monitor home

[Lrptls]

heres a pic of my updated sav cage. i still hate the cage and can't wait to put him in his bigger one but just cant right now. tell me if i should do any thing different or put something different in there. (the white on the sides is from the dirt cause its still wet)

[Jeff_Favelle]

DEEPER dirt. By about 20 inches.

But that would be impossible in that tank.

[crocdoc]

what sort of bulb is that (looks like a red one) and where is it aiming?

[Lrptls]

i'm not sure what the wattage is, i think its 120, the basking spot is very hot though, i can't exactly keep my hand on it for long but he'll lay right there and soak it up.

[Big_V]

I agree with Jeff that there should be a bit more substrate in that tank but you should really check ou the temperatures in the tank to be sure. Because if it gets too hot in there you will run into problems very fast. Knowing the temps is the key to owning reptiles. Id also be worried about that heatlamp being so exposed like that. Its kinda inviting disaster in my opinion. Its better to have it a little higher and outta reach so that the sav doesnt accidently burn himself.
Cheers, Ryan

[crocdoc]

I'd also go for a white light rather than a red light and not have the light hitting the basking spot at an angle. What sort of top do you have on the tank? If it is screen, cover it (you'll probably then need a lower wattage bulb), for otherwise you'll dehydrate your monitor.

[Lrptls]

the top is screen but i taped newspaper to the inside covering all the screen.

[Bartman]

How hot is the basking spot...with a 120 watt that close it looks like it would be way to high, especially if you cant even put your hand there!

[Lrptls]

well i read savs need basking spots of about 200 degrees and if that one spot i put my hand is too hot theres other spots near there that arn't too hot he can lay like next to or on his hide where he usually basks.

[V.hb]

200 degrees?!!? thats dangerous, keep it at around 140.

[Lrptls]

i read from alot of places 200 and even higher is best, i'm going to change it and put a 100 watt in there though

[bubba]

200 degrees? You could start a fire with that. Switch to a ceramic heat bulb, they cost more but you'll save in the long run. I find those red bulbs burn out too fast. Also, get a thermostat. It will keep the cage from getting too hot. bubba

[Bartman]

then change absolutly everything you read from those caresheets...200 degrees is way to hot, im surprised he even sits under there at all...If you want an amazing read get the book called The savannah monitor lizard, by ravi...hes a member on this site, you can try ordering one from him maybe, or get one at the next show...it has amazing info
switch the 200 degrees right away! Mine right now is about 135, but it all depends on the lizard...you just need to make sure that you see him basking on there a lot, and not for like 2 seconds and he/she leaves because its to hot...thats what i was told to be able to see when you've got it right
good luck!

[Lrptls]

thanks every body for the help. i have had to change alot of things in the cage so many times but i do any thing to get every thing right. i did alot of research before and after i got him but i think i was geting info from every place that was wrong, so i feel bad for him that i havn't had every thing perfect. i will keep changing his cage to make sure stuff is right to keep him healthy, again, thank you.

[Bartman]

Dont worry, at one point i was also doing a lot of things wrong
Check out this post, you might get some great info off it!

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35763&perpage=&pagenumber=1

good luck!

[V.hb]

bartman, post a picture of your savannahs setup.. Thats basically what most people should do, and of course work up to a larger scale with deep dirt etc once it grows..

[Bartman]

Ive changed it a lot since i got some advice...ive had this set up for a while...looks like its what i need, im just waiting for the summer to come around so i can add some dirt, for now im just using mulch

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1953Sav_new_tank.JPG

[Lrptls]

your thread of monitor q's did help me alot bartman. alot of people on this site really know what there talking about, i will never doubt them on their care facts.

also, i am going to order a bunch of boaphile cages for my reptiles and was wondering if a big boaphile cage would be ok for a sav. the biggest they have is 90 some inches long, 2 feet wide a almost 2 feet high, heres a link http://www.boaphileplastics.com/big_cages.html

[Lrptls]

heres a pic i took of him a few weeks ago, hes next to a 6 inch ruler (the cage hes in is not his cage)

[Bartman]

thats to small...it should be atleast 6 feet for an adult...if you wanna buy one for now and then another not to long after go ahead...they can grow to be an adult in a year

[Bartman]

You also need to be able to put at 10 inches of dirt in

[Lrptls]

holy crap i totaly forgot about the dirt, dont know how i forgot, duh...but those cages are well over 6 feet long, they are 8 feet. but never mind, i went stupid for 5 seconds sorry =)

[Jeff_Favelle]

thats to small...it should be atleast 6 feet for an adult...if you wanna buy one for now and then another not to long after go ahead...they can grow to be an adult in a year

?? There's 12 inches to a foot man. 90 inches is like 7.5 feet. That is at least 6 feet. Yes?

[Bartman]

oops, wasnt payin attention, but there still not high enough at all, thats what i was looing at mostly when i wrote that message...

[Lrptls]

can some people post more sav monitor cages so i can get ideas?

[Linds]

I would strongly discourage the idea of using a Boaphile for a monitor. For one, the high heat of the basking lamp is sure to do something to the plastic... two, the monitor can easily reach the bulb which can lead to injury or worse... three, now I cannot say for sure, but I have been emailed by several people when I was inquiring about Boaphiles that the thin plastic can actually be cut (some people wanted extra vents or to make openings for other reasons) with an exacto blade - now I wouldn't trust a monitor with its weight, strength, and nails to anything that can be cut with an exacto blade :eek:

Originally posted by Bartman
200 degrees is way to hot, im surprised he even sits under there at all...

If reptiles were able to tell if the surface was too hot, then snakes wouldn't cook themselves on light bulbs, and lizards wouldn't burn themselves on hot rocks, etc. heat is heat to a reptile. They only read temperature by their own core temperature, which is why it is important that we provide the correct temperatures for them.

[Bartman]

But i remember someone saying they can tell if its to hot from the top of there heads..thats why when they lie on a heat rock they get burnt because its underneet them...i remember reading that somewhere, guess im wrong :p

And still if they stay under the spot for very quick amount of time then there core temp is going up to quickly to high, they should be able to sit under and keep it constant, instead of having to run from the cool to warm side...

[V.hb]

really hot lights can kill monitors fast, people have run into problems housing varanids outside due to sunlight toasting them rather quickly.. Not nessecarily in Canada, but in the warmer climates.. I could see 200 degree hotspot roasting that little savannah rather quickly.. Iam glad you're changing the wattage..

[Lrptls]

i have a question about all that dirt they need. that will be ALOT to clean, will i have to clean all of it or just the top of the dirt incase there are feces or any thing in it. also when he burrows will he deficate down in the burrows and how will i clean that out?

[reptiguy123]

Adam, I remember something like that too about the heating up.

Michele- there usually aren't many burrows; they're not groundhogs. You can use a certain vacum head for cleaning a burrow.

Good luck!:)