Timor monitor enclsoure sketch

[Zosime]

http://i.imgur.com/Q7NwCK8.jpg
Well this is the sketch of the enclsoure that im going to have for the timor monitor's im going to be getting in the next couple months. It's going to be 5ft long 4ft wide and 7ft tall, I will re-enforce the bottom with 3 beams placed on the bottom of the tank and i will insolate the spaces between the beams, then i will get 8 1000 pound strength wheels and place them around the enclsoure.And for the back of the enclsoure there will be Lattice wood for them to climb up the walls, the walls will also be insolated too. then for heating i will have two basking spots because if they ever get tiard of each other they will both go to their own basking then ill have a uvb up at the top enclsoure and 2 more on the side of the enclsoure. Then for extra humidity ill have a humidifyer at the top of the enclsoure behind the uvb, i want to make it like they never left the wild where they came from. I also have huge logs i can put in the enclsoure and i will go to michals and pick up a bunch of vines and fake plants, I want to have real ones also so what are some good small palm trees i can put in there or any type of vine. And for the door i think ill just make a wood door with a glass circle so i can just peak in every once in a while.Im still deciding if i should get two because i really want to try and breed them i know there are like no breeders of timors and it would be really cool if i can get them to breed. What do you guys think i should do get one and try and tame it down to be like a pet monitor or should i get two and hardly ever mess with them to see if i could get them to breed in the future. Well thanks for reading, also i decided this monitor over a ackie monitor because ackies are just out of my price range and id like to have a bigger monitor
~Antonio

[stephanbakir]

If you have never kept monitors, stick with one till you figure it out and work from there, generally with monitors you only want them together for breeding, then you separate them but again this depends on species and individual temperaments.

Why a humidifier? If you have a big enough water source close to a heat source humidity won't be an issue.

What are you sealing the wood with? I personally like a product called Pond Armor, or the liner used in flatbed trucks.

For the castors, will you be bolting them to wood or attaching them to a metal frame? Either way, the weight of the cage will press down on the wheel in the middle and the support to the castor can warp, its easier if you buy a solid metal bracket (the kind used in metal house supports, drill an extra hole and have that between the castor and the frame (we get big frames on castors at work to support some of the vehicles, they come without these supports and generally arrive warped, it takes 5 minutes and you can avoid the issue forever.

How much soil do you plan to have?

If you want a company for cage ideas, google Jworld (their cages are EXPENSIVE) but great for ideas.

[Zosime]

If you have never kept monitors, stick with one till you figure it out and work from there, generally with monitors you only want them together for breeding, then you separate them but again this depends on species and individual temperaments.

Why a humidifier? If you have a big enough water source close to a heat source humidity won't be an issue.

What are you sealing the wood with? I personally like a product called Pond Armor, or the liner used in flatbed trucks.

For the castors, will you be bolting them to wood or attaching them to a metal frame? Either way, the weight of the cage will press down on the wheel in the middle and the support to the castor can warp, its easier if you buy a solid metal bracket (the kind used in metal house supports, drill an extra hole and have that between the castor and the frame (we get big frames on castors at work to support some of the vehicles, they come without these supports and generally arrive warped, it takes 5 minutes and you can avoid the issue forever.

How much soil do you plan to have?

If you want a company for cage ideas, google Jworld (their cages are EXPENSIVE) but great for ideas.
Yeah it will be my first monitor, well like i read some where if you introduce to adults togather it wont work out and they will just fight, so i thought if i just bought both as babys and raised them up togather eventually they will breed.Well the humidifyer would be put on eirly in the morning and late before id turn the lights off because naturally fog comes and it gets alot more humid during the night and morning and if i do get two id want to make the enclsoure as close to the wild as i can get, i want them to feel like their still in the jungle being a regular monitor.
I was just going to get any sealant that was odorless, But ill keep an eye out for pond armor.. and I would just bolt the castors to the wood and im not fimiliar with the kind of brackets your talking about. And i only want like 1 1/2 ft of soil

[jarich]

Firstly, these guys are being bred with more regularity now I think. It would be worth it to keep searching and see if you can find some CBB babies.

I think your overall sketch seems fairly good, but there are a few changes/additions I would recommend. Make sure that you have beams from both directions running along the bottom wherever you are attaching the wheels. The three reinforced beams on the side should be joined at the top with a beam running across from corner to corner. This will make them much stronger and keep from bowing out over time. It will also give you a lip to work with for my next suggestion, which is a water feature. I would suggest that you get rid of the humidifier and instead add a water feature with a filter/pump that agitates the water. This will increase the humidity of the enclosure as well as give the animals a constant fresh water source. Basically, humidifiers suck. They run out of water and break, they harbour bacteria, they are a pain in the butt to constantly fill up, etc. Save yourself the endless hassle and put in the water feature. Water filters/pumps last much longer and require much less attention/upkeep once set up.

Also, I'd go with the real plants as much as possible. Timors are a pretty small monitor, and not big excavators, so you should be able to get away with plants without too much of an issue. Plants like pothos or spider plants are nice to have at the top and let grow down the sides, for the bottom I would recommend something like a Dracaena or Mother-in-laws tongue. You could even get a fairly large ficus tree for them, though they usually require a fair bit of light, so it might not do well inside the enclosure unless you are willing to spend a bit more on special lighting.

I like the idea of the two basking sites for each individual, and remember they dont have to both be in the same situation/exposure. You can have one up top and one halfway down, so that each individual can use each one when they are feeling bold or more shy. It can be beneficial to also have them situated in a way that if the dominant one is using one basking spot, the other basking spot is not able to be seen from there. In other words, if they are a little aggressive towards each other, give them both ways to bask at the same time and not be looking at each other while they do it.

I'd recommend getting rid of the UVB on the sides entirely. UVB needs to always be coming from directly above, and is best done right along side your basking bulbs. This will make sure that you dont have any type of eye problems that can (though rarely do with normal tubes) occur with such a placement. Basically, you are trying to mimic the sun as closely as possible, so that all the evolution that reptiles have with basking are useful. Therefore make sure those bulbs are overhead and pointing down in the same area that the basking lights are.

Looking forward to seeing the build!

[stephanbakir]

Jarrich, do varanids actually need UVB? I thought it was just some lizards, most turtles and one species of snake

Regular sealant will not last long with their nails, and having 2 in 1 cage is no guarantee that they will get along. A cage divider you can add later might be a good idea

[jarich]

No, its not really a necessity that has ever been shown, like with bearded dragons or iguanas, etc. I tend to put in UVB whenever I can though, especially with diurnal species. Id always rather have a natural cycle like the one that takes place with UVB/Vit D than add it in powder form, if at all possible. Especially with how advanced the technology has gotten lately. Tubes that can project safe, usable UVB for 3 feet?! Crazy stuff.

Ya, Stephan is right about the sealant, Zosime. Go with the epoxy like they use on boats or bartops. Hard as nails and lasts forever. Its a bit more expensive at the start, but saves you over the long run.

[poison123]

Jarich, I'm not aware of any timor breeders? I always thought they were all wc?

[Zosime]

Ya, Stephan is right about the sealant, Zosime. Go with the epoxy like they use on boats or bartops. Hard as nails and lasts forever. Its a bit more expensive at the start, but saves you over the long run.
Alright i will thanks for letting me know

[jarich]

Nope, there are breeders, just not very many. Ravi used to breed them but not sure if he still does. Whether its true or not, they are often considered a shy species, so not a lot of people work with them I think.

I suppose it does beg the question, Zosime what made you settle on Timors?

[Zosime]

I suppose it does beg the question, Zosime what made you settle on Timors?
It was the Price and size,, and im sure over time i will be able to tame him down somewhat

[stephanbakir]

It's a nice dream, but you really should be mentally prepared for the alternative. Will you be happy with a timor that is anything but "tame"? What if hes incredibly defensive and shy

[Zosime]

It's a nice dream, but you really should be mentally prepared for the alternative. Will you be happy with a timor that is anything but "tame"? What if hes incredibly defensive and shy
if he is i have my bearded dragon to hold lol, id only try and tame it down to handel it every once in a while but if it dosnt want any of that ill have a cool display lizard

[poison123]

From what I've heard these guys arent even a good display animal as they spend most of there time hiding.

[Zosime]

From what I've heard these guys arent even a good display animal as they spend most of there time hiding.
oh well i still want a timor iv got my mind set i like them and that's all that really matters

[jarich]

oh well i still want a timor iv got my mind set i like them and that's all that really matters

If you really are set on them, of course it is your choice. I would just like to explain two points though.

There are a few different areas that monitors come from generally. There are the African and mainland Asian species, which generally seem quite prolific, and which also seem to not be terribly affected by the pet trade industry. Even species like Boscs and Water monitors, where large numbers are exported each year for the pet trade and huge numbers hunted for their skin, seem to be reproducing in great enough numbers to sustain the species. There are the Australian species that are very well protected from export and thus seem to not be damaged by the pet trade. However, there are then the island species. These species are often found on only one or two islands, in very specific habitats, and very poorly understood as regards their total numbers or what effect the harvesting of them has on those overall numbers. They also seem to have a much harder time adapting to captivity. Timors fall into that category in my opinion, which is why with any of the island species I really recommend only buying a CBB animal. I think that if we cant breed them in captivity in large enough numbers to support the pet trade, then the average keeper shoudnt be purchasing them. I think as monitor keepers we have to be responsible enough to police ourselves before it becomes a crisis in the wild. Unfortunately we havent, and it looks like a number of species in the wild might be in danger of being overwhelmed.

The second point is the one that these guys above were trying to make. Timors are very cool looking little monitors, its true. And there are some people who have had individuals that were fairly brave, and came out regularly. However, as a species, it seems like these guys are generally quite shy. Its not so much about whether you would have a hard time taming them, its more that you just likely will never see them. They love to hide, often even when they are basking. Many people literally only catch a quick glimpse of the head or the tail from time to time and nothing else. For a first time monitor keeper its also difficult to therefore judge the health of the animal, as you often dont know how much its eating, shedding, growing, etc. Its called "empty cage syndrome" and it has the effect many times of causing the keeper to lose interest. Of course, its up to you as only you know yourself well enough to know if that would have that effect on you, but as a first time monitor keeper it might be more fun to have a more active and bold species.

Have you thought about green tree monitors? It would pretty much be the exact same set up as the one you have here too. I know they are a little more money to buy, but I think you would get so much more enjoyment out of them that it would be worth it in the long run.

[infernalis]

It's a nice dream, but you really should be mentally prepared for the alternative. Will you be happy with a timor that is anything but "tame"? What if hes incredibly defensive and shy

Like Cera, Had that lizard a year, and it still wants to eat my face.

[Zosime]

Eh i changed my mind im just going to spoil my bearded dragon and try and build something nice for her.. I cant afford to care for a monitor