Possible Savannah rescuer with questions. - Page 3

infernalis · 01-10-13, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jarich

That last one Wayne put up is the real heartbreaker in my opinion.

You are not alone....... The sheer numbers of animals that look like that is gut wretching.

dinosaurdammit · 01-10-13, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

You are not alone....... The sheer numbers of animals that look like that is gut wretching.

its so sad. I feel like with monitors you should have to pass a class to keep one. Like you once said "captive specimens" because they really are.

Vegasarah · 01-10-13, 02:10 PM

black throat monitor lizard

THAT one makes me want to slap that guy in the face. $400 for a grossly overweight black throat that looks close to death? Yeah right! And it is kept in a penned off corner of his kitchen. No substrate, just lives on the tile getting single digit humidity and house temperatures. I don't know how you can look at that animal and think it's perfect and 'worth more than that I paid'. Seriously?

So I have another question! (Sorry, I'm full of them! When I'm a certified vet I want to know as much as I can about all reptiles!)
So I understand that all glass enclosures are not correct, and my guess is lack of proper substrate depth, screen lids that let out humidity and heat, and just overall too small. Is this right? Because I build custom glass enclosures and would love to try to build something that would be deemed as perfect conditions for a monitor. I was thinking something like a stock tank or cement mixer base with 3 feet deep of burrowing substrate, but with a glass top. I might have to build my own bas from treated plywood or something if I couldn't find the right size. Anyway, is there any aversion to glass enclosures apart from the obvious reasons listed above? If I use a plexiglass lid with the only holes being those for lights, could keep proper temperatures, and could keep proper humidity is there still aversion to glass? Is it too stressful for the animal? What would a good size for just the glass top be? Would the base of 3 deep x 8 long x 4 wide be good?

infernalis · 01-10-13, 02:11 PM

The saddest part is it's not rocket science.

My goodness, we are only talking a box of flippin dirt and some light bulbs.

infernalis · 01-10-13, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vegasarah

black throat monitor lizard

THAT one makes me want to slap that guy in the face. $400 for a grossly overweight black throat that looks close to death? Yeah right! And it is kept in a penned off corner of his kitchen. No substrate, just lives on the tile getting single digit humidity and house temperatures. I don't know how you can look at that animal and think it's perfect and 'worth more than that I paid'. Seriously?

So I have another question! (Sorry, I'm full of them! When I'm a certified vet I want to know as much as I can about all reptiles!)
So I understand that all glass enclosures are not correct, and my guess is lack of proper substrate depth, screen lids that let out humidity and heat, and just overall too small. Is this right? Because I build custom glass enclosures and would love to try to build something that would be deemed as perfect conditions for a monitor. I was thinking something like a stock tank or cement mixer base with 3 feet deep of burrowing substrate, but with a glass top. I might have to build my own bas from treated plywood or something if I couldn't find the right size. Anyway, is there any aversion to glass enclosures apart from the obvious reasons listed above? If I use a plexiglass lid with the only holes being those for lights, could keep proper temperatures, and could keep proper humidity is there still aversion to glass? Is it too stressful for the animal? What would a good size for just the glass top be? Would the base of 3 deep x 8 long x 4 wide be good?

If you can locate the enclosure in a climate controlled room, or used insulated double pane, a glass top half would be OK, as long as it was a low traffic area.

People walking around spook the lizard, opaque walls gives them security from room traffic.

DiscoPat · 01-10-13, 02:21 PM

I think, I am not sure though, another thing most that deters people from glass is that it does not hold heat well normally.

I would imagine if it were thick glass or possible the kind of glass they use for windows, maybe a double pane kind of thing.

Also if the lights were on all the time and they stabilized the heat even through the loss through the glass then your only worry would be a power outage.

infernalis · 01-10-13, 02:23 PM

That's why I said climate controlled room or insulated double pane.

My cage is double wall wood with packed insulation inside, takes forever to cool down.. We had a 24 hour power loss, and it never fell below 80 degrees.

Vegasarah · 01-10-13, 02:43 PM

Wood makes a lot more sense, that much is true. It's cheaper to build and it maintains heat very well. I am just a sucker for aesthetics in my house. Hence, why I build a lot of my own reptile enclosures. Aquariums are made for fish, and they are never the true ideal size that one needs for a reptile. We can make do, but they are usually too small or too tall or too narrow.

I've never worked with double pane glass, but I could probably check it out. At the very least I could build a corner unit with only one side and the front being glass. A water side with plumbing would be awesome, too. Would promote humidity and would be easy to clean. Would a Sav use a water feature?
How much height above the substrate do Savs need for climbing or whatever? Do they need more foot space than height? I know that other monitors need large water features and/ or arboreal features. Do Savs climb?

DiscoPat · 01-10-13, 02:57 PM

I have never heard of them needing to climb or being known for climbing but mine gets on the driftwood that is in my enclosure quite a bit. And Wayne's monitors seem to like the mounted tree he put in his enclosure. It is worth noting that both the enclosures have a basking spot on the wood so that is definitely an incentive.

I don't see steve go in his water dish ever since I got him in his large enclosure but I have heard they need a water dish enough to sit in. I would be interested to see if a sav would use a body of water that is a decent size if it were provided to it.

Lankyrob · 01-10-13, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

If you can locate the enclosure in a climate controlled room, or used insulated double pane, a glass top half would be OK, as long as it was a low traffic area.

People walking around spook the lizard, opaque walls gives them security from room traffic.

Wayne, you know my future plans for my sav "room". I was planning for one wall to be triple glazed glass so that i could see in both above and below the "ground level".

If this was arranged so that this glass wall was one side of a reptile room would you say that it would be "too high traffic".

infernalis · 01-10-13, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

Wayne, you know my future plans for my sav "room". I was planning for one wall to be triple glazed glass so that i could see in both above and below the "ground level".

If this was arranged so that this glass wall was one side of a reptile room would you say that it would be "too high traffic".

Not at all, install a curtain or blind.

Lankyrob · 01-10-13, 03:41 PM

Cool, when the time comes i will have lots more questions

jarich · 01-10-13, 09:58 PM

Glass holds heat better than wood, so thats not the problem. Like Wayne said, there are a lot of monitors that like to be more hidden though. You could possibly make up for this with lots of logs, hides, etc I suppose.

Ive actually thought of this same thing, as you wouldnt have to worry about any sealing or humidity issues. The problem I thought of would be weight and price. For a wall to be 8 ft long you would need at least 1/2 inch glass. Thats a LOT of weight and thats on top of the ton of substrate already. Then the thought of roughly 100 sq ft of 1/2 inch thick glass...

Vegasarah · 01-11-13, 01:05 AM

I was thinking of even breaking up the wall into two doors rather than one solid 8 foot sheet of glass. I do worry about the weight as well, it would need some calculation or possibly have to be moved to the garage. I don't want to bust through my floor or anything lol. I don't think it's feasible even then. I might do two sides of glass rather than all glass. Plus that might make it more comfortable for the lizard too.

infernalis · 01-11-13, 02:28 AM

Good thinking.

My cage is wood and aluminum with a big 6 foot window on it, compound that with the weight of a truckload of dirt, logs, water, etc.. I decided to install support columns in my basement under the cage, I oriented it so that part of the weight is supported by my foundation, it's also along a load bearing wall, so overall I feel comfortable that it won't collapse my house.

As for the weight of Glass, I have a 4 foot square panel of half inch (maybe 3/4) glass that will deflect rocks thrown from a mower, and it is unbelievably heavy. It's an antique farm house picture window removed from a 100 year+ old building.

It takes two big husky men to move this window around, it's that heavy.