The Reptile Whisperer: My first Green tree monitor (Varanus prasinus) hatchling!

So the day has finally come where I have succeeded in hatching out a Green tree monitor! It's been about four years since I first got my pair of Greens as a baby and a juvenile. The first two years I waited for them to grow up and the next two years were spent collecting eggs and trying to hatch them. It has taken a long time to hatch a baby because my pair only lays eggs about every six months, and only three eggs are laid at a time.

My first clutch died when I failed to remove the eggs fast enough and the male ate them. The second clutch died when I had a power failure one winter. The third clutch died right before hatching when I added too much water to the incubation medium. It was starting to dry out and I got nervous. My forth clutch I did the exact same thing as I did with the third, I'm lucky all the eggs didn't die. This forth clutch I killed two eggs but the third egg survived and hatched:) Lesson learned...NEVER add water to the incubation medium, even if it is drying out!

In this photo the baby is starting to pip after 158 days of incubation. Notice the dark spot on the top right of the egg.

The next day...the baby is resting with it's head sticking out of the egg.

Later that night after hatching...some photos of when I first put the baby in it's cage. It still has parts of the egg and incubation medium stuck to it's back.