Scientific Name: Varanus tristis orientalis (Freckled Monitor)

Age: Fee Months! 
Current Size: 5-9”
Max Size: 24–26 inches (60–65 cm)
Source: USACB
Exact Animal Pictured: Yes

Care

• Enclosure: Minimum 4’ × 2’ × 4’ (L×W×H) for one adult, though larger is strongly recommended. They are highly arboreal and require plenty of vertical climbing branches, cork bark tubes, and secure hiding places.  
• Temperature: Ambient 80–90°F (27–32°C), cool side around 78–82°F (26–28°C), with a basking surface of 120–140°F (49–60°C).  
• Humidity: 50–70% overall with a humid hide around 70–80%. Light misting several times per week helps support proper sheds.  
• Lighting: High-output UVB (T5 HO 10–12%) and a bright basking lamp on a 12-hour day/night cycle.
• Diet: Primarily insects such as dubia roaches, crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts. Supplement occasionally with pinky mice, quail eggs, chicks, or lean poultry. Dust insects with calcium regularly and multivitamins every 1–2 weeks.  

Facts

• Native to Australia, where it inhabits woodlands, forests, and rocky outcrops, spending much of its time in trees.  
• One of the smaller monitor lizard species, making it a popular choice for experienced keepers with limited space compared to larger monitors.
• Intelligent and food-motivated, they can become quite tame with consistent, positive interaction and target or tong feeding.