Ackie Monitor Birthday Party: How to Celebrate the Spiny-Tailed Monitor That's Actually Handleable

Ackie Monitors (Varanus acanthurus), also called Ridge-Tailed Monitors, are small Australian monitor lizards that have become increasingly popular in the reptile hobby. Unlike larger monitor species, well-socialized Ackies are often handleable and can be quite interactive. They’re insectivore-leaning omnivores that eat insects, eggs, small vertebrates, and occasional plant matter.

---

The Birthday Feast

Primary birthday foods:

• Live or frozen-thawed feeder insects: dubia roaches, crickets, hornworms (treat), silkworms
• Whole prey (thawed): pinky mice for adults (occasional)
• Raw egg, Ackies enjoy eggs and they’re a natural birthday treat
• Superworms for adults

The foraging format: A larger-than-usual prey scatter through the enclosure. Ackies hunt actively rather than eating from a dish, placing feeder insects throughout the enclosure and letting the Ackie hunt them is the best birthday feeding format.

---

The Birthday Enrichment

New hide: Ackies need multiple hides for thermoregulation. A new hide box is an immediately used gift. REPTIZOO Reptile Hide

New substrate depth: Adding a deeper substrate section, acacias like to burrow. Fresh topsoil or an expansion of the digging area is a meaningful birthday enclosure improvement. Reptile Topsoil Substrate

Live prey hunting event: A container of appropriately sized live prey placed in the enclosure at birthday time, letting the Ackie hunt throughout the day.

---

What to Avoid

• Fireflies / lightning bugs, potentially toxic to reptiles
• Wild-caught insects, parasite risk
• Plant material in large amounts, Ackies are primarily carnivores; vegetable matter is a minor supplement, not a main food

---

Sources

• Reptiles Magazine, Ackie Monitor, reptilesmagazine.com/ackie-monitor