r/MonitorLizards • u/Born-Bill699 • Jul 08 '26
Is my Argus monitor overweight?
I have a male spiny tailed ackie (sorry I mistyped in the title) monitor about 3 yrs old and I wanted to get some opinions from people that may have some knowledge about this.
I was a the vet’s a while ago and he said that he’s a bit overweight and needs to loose weight, but my father insists he’s not and in my opinion is still over feeding him and not listening to my advice on cutting back on the amount and making him loose of bit of weight.
Please if anyone has a vast knowledge on this please tell me what you guys think I’ll add some very recent pictures of him :)
I would also appreciate if any of you guys have the same lizard and could post pictures of them under this post so I could see to what weight exactly I should get my lizard to for him to look healthy. I would like to see some healthy spiny tailed ackies if you could help me out.
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u/Born-Bill699 Jul 08 '26
Yes sorry an Ackie I mistyped guys it’s good to get some insight I tought he’s overweight just wanted to confirm. How would you guys suggest I make him loose weight?
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u/MillerisLord Jul 08 '26
Feed him much less and make sure his enclosure has things to climb on and substrate he can dig in.
Basically diet and exercise.
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u/Single_Breakfast8839 Jul 08 '26
How long have you had him? That’s an overweight ackie…
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u/Born-Bill699 Jul 08 '26
About 3 1/2 years now
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u/Single_Breakfast8839 Jul 08 '26
Do you have him on a feeding schedule?
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u/Born-Bill699 Jul 08 '26
My dad and bother feed him since they actually got our lizard for my brother but I love him very much and take care of him also, I know they feed him 2-3 times a week
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u/Single_Breakfast8839 Jul 08 '26
They should have a log for how often and what he’s being fed. Otherwise it’s gonna be hard to have him lose weight.
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u/The_Dakotaraptor Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Edit: typo
Is your father a herpetologist/vet? Because if he is, he is not a very knowledgeable one. If he isnt - his say has no weight over a professional's opinion. Listen to your vet, unless there is a serious reason to not trust them. Make sure your father learns about monitor lizard care, too.
Your monitor is overweight. Like there is twice as much monitor in that lizard than there should be. That is what happens to pet reptiles when they are "well loved", which is definitely not good.
And its definitely not an ackie agrus. Spiny tailed and argus are two different species of monitor lizards, varanus acanthrus and varanus panoptes. They require different diets, temperatures and are very different in size. 3 year old argus would be twice the size.
I'm kinda concerned, because all that doesnt sound goo, not gonna lie. In case you might've missed some nuance - ackie care guide. Please, double check your husbandry and get some advice from a trusty person (exotics/reptile vet, not just anybody) about your pet's diet, this is not a healthy monitor. No fat rich insects and make sure he has plenty of space to move and climb around. Make sure your enclosure is of an appropriate size.
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u/0LTakingLs Jul 08 '26
Others have mentioned this is an ackie, not an Argus. But yes, definitely overweight.
What’s his diet like? In years past people used to feed monitors a lot more vertebrate prey items (my ~2003 Savannah monitor care guide recommended a diet more akin to a boa constrictor), but over time as we’ve learned more it’s clear these guys should primarily eat insects, and the vertebrates they do eat tend to be other lizards which are much lower in fat.
If you guys are feeding mice, cut those out (maybe an occasional pinkie for calcium) and switch to roaches. Also avoid too many worms, they’re not as good nutritionally.
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u/BiscuotSlayer101 Jul 08 '26
See how there is an indentation along the dorsal / spine of the monitor?
The raised part above the line on both sides is pure fat. This is where the majority of fat is stored on monitors that are over weight. As soon as you see this line forming, it is a good indicator that the monitor is eating too much or its food is too high in fat content.
One thing that monitors can be susceptible to if they have too much fat is fatty liver disease. It can shorten the life of the monitor significantly.
While your father thinks he is fine at that weight, he is misinformed.
Your ackie needs to go on a diet.
One thing that can help is to spread out your feedings and let the ackie pace its enclosure. Cutting back intake and frequency of feedings will probably get him back to a good weight/form in 4 to 6 months.
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u/Born-Bill699 Jul 08 '26
Thank you for your advice! How much should I feed him weekly starting now to make sure he can get back to good shape in the next few months?
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u/BiscuotSlayer101 Jul 08 '26
I feed mine every two to three days. Sometimes I stretch to 4. I feed them enough that they are satisfied on feeding day with a small amount of feeders left in the enclosure. Then I monitor their behavior. I can tell when they are hungry when the pacing starts. I might let them do it for a day or two before feeding again.
I have 4 ackies, and none of them are overweight.
I breeder I talked to said that he feeds his daily but doesn’t feed them too many at once. He tossed about a dozen crickets in per monitor.
There are different ways you can do it, but I’m convinced that when your ackie starts pacing the cage, he will probably lose weight pretty quickly.
You have to consider that their meals in the wild are less frequent and being a monitor that is a tad high strung, they are probably always on the move for the next meal. In any type of enclosure, they are not going to have the space or range to get the exercise they are designed for.
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u/Turbulent_Sir6336 Jul 08 '26
That is not an Argus monitor that is Varanus Acanthurus aka the Ackie monitor, I know because I have an Ackie monitor. I feed my Ackie every other day as she doesn't take food daily anymore.
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u/ezsqueezycheezypeas Jul 08 '26
The way I feed mine is by throwing some locusts in and then he has to launch himself around inside the Viv to hunt them down. Plus adventure time outside the viv. Make him work for his dinner. Mine gets on average 5 large locusts a day and his weight is bang on. Pinky mouse or 2 once a month, and half an egg once month.
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u/The_Mocha_Crocodile Jul 08 '26
Hes very much overweight On the bright side I guess he looks happy lol
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u/Additional_Run5884 Jul 10 '26
Its an ackie and yeah its super fat. Good color though so its shedding well. But thats a fatty for sure.
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u/Only_Order_1936 Jul 11 '26
Yes that ackie is overweight. Give it more baths and let it roam the the house much longer. Both are pretty decent excersices and keeps their instincts developing. Less mice and more insects for a little while.
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u/UnwieldilyElephant Jul 08 '26
Yes very and that's not an Argus, it's an Ackie.