Timor Monitor (Varanus timorensis)

Common Name: Timor Monitor
Scientific Name: Varanus timorensis
Source: CBID
Adult Size: 50–60cm total length
Native Range: Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia (including Timor and surrounding islands)

Enclosure: A minimum 120×60×120cm Viperia PVC vivarium, with a mix of sturdy climbing branches, cork bark hides, a deep loose substrate for digging, and a secure basking spot positioned directly under the heat and UVB source
Heating: Basking spot of 40-45°C, cool end ambient of 26–28°C, with a night-time drop to around 20–22°C
Humidity: 60–70%; achieved through light misting of part of the enclosure daily and a moisture-retaining substrate such as coco fibre or a soil/sand mix — avoid the enclosure becoming uniformly damp
UVB: A 12% UVB tube run along most of the vivarium's width, positioned so the animal can bask within 25–35cm of the lamp
Diet: Whole prey insects (dubia roaches, locusts, mealworms), the occasional pinky mouse for adults, and snails — juveniles fed every 1–2 days, adults every 2–3 days; dust feeder insects with a calcium and vitamin supplement regularly

ABOUT THIS SPECIES

The Timor Monitor is a compact, semi-arboreal (tree-climbing) monitor lizard endemic to the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia, where it inhabits dry forests and rocky terrain. Despite its relatively modest size compared to many of its monitor cousins, it is an active, inquisitive, and strikingly marked lizard that makes a genuinely rewarding display animal.

Timor Monitors suit keepers with some prior reptile experience who can provide the height, heat, and enrichment these agile animals need to thrive — a well-set-up, branch-filled vivarium brings out their natural climbing and hunting behaviours beautifully. With regular, calm handling from a young age, many individuals settle into confident, personable pets.