Stage 3 (Dry Season)

[formica]

Originally Posted by Terranaut

There would also be a huge variation in prey between those areas as well. To be honest , I think your doing narrow research on a vastly variable subject. You should narrow your experiment to studying what does well in captivity as oposed to attempting to simulate nature or if you do wish to try to mimic nature then choose one local and stick with it. You also mentioned measurements from other keepers enclosures? Do these people simulate dry season? If not shouldn't you not use their readings? If you wish to continue may I suggest choosing a sav heavy location and adjusting your husbandry to match the daily weather for that area. Seems the best choice to give validation to your theory. If the dry season is that important then your sav should live a long healthy life and that is the only true indicator here. IMHO

I said above, the numbers I used where based on known high population density areas - the limits of the adjustments I made, where based on readings on captives (for eg minimum low temp in substrate burrows, max basking temp, burrow humidity etc etc), to ensure that the Sav had access to a safe environment (ie one that it was known to tolerate in the wild), at all times

Yes diet is another important factor, and difficult to judge, what we do know about the food chain, is that during dry season plants die off, this reduces the insect population, and the population of those animals which prey on said insects, and infact all the other animals in the area including grazers, scavengers and predetors are reduced in numbers, the chain follows all the way upto predators like Savs, which are very difficult to find above ground during dry season and must be dug up (Savs are an important food source for locals) - so we know that the type of food available to a Sav would be very diffrent to that available during rainy season - an interested party has offered to send me back some data when they visit Ghana this year, and food/animal types and availability is one area which would be interesting to look into

Originally Posted by MDT

When in undergrad, my herpetology prof was studying the natural history of Uta s. stansburiana. This was essentially a lifelong pursuit. Not only did he go on multiple collecting trips for specimens, but he spent almost every summer in the desert observing both the animal and the environment. The SW desert of the US is significantly smaller than the range for Sav monitors. But despite the much smaller range, the countless pages of data were staggering. And to my knowledge, he is still working on that species (that was 1984, btw)

I say this to echo Terranaut. Regardless of your survey, regardless of your study group of one animal. Your conclusions/observations/whatever you are calling them are meaningless. It will simply further solidify in your mind that your way of husbandry is correct. Whether accurate or not. Your observational group is too small, your variables are not controlled and too numerous. Just enjoy your lizard. Make a comfortable home for him. Watch it grow and hopefully live a long, predator free life in the UK.

I am not trying to conduct a scientific experiment, I have said that at least a dozen times already.

I do not believe that ignoring 60% of an animals life cycle is a good thing, and until it is proven otherwise, my mind wont be changed on that point

[MDT]

Originally Posted by formica

my mind wont be changed on that point

That part has been established.

[lady_bug87]

Originally Posted by formica

I said above, the numbers I used where based on known high population density areas - the limits of the adjustments I made, where based on readings on captives (for eg minimum low temp in substrate burrows, max basking temp, burrow humidity etc etc), to ensure that the Sav had access to a safe environment (ie one that it was known to tolerate in the wild), at all times

Yes diet is another important factor, and difficult to judge, what we do know about the food chain, is that during dry season plants die off, this reduces the insect population, and the population of those animals which prey on said insects, and infact all the other animals in the area including grazers, scavengers and predetors are reduced in numbers, the chain follows all the way upto predators like Savs, which are very difficult to find above ground during dry season and must be dug up (Savs are an important food source for locals) - so we know that the type of food available to a Sav would be very diffrent to that available during rainy season - an interested party has offered to send me back some data when they visit Ghana this year, and food/animal types and availability is one area which would be interesting to look into



I am not trying to conduct a scientific experiment, I have said that at least a dozen times already.

I do not believe that ignoring 60% of an animals life cycle is a good thing, and until it is proven otherwise, my mind wont be changed on that point

Now I haven't read your survey, I would be interested in reading the questions

When studying for my own undergraduate degree in took various courses in which I conducted social surveys, focus groups, and came up with procedural criteria for social studies.

From what I know about those things I think you're experiment isn't going to answer what it should. As others have said its all too broad.

For example if you wanted to use natural populations of monitors as a control group you would have to collect specimens, examine the weather patterns of the area, examine stomach content, stool samples etc. Tagging specimens for follow up over the course of an extended period of time.

Then using a large captive collection which you would have to keep yourself, set up a number of enclosures with different keeping parameters some of which should match wild populations, others should be kept in optimal conditions without dry season. Etc.

This survey and your subsequent changes in the way you're keeping this animal are in my opinion a teeny tiny itty bitty part of something. The issue is you're using semantics to validate this as far more complete research than it really is