Meet A Monitor Lizard Pet Named Oscar
Lace monitors or lace goannas are from the monitor lizard family. In Australia, they are more known as goannas.
The largest goanna is the perentie, but the second largest is the lace monitor.
This is where Oscar comes in. Oscar currently lives with Shane in Currimundi, in South East Queensland. But they are soon to both move up to Cairns as Shane begins a new job and life in North Queensland.
Shane raised Oscar from a hatchling about 3 -4 years ago, and Oscar has been his unusual but adorable monitor lizard pet since.
A Bit More About Lace Monitors or Lace Goannas
Goanna’s are most active in the warmer months, from September to May. Check out our video below of my first meeting Oscar at his home:
Being October in SE Qld, he was quite active. More so as he had been locked up in his enclosure for longer than usual with Shane packing the house to move.
So when we turned up to meet him, he was very active and wriggly. Watch that tail action too – he can sure swish it around quite a bit!
Shane ‘Danger’ Coleman with Oscar, his monitor lizard pet
Fact File On Monitor Lizards
Monitor lizards grow to about 2m long, with a head/body length of up to 77cm. They can weigh 20kg which is a fair size for a lizard as you can imagine.
Lace monitors have two main patterns. The commonest is that of a striped snout/face with a blue-grey body. And then there is the ‘Bells’ form found in dry parts of NSW and QLD. These have broad black yellow bands on the body with the tail made up of spots.
Oscar was bred specifically for his distinctive coloring. I wonder whether he is indeed a Bell’s variant?
Lace monitors generally live on the ground. You may often hear them in the Australian bush as they swish their tail from side to side whilst crawling through the undergrowth.
Their main food is insects, reptiles, small mammals, and dead carrion. Given that they also eat birds and their eggs, in particular, they are arboreal and climb up tree trunks and along branches very easily.
In fact, if threatened, they will race up the nearest object to escape a threat. And if that just happens to be you, well, be warned!
Meeting Oscar for the first time, an awesome Australian monitor lizard pet.
Want to read more about some of our wildlife life adventures? Well, see us meet Kevin Richardson in South Africa who lives for lions. Or check out our adventures volunteering with orangutans in Samboja, Indonesian Borneo. Even more, read some of my wildlife articles on Travel2Next.com.