Help me choose PLEASE....

[Aanayab1]

I am in no way, shape or form an expert of any type. I would not consider myself a noob but at times I feel like one. I simply do adequate research before I even venture into caring for another living creature and decide if I will be able to provide the animal with proper housing and food for the entirety of its life.

I have an extra 75gal (48"x18"x22" LxWxH) tank I can not stand to see empty any longer, it looks silly just sitting there in my living room and I do not want to just sell it off cause I'll never get my money back out of it. So please help me find an appropriate lizard I can keep for its entire life in it. I would also be ok with some type of monitor if there are even any that are small enough to be housed in a 75gal.

I have an animal budget of around 1500$ and supply/environment budget of roughly the same. A monthly food budget hovering around 100$

I really do not want any "walk into any pet shop" common lizard. I would like to acquire a quality specimen from a reputable breeder that is unique, beautiful and interesting to watch. I am okay with a display only or one that can be handled.

Any and all suggestions will be properly researched before I consider the species. Thank you for your time reading and any suggestion you are willing give.

Thank you again for your time.
Antonio

[paged110]

Go to Ks.com for breeders all over the US. I would suggest a Dumerils Monitor

[exwizard]

I don't know anything about lizards wish I could help. Maybe someone else can. This is a sizable forum after all.

[sherriwat]

cameleons are really friggin cool. and you can get some really cool colours. apparently pretty hard to care for but i havent researched much just like looking at them. lol

[Aanayab1]

My first thought was a chameleon but less than 5 min into the research I read that they only thrive in screen cages with the exception of the dwarfs... I found in my readings that some people have had good outcome using glass tanks but only after extensive modifications to the tank... I would be a noob to the species so I do not think I want to risk the life of a creature or the quality of its life to try something that is known to not be good for the species. Thank you for the suggestion though.

Antonio

[UwabamiReptiles]

Look into uromastyx if you haven't already. A nice ornate would look nice in a 75 if setup right and they eat leafy greens and veggies. No bugs needed.

[BarelyBreathing]

Uromastyx is a good option, so are blue tongue skinks, collard lizards, and red eyed croc skinks. Have you thought about tortoises? A pancake would be excellent.

[infernalis]

Go to Ks.com for breeders all over the US. I would suggest a Dumerils Monitor


No monitor should ever be in a fish tank, ever..

[Gungirl]

Do your research on what you like and buy it... don't buy something just because it is just different, then you wont be as dedicated to it as if it was something you really enjoyed.

[shaunyboy]

No monitor should ever be in a fish tank, ever..

i'm not keen on snakes being kept in old fish tanks either mate

to the op
maybe some type of spider,scorpian,etc mate

cheers shaun

[Aanayab1]

The tank has never been used for anything other than holding air unfortunately. Yes, I am currently reading on the Uromastyx, Collared lizards, horned lizards (but from what I have read they are a species that should be left in the wild) and I will read up a little on tortoises that may be a small enough size.

infernalis, shaunyboy; To be clear, I am not trying to start a debate with my next question. I am simply trying to understand your statements. Why should monitors or snakes not be kept in aquariums? I completely understand if the reason is animal size to tank size but if the required housing size is the same or smaller than the tank size is what has me confused.

In the past I have used lg. aquariums by turning them on their side with the open top facing outward. Cut the lip off where the top would normally sit, used screen door tracks, in place of the removed lip, running the length of the opening as glass door tracks. I wet sand the back, both sides and the top on the inside to remove reflectiveness then paint the mentioned sides so the animal feels secure and drill vent holes on sides. I suppose I basically turn the aquarium into a terrarium.... The reason I did this in the past is because it saved me a lot of money. For some reason aquariums the size of terrariums I was looking at were 20-30% cheaper than the terrariums.

[BarelyBreathing]

The tank has never been used for anything other than holding air unfortunately. Yes, I am currently reading on the Uromastyx, Collared lizards, horned lizards (but from what I have read they are a species that should be left in the wild) and I will read up a little on tortoises that may be a small enough size.

infernalis, shaunyboy; To be clear, I am not trying to start a debate with my next question. I am simply trying to understand your statements. Why should monitors or snakes not be kept in aquariums? I completely understand if the reason is animal size to tank size but if the required housing size is the same or smaller than the tank size is what has me confused.

In the past I have used lg. aquariums by turning them on their side with the open top facing outward. Cut the lip off where the top would normally sit, used screen door tracks, in place of the removed lip, running the length of the opening as glass door tracks. I wet sand the back, both sides and the top on the inside to remove reflectiveness then paint the mentioned sides so the animal feels secure and drill vent holes on sides. I suppose I basically turn the aquarium into a terrarium.... The reason I did this in the past is because it saved me a lot of money. For some reason aquariums the size of terrariums I was looking at were 20-30% cheaper than the terrariums.

Some species of snakes are okay in a fish tank, however some are not, and monitors should never be kept in fish tanks. The reason behind this is that a fish tank can't provide for some of the needs of the animals, and clear walls on all sides can stress them out. I'm much more familiar with monitors than snakes, so I will explain why Wayne said that monitors should never be kept in a fish tank.

-Monitors need very large enclosures, bigger than what is often available in fish tanks.
-More importantly, monitors have very specific heat and humidity requirements, and fish tanks are notorious for not holding the high amounts of heat and humidity that they need.

[Aanayab1]

BarleyBreathing: Thank you for the response.

Would the tank be ok to use as a grow-out/temporary tank for a pair or trio of baby ackies? I ask because after some in depth reading I think due to size, temperment and ease of overall care I want some. Now the tank would only house them until I was done building a custom enclosure "water trough style". I can not imagine it would take longer than 3 to 4 weeks to complete the inclosure and who knows it may take me longer than that to even find any from a reputable breeder. In that case I would not even put them in the tank and just make room in the basement or garage to store the tank. It just seems like to much of a hassle to find a species that will do well in it and I am interested in keeping. As Gungirl mentioned, The last thing I want is an animal I lose interest in, it would not be fair to the critter. I will be starting a thread in the monitor forum to explain details of my planed enclosure and hopefully get some good advise and suggestions for the enclosure.

[snake man12]

BarleyBreathing: Thank you for the response.

Would the tank be ok to use as a grow-out/temporary tank for a pair or trio of baby ackies? I ask because after some in depth reading I think due to size, temperment and ease of overall care I want some. Now the tank would only house them until I was done building a custom enclosure "water trough style". I can not imagine it would take longer than 3 to 4 weeks to complete the inclosure and who knows it may take me longer than that to even find any from a reputable breeder. In that case I would not even put them in the tank and just make room in the basement or garage to store the tank. It just seems like to much of a hassle to find a species that will do well in it and I am interested in keeping. As Gungirl mentioned, The last thing I want is an animal I lose interest in, it would not be fair to the critter. I will be starting a thread in the monitor forum to explain details of my planed enclosure and hopefully get some good advise and suggestions for the enclosure.

Sounds good, A forum member here just had a litter of ackies.

[Aanayab1]

Oh really? I would love to have you PM me his screen name so I can contact him, if that is not against forum rules, if it is I do apologize and withdraw the request. For those interested in joining my build and question thread in the Varanid section I will be titling(is that a real word? haha) it "Getting Ackies and Need Advise"

Thank you all for your time
Antonio Barrera

[BarelyBreathing]

BarleyBreathing: Thank you for the response.

Would the tank be ok to use as a grow-out/temporary tank for a pair or trio of baby ackies? I ask because after some in depth reading I think due to size, temperment and ease of overall care I want some. Now the tank would only house them until I was done building a custom enclosure "water trough style". I can not imagine it would take longer than 3 to 4 weeks to complete the inclosure and who knows it may take me longer than that to even find any from a reputable breeder. In that case I would not even put them in the tank and just make room in the basement or garage to store the tank. It just seems like to much of a hassle to find a species that will do well in it and I am interested in keeping. As Gungirl mentioned, The last thing I want is an animal I lose interest in, it would not be fair to the critter. I will be starting a thread in the monitor forum to explain details of my planed enclosure and hopefully get some good advise and suggestions for the enclosure.


I would HIGHLY advise against this. Inappropriate humidity is the fastest killer of monitors. It could take only a matter of weeks. My advice is to have your permenant enclosure already built before you bring home your new animal.

[Aanayab1]

BarelyBreathing: Okay in that case I will not be putting them in the 75 even temporarily. I do have to ask though, I have read that it is important to keep a close eye on newly acquired babies to be sure of things such as; proper shedding of toes and tail tips, bowel movements, hunting skills and that each one is getting the proper amount of food. Is there a good way to do that in a cage that is 4'x3', only viewable from the top and 24" of substrate (which I'm sure they will burrow in within a day or so)? If not, what is the best way to accomplish this? After I read over this to check for errors I noticed it kinda sounds like I am trying to argue or be a wise guy. I promise you it is not meant to sound that way at all. I'm trying to learn what has worked for others and absorb as much information as possible before I find a good book on monitor husbandry. Again I apologize for sounding a bit rude.

Antonio

[BarelyBreathing]

I always separate them and watch for poop. Tubs make great temporary enclosures for hatchling monitors.

[Aanayab1]

At what point do you separate them? Do you put them in tubs just to feed and watch for poop, or do you mean that as soon as you get them they go in tubs for observation, how long do you keep them there? I am assuming you are speaking of the Rubbermaid type tubs? How are the tubs setup either way? Oh and one more quick question, with my dart frogs I quarantine them upon arrival for a minimum of one week and send the poo off for fecal testing. I keep them in quarantine until I get clean fecal results. I do this with WC, Farm hatched or CB. Is this a practice I should continue in my monitor husbandry? It seems like it would be common sense to do so but I have not read of anyone practicing this or been able to find a place that offers it through advertisement.

Thank you again for your time.
Antonio