Monitor enclosure discussion thread - Page 7

varanus_mad · 05-12-12, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rullom

To Jarich
to respond what i had mentioned earlier the other thing beneficial with a smaller cage is that if you are off in temp/humidity you can achieve it quite quickly with small adjustments.... In a large cage this could take hrs to see and you may not be right so trouble shooting can take too long....(early prep is required of course). Smaller cages can be adjusted within minutes.

You dont need minutes... or even hours to adjust stuff.

killing a varanid takes years of bad care not a few days of off temps and humidity, babies are just as hardy as the adults the only difference is they cool down and heat up faster they can still take the lower temps the adults can handle.
Thats why they survive so long in a jerky box...

Safely down to around 65f body temp theyll still survive quite a while... since most houses have a room temp of 75f...

mo9e64 · 05-13-12, 12:37 AM

Some monitors can take years of abuse-like Savs.Forest Monitors,Tree Monitors many wildcaught animals farm bred or not may not take even short periods of abuse.Other than that i agree with what Varanus Mad said.

varanus_mad · 05-13-12, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mo9e64

Some monitors can take years of abuse-like Savs.Forest Monitors,Tree Monitors many wildcaught animals farm bred or not may not take even short periods of abuse.Other than that i agree with what Varanus Mad said.

Probably a few months or so of dehydration for those guys... thats what i reckon anyway...
That being said ive seen all of these species kept with a similar substandard of care... and hung on in there a few years...

infernalis · 05-13-12, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mo9e64

Some monitors can take years of abuse-like Savs.Forest Monitors,Tree Monitors many wildcaught animals farm bred or not may not take even short periods of abuse.Other than that i agree with what Varanus Mad said.

Tell us about this farm bred, I'm really curious how that works??

mo9e64 · 05-13-12, 07:35 AM

You know how it works,gravid wildfemales are captured and the eggs are incubated then sold.Their term not mine.Rulloms' Melinus would probably been farm hatched or bred.

rullom · 05-13-12, 07:42 AM

yes thats what the store figured because they received like 15 babies so it would be unlikely that babies were wild caught

mo9e64 · 05-13-12, 08:49 AM

When it really comes down to it there are many ways to get the same results.You have to decide where you can take short cuts(the good kind that create less work and benefits the monitor)or take the longer route(more work,that if it's enjoyable who cares go for it as long as the animal doesn't suffer for it)

Where we run in to disagreements is where people can't differentiate between lazy and efficiency.Someone said that one reason to use smaller cages is because they are cheaper,that is a benefit and one of many pro's,but that doesn't make you cheap or a bad keeper.

jarich · 05-13-12, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mo9e64

i started with my babies in a small cage with no problem getting proper heat and humidity gradients,the fact that some of you think this starting baby monitors in small raise up cages is some new novel idea i find quite odd.As many have been doing it and recommending it for quite some time-

Ah, a very honest response and the only reason so far that makes sense. YOU did it that way, so your perspective and experience is what you recommend to others. A fair point, because it worked for you. However, that does not always make it the simplest way or right. I don't think anyone thinks its new or novel, but it's always good to rethink things too.

mo9e64 · 05-13-12, 03:06 PM

I didn't say it was the right way i said it's an easier way for beginners.If i hadn't done both ways that is setting up both raise up cages and an adult cage i would not have given an opinion-which has been repeated by others(not here obviously).You are right though it is from my perspective having done both.Jarich,what is your experience having setup up your initial cage and the one for an adult Sav?

infernalis · 05-13-12, 07:31 PM

Chomper had 3 "grow up cages" because he grew so fast...

So I have done it BOTH ways, and in my honest opinion, the larger cage makes more sense, as my lizards are using every inch of real estate that I am offering them.

Little Wise Owl · 05-13-12, 07:44 PM

While there are some pros to starting small, I personally think it's a waste of money because you'd need to build or find a custom enclosure that'll meet their humidity/digging needs.

bushsnake · 05-13-12, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

Chomper had 3 "grow up cages" because he grew so fast...

So I have done it BOTH ways, and in my honest opinion, the larger cage makes more sense, as my lizards are using every inch of real estate that I am offering them.

nice Wayne!

Gregg M · 05-13-12, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

So I have done it BOTH ways, and in my honest opinion, the larger cage makes more sense

Now that all depends Wayne. I agree with you to a point. However, when you are a breeder and you are hatching a couple of dozen varanids, proper raise up cages are both easy and beneficial to set up. It would make no sense at all to let a clutch of ackies or gillens go in a 4x2x2 cage. It makes much more sense to house them in much smaller raise up cages in very small groups as you can keep a close eye on everything from eating to crapping.

I think the same rules can apply even if you are not breeding. If you aquire a few baby Varanus whatevers, you can easily use smaller raise up cages. Or you can do what you have done and house juvies in a properly set up adult cage. Personally, I like to make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing and acting how they should be acting before I drop them in a huge cage. It is piece of mind for me and it is not detrimental to the growing varanids.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little Wise Owl

While there are some pros to starting small, I personally think it's a waste of money because you'd need to build or find a custom enclosure that'll meet their humidity/digging needs.

While I am in no way suggesting that one should keep their monitors in a glass aquarium for any extended length of time, with the proper modifications, they can make very suitable TEMPORARY raise up cages and can support all the heat, humidity and digging needs of a juvinile varanid. So there really is no need to find or build a custome cage to use as a raise up cage.

infernalis · 05-13-12, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gregg M

Now that all depends Wayne. I agree with you to a point. However, when you are a breeder and you are hatching a couple of dozen varanids......

Of course, if by chance I do have a pair, and if by chance I do produce a clutch, I will not be releasing a pile of neonates into a big cage.

Keeping track of them all and fishing them out when sold would be a nightmare.

Gregg M · 05-13-12, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

Of course, if by chance I do have a pair, and if by chance I do produce a clutch, I will not be releasing a pile of neonates into a big cage.

Keeping track of them all and fishing them out when sold would be a nightmare.

I have a good feeling that you will be breeding your savs. LOL.