# You know you want it...



## Blue Crab of PAIN!!! (Dec 8, 2010)

I saw this picture in the following thread on MFK:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=376070&page=3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... 070&page=3</a><!-- m -->

It's a Crocodile Tegu (Crocodilurus amazonicus) a fellow member of family teiidae (alike with ameivas, caiman lizards, etc). 

In my opinion this baby looks almost exactly like any baby Tupinambis, only with a longer tail. They're also apparently quite common, and are exploited heavily in the leather trade. Why so few have made it into the US as pets is strange. 

There's also this guy


<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJuPId_jHW8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJuPId_jHW8</a><!-- m -->

A False Monitor (Tejovaranus/Callopistes flavipunctatus). I've only encountered one person with one of these (online, not in person: the guy posting that video). He says that it doesn't bite and seems like a good pet also. I'm more interested in it as a spectacular example of convergent evolution. Apparently these guys do appear in the pet trade, but their owners are quiet. I'd personally like to see these guys more frequently available. 



I'm trying to formulate a mental list of "highly desirable" species which I think should be imported. I don't know what exactly I'll DO with it, but I'd like to get some of this in writing. 
I think that these two species, along with the Yellow Tegu, Pygmy Short-Tailed Goanna, Shingleback Skink and the Chinese Alligator should enter the US pet trade in some actual quantities. 

If you saw one or any of these guys available, would you get it?


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## Falsemonitor (Jan 20, 2011)

Hi,

I am this guy from YoutTube :-D with the False monitor 
But I come from Europe (Austria) .I have only see two Tejovaranus flavipunctatus in my whole live and one of them is mine.
They are very rare and I only have a male lizard and if I have luck I will get a female

Are there anyone who keep False monitor`s too ?
And if you want to know something about this tegu I will say you the answer

Sorry for my bad English,I hope you understand it  

regards
Jakob


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2011)

Welcome to the forum !!! Do you have any pictures that you can send ??? Do they eat Edilweiss??


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## slideaboot (Jan 20, 2011)

montana said:


> Welcome to the forum !!! Do you have any pictures that you can send ??? Do they eat Edilweiss??




The song from Sound of Music?!?!


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## Falsemonitor (Jan 20, 2011)

Hi,

I will make tomorrow some pics.

No they donÃ?Â´t eat EdelweiÃ?Å¸ :-D (a rare flower from the alps)
I live in a climate like in Canada or North America,nothing special,there are no EdelweiÃ?Å¸.I donÃ?Â´t live near the alps.I live near Czech (I hope I write it right)

regards
Jakob


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2011)

http://forum.teju.org/index.php/topic,195.0.html

my german isn't very great, i can only understand bits and pieces. is yours still only eating mice? does yours hibernate? is it similar in behavior to jorn's?


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2011)

Pictures would be great !!! Your English is great .. What other kind of animals do you own ?


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## Falsemonitor (Jan 20, 2011)

Hi,

I know this guy from the teju forum,JÃ?Â¶rn also have Tejovaranus but he have females and he donÃ?Â´t wants to sell me one of them.
The Account Jakob R. is mine also in the teju forum is a link were you can see some old pics on flickr from my tegu.But today I canÃ?Â´t make any pics anymore because he sleeps.

My reptiles are:
Anolis coelestinus 2.2
Anolis garmani 1.0
Mabuya macularia 1.1
Gerrhosaurus validus 0.0.1

Varanus tristis orientalis (Red head) 1.1
Tejovaranus flavipunctatus 1.0


The Tejovaranus eats also worms,crickets,meat and fish but mainly it eats mice and only living mice.There are also some videos were you can see him eat mice and worms.
Yes the behavior is similar to JÃ?Â¶rn`s ones.They are similar to Varanus gouldii flavirufus I think.


regards
Jakob


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2011)

Great but would still like to see more pictures of your animals some day if you can do it .. Maybe you can get a female from his hatch ...


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## Falsemonitor (Jan 20, 2011)

Hi,

He donÃ?Â´t breed them he only have females,I will get some False monitors from Peru but it is very difficult with the CITIES maybe at the end of 2011 I will get a female.

regards
Jakob


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## Falsemonitor (Jan 21, 2011)

Hi,

There are some new pics from my False monitor (Tejovaranus flavipunctatus)

regards
Jakob


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## Falsemonitor (Jan 21, 2011)

......more pics


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## Falsemonitor (Jan 21, 2011)

and the last ones.


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2011)

Thanks !!! He is something ! I like the one with his mouth open . Good luck in your quest for a female ... Are there any special care instructions ??


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## Falsemonitor (Jan 21, 2011)

Hi,

Here are some pics of the enclosure,there you can see the special things.
I hope I get the female this year,this is my quest :mrgreen: 

regards
Jakob


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2011)

Nice enclosure !!! Austrian craftsmanship!! It looks as tho they are kept relativity dry..How old is your male ??


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## Falsemonitor (Jan 21, 2011)

Hi,

He is about 5 years old.It is dry.Climate,like in the peruvian coast.

LG
Jakob


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2011)

I am impressed !!!!!


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Jan 21, 2011)

_ :chin I don't know,.. he looks a little under weight to me in some of those pics and your videos. Do you have any updated pics or videos? Climate wise his enclosure should be wetter. South America has dry climates but they're not what I would consider North American desert like which is what that enclosure reminds me of. 

Correct me if I'm wrong but its South America, South of the Equator. It's a tropical climate even their dry regions have wet seasons and get more water than your typical desert. 

There's not that many photos on line under Tejovaranus flavipunctatus to compare it to other than yours. But I found more under Callopistes flavipunctatus and they definitely look healthier.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.reptarium.cz/content/photo_rd/Callopistes-flavipunctatus-03000020203_01.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.reptarium.cz/content/photo_r ... 203_01.jpg</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species.php?genus=Callopistes&species=flavipunctatus&search_param=%28%28taxon%3D%27teiidae%27%29%29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/sp ... e%27%29%29</a><!-- m --> 
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Callopistes_flavipunctatus_Tropicario_1.JPG" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... ario_1.JPG</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Callopistes_flavipunctatus.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... ctatus.jpg</a><!-- m -->

I know they are more stream line and monitor like. Body wise more of a Colombian Tegu Monitor but he just looks under fed to me. Like he could stand to gain a bit.

_


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## Falsemonitor (Jan 22, 2011)

Hi,

The tegu have a very strange feeding behaviour.He eat one adult mouse in the week and than he donÃ?Â´t eat anything and in the next week he eat also one mouse.

thats how itÃ?Â´s look in the wild "territory" of this tegu on the coast from Peru and Ecuardor.
The enclosure looks very dry because of the death plants... but it isnÃ?Â´t he have a water tank in the enclosure.
I must buy new plants in the next time.

The question why he look so thin on every video is easy to answer, I always make videos where he eats but I have any video after he eats a mouse.
I will make some pics soon after he eat a mouse

ooh I see that he is called since 2010 Callopistes flavipunctatus thank you for the link


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2011)

He looks ok to me ..


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Jan 22, 2011)

_Have you tried feeding smaller meals more often? Instead of one large rat once a week or every other week. Try a mouse or small rat as well as other meats, fruits and eggs. When I fed my tegu Dino large rats he wouldn't eat for about a week either sometimes. So I didn't offer food for a while after wards but when I gave him smaller meals he ate practically every day. 

Not to say yours is exactly the same since they have their own eating habits but it wouldn't hurt to try. 

Especially if he's about 5 yrs old,.. how long have you had him? _


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## Falsemonitor (Feb 20, 2011)

Hello,

I try to feed him as you say but than I read an article about Callopistes flavipunctatus from Uwe SchlÃ¼ter.
The text is in german so you wouldn`t understand anything.The animal has a big stomach to eat big prey.They are not active predators,they are passive they wait for big prey in their caves and than they run very fast out of it and kill the prey.
So it is natural to feed him as I practice and it is the only way he only eat big prey.

regards
Jakob


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