Yellow monitor (Varanus flavescens)

Short answers

Yellow monitor: How big does the enclosure need to be?

200×100×80 cm.

Yellow monitor: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 28–34 °C, basking spot 45 °C, at night 21–25 °C.

Yellow monitor: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Essential (UVB 10.0–12 %).

Yellow monitor: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 12–20 years.

Yellow monitor: Is it suitable for beginners?

No – better suited to experienced keepers (difficulty: Expert).

Climate

Daytime temperature

28–34 °C

Night temperature

21–25 °C

Basking spot

45 °C

Humidity

60–80 %

UVB

Essential (UVB 10.0–12 %)

Enclosure

Minimum size

200×100×80 cm

Substrate

Soil and sand 25–35 cm for digging, a large water dish, hides

Feeding

Food

Insects, snails, frogs, fish, eggs

Feeding interval

2×/week

Key facts

Adult size

75–100 cm total length

Life expectancy

12–20 years

Origin

Northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan

Protection status

CITES I / EU Annex A – sale only with a valid EU commercial-use certificate

Brumation

A cooler dry spell of 6–8 weeks

Cohabitation

Keep them singly. Monitors and tegus are territorial; grown animals defend their territory and injure each other with serious bites in the process. Even small size differences mean one animal claims the warm spot and the food for itself while the other falls behind — which is often only noticed once the weaker animal has already lost weight. For breeding, put them together only under supervision.

Notes

A wetland dweller of the Gangetic plain, very rare in captivity. Annex A – papers are essential. It needs a pronounced rainy- and dry-season simulation.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Argus monitor (Varanus panoptes) – Expert
• Bengal monitor (Varanus bengalensis) – Expert
• Blue tree monitor (Varanus macraei) – Expert
• Blue-tailed monitor (Varanus doreanus) – Intermediate to expert
• Finsch's monitor (Varanus doreanus finschi) – Expert
• Boatsi tree monitor (Varanus boatsi) – Expert
• Bogert's tree monitor (Varanus bogerti) – Expert
• Lace monitor (Varanus varius) – Expert

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Yellow monitor (Varanus flavescens) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (200×100×80 cm), substrate (Soil and sand 25–35 cm for digging, a large water dish, hides), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.