[Music] the blue tree monitor is an aberral lizard found on batanta island in indonesia they are sometimes referred to as the blue spotted tree monitor this vibrant lizard is not a good choice for beginners due to their specific care requirements pricing is difficult for these guys as it varies dependent on country of purchase age and sex of the lizard the biggest effect on price is the vibrancy of the spots the brighter the blue the more expensive the lizard prices range from 300 to 1 000 euros in the uk with similar variances in the united states blue tree monitors are not to be bought on a whim they can easily live 10 years or more in captivity the blue tree monitor has a long slender body strong legs and large claws their head is smooth and elongated with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth their tail is two-thirds of the entire length of their body these monitors are the largest of their species group adults will go grow between three and four feet long their vibrant coloration is what sets them apart from other monitor subspecies their body is either dark gray or black but their body is covered in sky blue eye dots these spots run right down their body from snout to tail there are no morphs of this species however breeders will try to breed lines with brighter spots or a bigger number of spots which creates the illusion of a more colorful animal you will need plenty of space to house a blue tree monitor with an expected adult size of three feet or more their enclosure needs to be custom built you can start hatchlings or juveniles in smaller vivariums but you will need to upgrade as they grow an adult monitor will need an enclosure of at least six feet long three feet wide and three feet tall you have a few options here smaller vivariums or housing will be fine with a mercury vapor bulb which emits both heat and uvb light for larger startups you may feel that separate heat and lighting bulbs work better the ambient temperature of the enclosure should be 80 to 100 degrees fahrenheit with the basking area being around 104 degrees fahrenheit heat pads are not suitable as tree monitors absorb heat from above rather than the surface they are sitting at tree monitors require a humidity of at least 80 this can be provided in several ways misting with a spray bottle twice per day will maintain a high humidity as will provide a water basin for your monitor to bathe in your substrate should be one that holds moisture such as cypress mulch or a rich soil this will help to maintain the humidity and allow you to grow live plants in your setup you may want to place a sheet of pond liner below your substrate to prevent mold or bacteria rotting the enclosure material vines will do well to cover the sides of the enclosure and prevent your monitor from hitting the sides and causing injury you can also use other tropical plants to create a hide for your monitor when they want privacy lots of branches of various sizes should also be added to create lots of connected perches throughout the enclosure the drinking water in the enclosure should be replaced daily and the bowl and water basin should be cleaned weekly to prevent bacteria you should also rake through the substrate to remove any waste youngsters and juveniles are very nervous so they should be handled very carefully and introduced to human interactions slowly you should never force interaction on any lizard if they do not want it stress and poor enclosure conditions are the most common causes of illness by maintaining good conditions and feeding a varied diet your monitor shouldn't suffer any significant ill health parasitic infections are common if you are feeding live food or if you take soil from outside of your substrate you should do a fecal sample every six months to check for parasite low humidity can cause dehydration stress and kidney damage this can be prevented by remembering to mist daily and to provide water for bathing a healthy tree monitor will explore around the enclosure using the branches and will be eager to feed as your monitor grows more confident they will begin to seek attention from you they are generally skittish as youngsters but this tends to pass as they age tree monitors are better kept as a single or part of a pair you should never keep males together as they are territorial and can give extremely nasty bites provided they have been handled appropriately your monitor should be comfortable with human interaction and should get enrichment from spending time with you and visitors to your home although they may not be as characterful as other monitors blue spotted monitors are truly beautiful and will provide you with years of enjoyment and companionship be prepared to upgrade their enclosure and do your research monitors grow quickly within a year you will have a pet the size of a small toddler you