bosc monitor set up, looking for improvements.

[curious.boa.guy]

hi guys, just wondering what you thing of my set up for my bosc monitor and what you think i should change 3543335434

[chairman]

Is the enclosure a minimum of 4' x 8'? Does it contain sandy soil capable of holding a burrow that is a minimum of 24" deep? Is the surface temperature (measued with a temp gun) of the basking spot a minimum of 130 F?

If not, then those are the things you should fix, as those are the bare minimum for a bosc enclosure.

[sirtalis]

Is it in a glass aquarium with wood chips? If so your slowly killing your animal.
Read this page like the bible
Correct Savannah Monitor Care (http://savannahmonitor.net/)

[Ian of Oldham]

Is it in a glass aquarium with wood chips? If so your slowly killing your animal.
Read this page like the bible
Correct Savannah Monitor Care (http://savannahmonitor.net/)

Bang your on the money, get rid of the wood and up the temp.

[sirtalis]

One more point, go 6 feet tall, if you only go 4 feet, 2 will have to be devoted to soil giving your monitor only 2 feet of space to crawl around. I'm building a 8Lx8Hx3W enclosure for my peacock monitor, keep in mind he's only 27 inches long and very slender. These animals require a huge amount of time and money, No offense intended but I'm tired of seeing monitor lizards kept in sub par enclosures

[Ian of Oldham]

One more point, go 6 feet tall, if you only go 4 feet, 2 will have to be devoted to soil giving your monitor only 2 feet of space to crawl around. I'm building a 8Lx8Hx3W enclosure for my peacock monitor, keep in mind he's only 27 inches long and very slender. These animals require a huge amount of time and money, No offense intended but I'm tired of seeing monitor lizards kept in sub par enclosures

My local rescue center has two monitors at the moment and people do not understand the how big and how much time money is needed, hope that he has looked into it and understand what he taking on. I wish him good luck:crazy2:

[curious.boa.guy]

i know exactly what responsibilities i have take on, i have just ordered 60L of Savannah substrait for him to burrow, I have a friend who owns a pet shop and he orders all my reptiles food for them in bulk so i have surplus amounts to feed him (he already eats like a pig). his vivarium is currently 4ft by 3ft as he is small and when he grows a little more i will move him up to a 7ft by 4ft i am currently building for him.

[sirtalis]

Savanah substrate? You need to get it on a proper sand soil mix asap. And how is it going to burrow, the cage looks looks a few inches deep

[murrindindi]

i know exactly what responsibilities i have take on, i have just ordered 60L of Savannah substrait for him to burrow, I have a friend who owns a pet shop and he orders all my reptiles food for them in bulk so i have surplus amounts to feed him (he already eats like a pig). his vivarium is currently 4ft by 3ft as he is small and when he grows a little more i will move him up to a 7ft by 4ft i am currently building for him.

Hi, there`s no way you can provide a reasonable depth of substrate of any type in that enclosure without at least modifying it (building something across the front to increase the depth it can hold), also, melamine once the surface is broken will rot in a very short space of time, not to mention it won`t take the weight of said substrate either.
At best this enclosure might last a few WEEKS with modifications.
What type and wattage of heating/lighting are you using, what`s the lowest ambient (air) temp in the coolest parts and the surface temp of the basking object plus the humidity range, and how are you measuring all those?
The hatchlings will flourish in an "adult sized" enclosure from day one, moving them into different enclosures usually causes a great deal of stress.
You also need to be aware of how quickly they can reach sexual maturity in captivity when fully supported (literally in MONTHS), meaning if the monitor is female you must provide suitable nesting (well before they become gravid, in fact I advise from day one).

[sirtalis]

@murrindini I was hoping you would comment :) good point about the sexual maturity/egg laying, I'd forgotten about that.

[curious.boa.guy]

So here we go guys... I have emptied out his viv and refilled it with potting soil mixed with reptile sand and vermiculite, compacted it down to the point where it supports structures, two feet deep in the far left corner and he has started to burrow a little already. his basking spot temp is reading 106 at the moment. Any other thing's needed please inform me. I will be adding photos later so thanks for the info

[murrindindi]

So here we go guys... I have emptied out his viv and refilled it with potting soil mixed with reptile sand and vermiculite, compacted it down to the point where it supports structures, two feet deep in the far left corner and he has started to burrow a little already. his basking spot temp is reading 106 at the moment. Any other thing's needed please inform me. I will be adding photos later so thanks for the info

Hi, you MUST remove the potting soil with vermiculite immediately, the vermiculite could easily be ingested. There is no point in even putting a soil/playsand mix into this enclosure because the wood itself will rot very quickly once moisture gets in (which it`s bound to do).
There is a possible temporary solution, that is to use a large plastic tub filled with substrate. It will mean cutting a hole into the enclosure floor then dropping the tub in (very easy to do) obviously you`ll need to raise the tank off the floor).
The basking surface temp is far too low (you need it between approx 50 to 60c), how are you measuring it and what type of heat/lighting are you using?
Any water used for bathing should be heated to around 27 to 30c.

[curious.boa.guy]

I feed him in a separate tank so there should be no risk of ingestion,the Base of his vivarium has been lined with po d lining so no moisture will get into the wood, the temperature has risen since I had initially measured it as I measured at the start it is now 127.4 in his basking spot and his bathing water bowl is heated by a heat mat to 78.8 as of right now

[murrindindi]

I feed him in a separate tank so there should be no risk of ingestion,the Base of his vivarium has been lined with po d lining so no moisture will get into the wood, the temperature has risen since I had initially measured it as I measured at the start it is now 127.4 in his basking spot and his bathing water bowl is heated by a heat mat to 78.8 as of right now

Why are you feeding the monitor in a separate enclosure, also it means forced handling which is extremely stressful? They burrow into the substrate it would be extremely easy to ingest the vermiculite while doing so. You need to adjust your husbandry asap otherwise the animal`s health WILL suffer.
If this is a female there is no way to provide suitable nesting in the current setup simply because the substrate needs to be at least 45cm in depth throughout the enclosure, NOT piled up into a small heap at one side/corner.
You still haven`t said what type of heat/lighting you`re using?


http://www.herpcenter.com/attachments/aja2-jpg.35306/

http://www.herpcenter.com/attachments/aja-jpg.35305/

[curious.boa.guy]

I don't force handle him, (a he as he was probed) I open the door and hold out locust and he comes out then I walk him to the second enclosure, I have emptied the current substrate and refilled it with just a soil and sand mix and for the lighting I use a 150W crematic bulb and a 75W basking bulb around the basking spot and at the cool end I use a 75W with the additional 14% uvb

[Ian of Oldham]

My rescue center now has 3 monitors in, they got the new one just yesterday. people need to understand how much room and time is needed for this sort of reptile.


2 Royals 1 Corn 1 Boa and a mad Cat

[murrindindi]

I don't force handle him, (a he as he was probed) I open the door and hold out locust and he comes out then I walk him to the second enclosure, I have emptied the current substrate and refilled it with just a soil and sand mix and for the lighting I use a 150W crematic bulb and a 75W basking bulb around the basking spot and at the cool end I use a 75W with the additional 14% uvb

You cannot probe a Varanid to determine gender, it`s also possible to cause them serious injuries by trying, so whoever did that CLEARLY has no idea what they`re doing. There is absolutely no need to feed in another enclosure even if you aren`t force handling (strange that the monitor is so calm after such a short time with you)?
The 150w ceramic bulb will dry out the air to a great extent, though it`s acceptable to use them to help raise the ambient temps (particularly during the night) I would advise changing the heat bulbs during the day.
Most experienced keepers use the relatively low wattage halogen bulbs, either par 30 or par 38 (the "par" only refers to the bulb face diameter), MUST be flood beam not spot. I would tentatively suggest you try 3 x 50w, place them a few cm apart in a row, raise/lower bulbs or basking object until you get the desired surface temp. You can buy these on eBay or one of the lighting manufacturers such as TLC Direct (in the U.K), they are quite cheap and can also be fitted with a dimmer switch.
An example of my young adult male Asian water monitor`s basking site, I need more bulbs because of his size....
http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy350/murrindindi/002_zps650057b6.jpg?1468588417139&1468588423672&1468588424513

[Ian of Oldham]

Now thats a good set up

2 Royals, 1 Corn, 1 boa and a mad Cat.

[murrindindi]

Now thats a good set up


Hi, thanks, hopefully it will give the OP an idea of how to set up a basking site, including using "basking bulbs" that will heat at least the snout to vent length evenly which is extremely important...

http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy350/murrindindi/004_zps2878be6f.jpg?1468607706418&1468607718170&1468607724889&1468607735119&1468607735777

http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy350/murrindindi/020_zps63a7c6b5.jpg?1468607842018&1468607847551&1468607932560&1468607942407

[Ian of Oldham]

Hi, thanks, hopefully it will give the OP an idea of how to set up a basking site, including using "basking bulbs" that will heat at least the snout to vent length evenly which is extremely important...

http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy350/murrindindi/004_zps2878be6f.jpg?1468607706418&1468607718170&1468607724889&1468607735119&1468607735777

http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy350/murrindindi/020_zps63a7c6b5.jpg?1468607842018&1468607847551&1468607932560&1468607942407

I don't have that much experience with Monitors apart from the rescue center, How ever what bit a do have seems to be a lot more that most.


2 Royals 1 Corn 1 Boa and a mad Cat.

[franks]

It may seem like they are breaking balls, but they genuinely have your lizards well-being at heart. Stephan is one of the most knowledgeable and helpful varanid keepers I have met. You are off to a better start than most. Keep with it

[Darshor]

One more point, go 6 feet tall, if you only go 4 feet, 2 will have to be devoted to soil giving your monitor only 2 feet of space to crawl around. I'm building a 8Lx8Hx3W enclosure for my peacock monitor, keep in mind he's only 27 inches long and very slender. These animals require a huge amount of time and money, No offense intended but I'm tired of seeing monitor lizards kept in sub par enclosures

why would you build a 8h cage for a sav? they dont need that much height for their cage because they do not climb much, i would reccomend a 8L 5W 4H enclosure for a sav

[murrindindi]

why would you build a 8h cage for a sav? they dont need that much height for their cage because they do not climb much, i would reccomend a 8L 5W 4H enclosure for a sav

Hi, in a 6ft tall enclosure with around 2 feet of substrate that will leave 4 feet of "air space" above ground, to suggest that is too high for them is quite silly, and if given the means they will climb.
In a 4ft tall enclosure a full grown adult could almost reach the top by standing on it`s hind legs if the substrate`s 2ft deep!
Have you any idea how much space these animals make use of in the wild?
"sirtails" mentions building an 8ft tall tank for his Peacock monitor (which again isn`t really "tall")....

[infernalis]

http://www.varanus.us/cage/1a1cage.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOv3G-dIG1E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOv3G-dIG1E

[kriminaal]

Video isn't working man. I want to see more.

[murrindindi]

Video isn't working man. I want to see more.

The video works fine for me.

[Tsubaki]

It doesn't work for me either, it does when i use the direct link and view it directly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOv3G-dIG1E

[kriminaal]

GREAT video Wayne.

[sirtalis]

Hi, in a 6ft tall enclosure with around 2 feet of substrate that will leave 4 feet of "air space" above ground, to suggest that is too high for them is quite silly, and if given the means they will climb.
In a 4ft tall enclosure a full grown adult could almost reach the top by standing on it`s hind legs if the substrate`s 2ft deep!
Have you any idea how much space these animals make use of in the wild?
"sirtails" mentions building an 8ft tall tank for his Peacock monitor (which again isn`t really "tall")....

good point, unfortunately my ceilings are only 9 feet tall in my reptile room, given the space my peacock monitor would a 20 foot tall enclosure haha

[sirtalis]

why would you build a 8h cage for a sav? they dont need that much height for their cage because they do not climb much, i would reccomend a 8L 5W 4H enclosure for a sav

Your joking right, a healthy savannah monitor would definitely climb, a 4 foot tall cage gives virtually no air space, infernalis has a picture of one of his savs tripoding and I guarantee you its more than 2 feet in the air, last point: a four foot tall cage would only give two feet of air space, most lights are going to hang down into the cage a bit meaning the monitor could easily pull them down and potentially burn itself