Monkey tailed skink

Nicky · 12-16-03, 10:45 PM

Hey everyone,
today while I was doing my community service for highschool at a local pet store I noticed that the Monkey tailed skink was in a tall wide metal cage , it was in shed and it was sorta peeling off but as far as i know from my cousin because he has one don;t they need alot of humity excepically when there in shed and i'm not sure because there was no humity thermometer but i would be guessing that a metal cage wouldn;t keep humity to well i told the manager and he says he'll tell the reptile dude hopefully they'll swich it to a tank or at leats cover some of the venatlation( basically the whole cage is vented) so that humity will stay better and the bad part was they were seeling the monkey tailed sink with the cage and everything in side for $500 and now someone will end up buying that cage and the skink and it will eventually die of dehydration i go evey teusday so hopefully they'll be some improvement. but besides that all the other reptile are in good condition which i was pleased to see

Nicky · 12-16-03, 11:06 PM

well after searching threw the internet and talking with my cousin about proper care my borhter and I decided that if my mom aproves well save up to build a cage 3'4'4' i was thinking wood on the sides and back and screen at the top and pexi glass in the front. First of all would that hold humity well or would the it cause mold because of the wood being so humid all the time and what kind of selent would you use to fill cracks and is reptile friendly. If wood is not a good building metaerail then what would you guys suggest or would buying like a 70 gal tall be cheaper? thx
rock on kayla

NiagaraReptiles · 12-17-03, 09:13 AM

You'll loose just as much humidity with a screen top. Ideally, an adjustable vent (ie; adjustable floor vent - !0" x 4") mounted about 2/3's up the side would provide more than enough ventalation and could be adjusted to control humidity. Just a little trick I've learned after several years of cage building.

Best wishes,

Nicky · 12-17-03, 03:39 PM

thx

Nicky · 12-17-03, 05:14 PM

do i need any kind of sealent and does anyone have a price range
also what is the chepaest type of wood but is reptile safe.

JD@reptiles · 12-17-03, 05:16 PM

was this at pet mart?

Nicky · 12-17-03, 05:21 PM

ya on dundas by the dearie queen

Skink Keeper · 12-17-03, 06:11 PM

U can use melamine wood, it's not too expensive and seal all the corners with aquarium safe silicone. I also used floor vents in my monkey-tail cage that i am in the process of building. just wondering, how much was it selling for???? Good Luck.

Skink Keeper · 12-17-03, 06:21 PM

Sorry i just read the end of your post and saw the price. can u but just the lizard or do u have to buy the hole thing?
I also wouldn't go with a plexi glass front, i don't know if u've ever held a monkey-tail but their nail are extremely sharp, and mine are constantly trying to get out through the glass of my tank, so they would scratch plexi glass in no time. go with regular glass.

Nicky · 12-17-03, 06:31 PM

oh ok thx ya you can buy just the skink for $275 somewhere around that. Ya i have alot of nasty cuts from my cousins but there such sweethearts its so horrible seeing the one at the pet store. What size of vent should be at the bottem?

Nicky · 12-17-03, 06:34 PM

Out of curiosity have u ever heard of the western mourning skink or know anyone who sells them there native to southeast australlia and tasmania and i've been having one hell of a time finding one. thx for all the replies rock on. Oh ya how much does normal glass go for and can u buy one in a 3'4' cut or would it have to be specially made.

Skink Keeper · 12-17-03, 11:59 PM

I've never heard of a western mourning skink, i work at a pet store and we've never had them, so maybe theres another name for them....... You can call glass shops around, i'm sure u can get a 3x4 sheet, there was one guy in Brampton that has glass for a good price, if u want his # (and can get to brampton) i can PM u with it.

NiagaraReptiles · 12-18-03, 08:22 AM

I've tried many things for sealing/waterproofing reptile cages. My favorite to date is a product call 3:1 Epoxal made by <a href="http://www.nia-coat.com">Niagara Protective Coating</a>. This is an industrial grade sealant suitable for most surfaces and works VERY well on wood. You could paint a wooden box with it and it would hold water.

I would advise against Melamine as it is simply compressed fibre board coated very lightly with melamine. It is NOT water proof and will deteriorate very quickly with the high humidity required for Monkey Tails. Fibre boards will expand and deteriorate very quickly with only small amounts of water and some products secrete toxic fumes (formaldehyde) during this process.

Any type of softwood plywood will do the trick for you and can likely be purchased cheaper than melamine. I used birch laminant plywood for most of my display cages as it is a strong plywood, has a great grain and finish and takes stain quite well (simply for asthetic purposes).

Best wishes,