UV question

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by infernalis

They still sort of give each other little nips and nudges, but the back riding has either slowed or is happening when I am not looking.

That`s to be expected living together.
If you occasionally take your eyes off them for a moment they may well not have slowed down in the domination stakes after all??.......

[Toothless]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi, I think you mentioned your monitor is around 18 months old, what`s the SV or ToL just now?
In the pics you showed recently the animal is in nice condition, this species is relatively`stockily" built (having a tail around the same length as the SV adds to that appearance), they are NOT very slender as some other species are, at least once they reach maturity, which I would think he has. "Stocky" does not mean overweight.
What size are the gerbils?

The ToL is approximately 3 feet- I have to wait until he lays stretched out on something then take an approx length so the ToL is a pretty close estimate- I can't measure him directly. He's just starting another shed, so he may be going threw another growth spurt.

The gerbils are pretty close to full sized (sometimes I substitute four mice if my supply's running low).

I agree he's not overweight, but when I look at Wayne's photos their stomach's appear much more toned and muscled then my guy's- just wondering if that means something, or if he's just starting to fill out...

[formica]

could be down to the diffrence in enviroment, infernalis enclosure is flat with a bit of room to run around, yours is all about climbing, those two types of activities require different kinds of muscle development - or it might just be down to age, or genetics, i'm just speculating

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by Toothless

The ToL is approximately 3 feet- I have to wait until he lays stretched out on something then take an approx length so the ToL is a pretty close estimate- I can't measure him directly. He's just starting another shed, so he may be going threw another growth spurt.

The gerbils are pretty close to full sized (sometimes I substitute four mice if my supply's running low).

I agree he's not overweight, but when I look at Wayne's photos their stomach's appear much more toned and muscled then my guy's- just wondering if that means something, or if he's just starting to fill out...

Hi again, I think if the monitor is around 3 feet ToL he`s doing o.k (so are you).
In my opinion, Wayne`s monitors were at one point underfed, the smaller animal in particular had very little body condition. I understand it was mainly because of the larger animal dominated the feedings which is natural under the circumstances.
I know that Wayne has taken steps to make sure they both get their share of the food now and the smaller has caught up in size which is great to hear. I think they both look in better condition than they have for some time at the moment, judging by the latest video and photos.

It`s easier to get either the SV or tail length, then double those for the ToL, it won`t be too far out.

[Toothless]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

It`s easier to get either the SV or tail length, then double those for the ToL, it won`t be too far out.

I'll have to give that a try and see if I get a different ToL- its pretty hard to find him completely stretched out so this idea will most likely work better.

Just one quick question, I read in another thread that if they are basking for more than 15 minutes it means the basking temp is too low- is this true?
I ask because my guy basks for between 20-40 minutes a few times a day, and sometimes for as long as an hour. The basking temp is 155F last I checked, but will take another reading once he's done using it (don't want to loose any fingers today ). He always basks right underneath the lights, where its at its hottest. Does this mean that I should raise the temp a bit more?

[Toothless]

[QUOTE=murrindindi;865008]Hi again, I think if the monitor is around 3 feet ToL he`s doing o.k (so are you). QUOTE]
Thanks . I'd like him to be around for many years so am trying to do the best I can by him. He's a member of the family now- albeit a pretty grumpy member most of the time, but we love him anyways .

**not sure why the quote didn't work... oh well***

[formica]

as they get larger they need longer under the lamps

[Toothless]

I just got a pretty accurate SV length of 19 inches . Thanks for the tip.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by Toothless

I'll have to give that a try and see if I get a different ToL- its pretty hard to find him completely stretched out so this idea will most likely work better.

Just one quick question, I read in another thread that if they are basking for more than 15 minutes it means the basking temp is too low- is this true?
I ask because my guy basks for between 20-40 minutes a few times a day, and sometimes for as long as an hour. The basking temp is 155F last I checked, but will take another reading once he's done using it (don't want to loose any fingers today ). He always basks right underneath the lights, where its at its hottest. Does this mean that I should raise the temp a bit more?

You need to ask the people that say they shouldn`t need to bask for more than 15 minutes what size of monitor they`re talking about and what it`s core temp was at the start of basking, otherwise the figure is fairly meaningless, considering the animal may have just emerged from the "night" retreat and be relatively cool (core temp around the mid to high 70`s F).
My (male) Asian Water monitor weighs around 13.5kl. just now, I`d be interested to know how long he "should" bask for at any one time in order to determine whether the surface temp is sufficiently high as it`s around 60c (140f)?
Obviously, once they warm up they return to bask intermittently throughout the day, usually just for short periods to slightly adjust their temps.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by Toothless

I just got a pretty accurate SV length of 19 inches . Thanks for the tip.

That means he`s likely to be over 3 feet ToL, probably one metre (39inches, or close to it). Can you get a weight measurement?

[Toothless]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

That means he`s likely to be over 3 feet ToL, probably one metre (39inches, or close to it). Can you get a weight measurement?

How can I go about getting a weight on him? He's getting close to letting me pick him up, but is not quite there yet- he did let me pet him a few times today which is a MAJOR breakthrough!
Thank you for the info on basking behaviour- it was very informative.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by Toothless

How can I go about getting a weight on him? He's getting close to letting me pick him up, but is not quite there yet- he did let me pet him a few times today which is a MAJOR breakthrough!
Thank you for the info on basking behaviour- it was very informative.

The easiest way to weigh him would be to place a box with some food inside in the enclosure, when he goes in close it and weigh both, then deduct the box from the total.

[B_Aller]

To weigh my animals I use the pvc pipe trick.
put a large diameter pvc pipe with one capped end and a two small holes drilled in the top in your enclosure, by the next morning your monitor should be inside (curiosity) cap the other end and use the small holes to hang on a fish scale, return the monitor to cage and weigh pipe etc.
Fish scales are nice, they are super cheap and you can hang just about anything on them, snake bags, pillow cases etc.
Best

[smy_749]

Ben, won't the moni get closterphobic and have a panic attack? Hahaha

edit: clausterphobia? closter...you get it

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by B_Aller

To weigh my animals I use the pvc pipe trick.
put a large diameter pvc pipe with one capped end and a two small holes drilled in the top in your enclosure, by the next morning your monitor should be inside (curiosity) cap the other end and use the small holes to hang on a fish scale, return the monitor to cage and weigh pipe etc.
Fish scales are nice, they are super cheap and you can hang just about anything on them, snake bags, pillow cases etc.
Best

Hi Ben, that may be an even better idea than mine, though obviously I`m not going to admit it in public.... ( I answered first, though).
I too use fishing scales for weighing them (seriously).