for the ramble. :roll:
Nice meeting u guys.

 

That skink looks exactly like my occelated sand skink.

 

Yeah, it's from the genus occelatus (spelling?).
They are very common here in Egypt, once i bought a big one and on the way home she gave birth to about 12 little lizards.

 

im Jordanian i dont know many of the dialects so i said what i know lol are the sand monitors aggressive because im thinking about getting another monitor

 

It's cool man :wink:
Yea i guess they are, but as u know that there is variation wvwn with the same species, so u can find a "calm personality" individual. However, try finding a young one as possible. As hatchlings they can eat anything from insects to pinkies. Most sites i read about this species (varanus griseus griseus) say that this species can not be tamed. However, mine is some kind of tame. Like he knows me and this whole ear he never bit me, although he hit my hands with his tail several times as i tried to pick him up. I can also feed him pieces of meat with my hands without him biting me. :mrgreen:

So i find it kind of wierd that they say this species is not tameable. :?

 

if i go to feed my sav with my hands he'll try to bite me. other then that he has days where he can be handled and days when he cannot be handled

 

Moody creatures. :wink: