Savannah Cage?? Goog, Bad?

[Kyle Barker]

Here is pics of my savannah's cage. Its 4'L 2'W 2'D. Th dirt is only 5" now but i am putting more in so that it will be a totall of 9" deep, is that enough? The things on top are basking areas and retreats, there are 5 differesnt basking temps on top of that wood thing, the highest being 127f and the coolest being 103f (inside retrea it is much cooler). The othe end of the cage has a mini basking spot that is pretty useless, that side of the cage stays around 81-86f. The water dish wasnt in when i took the pics but it is just a large saucer for underneath flower pots.

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/464savcage2-med.jpg The plastic on top of the cage is to keep him from seeing me. He is NOT tame at all, and when ever he sees me through the screen he hides for hours on end. This has been a problem because he wouldnt eat. Anyway he is happy now and doesnt see me, meaning he is finally eating and gaining weight.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/464savcage3-med.jpg Inside the cage.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/464savcage7-med.jpg His retreats.

Thanks for any suggestions on how to make the cage better.


Kyle

[Dom]

In order to judge how good the cage is, we would need to know his size..

Chances are theres not enough dirt unless its just a baby .. Temps seem good although I personally would remove the extra small heat lamp and let it drop even a bit lower then 80-85.. maybey in the 70 - 75 area..

I also don't qhuite understand how you set up your heat lamp .. generally the best way is to concentrate teh heat source at one end and let the other end of the cage with no heating in order to create a goood temp gradient..

Over all though its a good start!

Dom




Take care
Dom

[Kyle Barker]

he/she is 21". When i take out the third light on the end it is too dark, so maybe ill just put a normal bulb in to make it light but not warm. How much deeper than 9" should the substrate be?
Thanks for all the help.

Kyle

[V.aw]

Kyle, Get a really low wattage bulb or even get yourself a flourecent for lighting purposes. I wouldnt personally drop the temps into the 70's, Only do that in the nighttime.
Keep the temps the way they are, and put much much more dirt in it.. Outdoor dirt. Looks good otherwise, good luck.

[Kyle Barker]

how much more dirt? It is outdoor dirt, it is awsome for burrowing in.


kyle

[Dom]

Id put as much dirt as you can in there as possible without ruinning your temp gradient ant without bringning your animal too close to the heat lamos..

As for the heat ... he wil do fien with a low 80 but personally I think if u can get it dow to 70-75 in one end its even beter .. its all about giving your animal the choice..

[Steeve B]

Hello Kyle
Aim a little concerned by your lighting system, perhaps if you can drill small hole on the edge of lamp reflector at opposed end and tie them to wire mesh using tyraps, this will prevent any accident shod you monitor jump to the light.
IV seen monitors jump so hard they made the lamp flip on floor with the results you can imagine.
Next I see you’ve used an extension cord for one of your lamps, that’s a no no!
If you can’t change it now, hold the wire in your hand, feel it at different levels if it’s hot dispose of it immediately.
And pleas hook that extension cord properly, I can see an exposed wire on left side lamp?

This is not to criticize you in anyway, (better safe then sorry) Have fun with your monitor
Cheers

[Kyle Barker]

Thanks for the help. For the lights, here is a pic without the tub lids on http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/504/464savcage1-med.jpg As you can see it is all screen so the monitor cant get close to the lights (the lights are at least 3" above screen. I was going to drill holes in them (i did in the black one) but none of them got hot at all so i didnt bother. The wire is caped off, i was taking pics as it was being put together so maybe it was taken before it was finished. I have gotten a licensed electrician to look over all of my cages, and even wire some because I am completely useless when it comes to electrical work. There is also a latch that you cant see in the pics that holds the lid down (preventing escape). For the dirt, i only put the plastic laminate up 10" is that deep enough or should i make it higher? Again thanks for all the help/suggestions.


kyle

[Steeve B]

If you ask me 10in of good dirt is more then an improvement, especially when most peoples still keep monitors on news paper or artificial turf, in a few months your monitor will easily tip your lamps by banging on the screen, don’t chance it secure them. One of my very best friends lost his house in a similar accident the worst part is he almost lost his 2year old son. I don’t want this to happen to anyone, pleas be responsible.
Kind regards

[Kyle Barker]

OHHH i get it. You meant strapping the lights down to the screen right? Good idea i will do that immediatly. Thanks again for the help everyone!

Kyle

[Ravi]

Hi Kyle

Hows it going? I think you said that your monitor is about 21" TL and the cage is 4' long. It won't take it much longer to become too large for that cage (I know that you already know this).

I would try to keep the lights to one side of the tank. Its an easier way of maintaining a temperature gradient. Just be sure that it has a basking spot that covers the majority of its body and reaches a surface temperature of around 120F at least.

I know that its tough to dig up dirt in the winter so if you have to you can mix soil and sand or use just soil. Its really hard to advise anyone on that kind of stuff because all soils are different and so are everyone else's conditions. That is something you'll need to work out on your own. Around 10 to 12 inches is a good depth.

Have hiding spots on both the cool and warm end of the tank and allow structures in the cage so the monitor will have some starting point to dig from. They don't normally just start digging burrows out in the open.

Other than this you look to be on the right track. Best of luck, Kyle.

--Ravi--

[Kyle Barker]

Thanks for the help. I do know it will out grow its cage, but i am planing on selling it fairly soon and getting some sort of dwarf monitor (hopefully a pair of red ackies). That is the plan but he is growing on me so i may just have to build a bigger cage. The dirt is almost done every day i have been adding a few inches, and now there is about 2 more inches to go. I have been thinking about putting in some sturdy branches (screwed in of course) for climbing. What are your thoughts on this?

kyle

[Dom]

As for the branches .. I had branches at one point, and My savanahs did climb a bit on them although they are not arboreal and in my oppinion, Branches but cludder and basically, its wasted space for the monitor..

For me anyway .. i find the simpler the cage is the easyer it is to clean and the more space your monitor has..

[Kyle Barker]

Cool thanks. No branches then.

[NiagaraReptiles]

Just a thought, but why wouldn't you try the branches and let your monitor tell you whether it's a good or bad thing?

[V.aw]

my albigs love branches. they can escape eachother if they want, and it utilizes all of the space in the enclosure alot more than just plain dirt and a few rocks.

[Dom]

My black throat uses them as well but not my savs. everytime I have put some they jsut seem to go around them .. I guess it depends on the speices and then the monitor himself..

I gotta ask albigs.. are those black throats?

[Pontus]

yea i guess with the temp u got to figure out what your guy like my guys cage is at about 85 and god knows what under the heat lamp and hes under that thing all day. but to each his own my guy seems like he wants to cook himself

i got about 18inch of soil but my guy does not like to dig if i dig a hole for him he just fills is in lol he wants his tank flat and perfect lol but he loves to swim in the tub i got in his cage

[Kyle Barker]

Just a thought, but why wouldn't you try the branches and let your monitor tell you whether it's a good or bad thing? Thats what i was thinking. I was going to screw them into the side of the cage, and keep them a little off the ground so he can still run around and be a monitor, but low enough he could reach. I really know very little about them and am basically asking you guys to tell me what to do. I dont ever buy anything without doing research first but this was a rescue thing and he was sure to die within a matter or days/weeks. Thanks you all for your help, i REALLY appreciate it :)

kyle

PS. A very special thanks to Don who helped me with the medication and helping me to get it eating.

[NiagaraReptiles]

That is fantastic, and I am happy to see more keepers that truly want the best for their monitors.

Try not to think that someone has to <i>tell</i> you about <i>your</i> monitor and what he/she wants. Only your monitor can tell you that :)

Monitors as a whole are still very misunderstood and there is a lot of controversy regarding many aspects of husbandry. I would suggest you try to take up any information you can from everyone you can that has had direct experience and is willing to share their successes and mistakes with you. Let your monitor tell you the rest :)

Best wishes,

[Kyle Barker]

Thanks, i will put in some branches asap. Anything wrong with using arbutus? I use it with everything else with no probs so i dont see why it would be bad for the monitor, but just in case.
Here is one of the only pics ive been able to take of him, enjoy.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/512/464savmon2.jpg
Thanks again,
kyle

[V.aw]

Dom, albigs, yeah blackthroats.
i have 1.2 right now

[Dom]

what are there sizes V.aw and just curious - why are they called albigs . whats the significance of the word albig's? Is it short for something?

Kyle .. very nice post! Your branches in the air seems like an amazing idea.. let us know how it turns out..

Dom

[NiagaraReptiles]

Actually Dom, "albig" is in reference to the latin name <i>albigularis</i>. White Throats are often referred to as "albig's" for no reason more than their latin name, <i>Varanus albigularis albigularis</i>.

Black Throat Monitors are actually a subspecies of the White Throat - <i>Varanus albigularis ionidesi</i>.

Perhaps that makes a little more sense to you now :)

Best wishes,

[Dom]

Tx John .. actually it does .. i am not strong on latin names although I am learning..