bosc monitor set up, looking for improvements.

[curious.boa.guy]

hi guys, just wondering what you thing of my set up for my bosc monitor and what you think i should change 13639557_1239230149450039_1042105126_o.jpg13639733_1239230139450040_1187839941_o.jpg

[chairman]

Is the enclosure a minimum of 4' x 8'? Does it contain sandy soil capable of holding a burrow that is a minimum of 24" deep? Is the surface temperature (measued with a temp gun) of the basking spot a minimum of 130 F?

If not, then those are the things you should fix, as those are the bare minimum for a bosc enclosure.

[sirtalis]

Is it in a glass aquarium with wood chips? If so your slowly killing your animal.
Read this page like the bible
Correct Savannah Monitor Care

[Ian of Oldham]

Originally Posted by sirtalis

Is it in a glass aquarium with wood chips? If so your slowly killing your animal.
Read this page like the bible
Correct Savannah Monitor Care

Bang your on the money, get rid of the wood and up the temp.

[sirtalis]

One more point, go 6 feet tall, if you only go 4 feet, 2 will have to be devoted to soil giving your monitor only 2 feet of space to crawl around. I'm building a 8Lx8Hx3W enclosure for my peacock monitor, keep in mind he's only 27 inches long and very slender. These animals require a huge amount of time and money, No offense intended but I'm tired of seeing monitor lizards kept in sub par enclosures

[Ian of Oldham]

Originally Posted by sirtalis

One more point, go 6 feet tall, if you only go 4 feet, 2 will have to be devoted to soil giving your monitor only 2 feet of space to crawl around. I'm building a 8Lx8Hx3W enclosure for my peacock monitor, keep in mind he's only 27 inches long and very slender. These animals require a huge amount of time and money, No offense intended but I'm tired of seeing monitor lizards kept in sub par enclosures

My local rescue center has two monitors at the moment and people do not understand the how big and how much time money is needed, hope that he has looked into it and understand what he taking on. I wish him good luck

[curious.boa.guy]

i know exactly what responsibilities i have take on, i have just ordered 60L of Savannah substrait for him to burrow, I have a friend who owns a pet shop and he orders all my reptiles food for them in bulk so i have surplus amounts to feed him (he already eats like a pig). his vivarium is currently 4ft by 3ft as he is small and when he grows a little more i will move him up to a 7ft by 4ft i am currently building for him.

[sirtalis]

Savanah substrate? You need to get it on a proper sand soil mix asap. And how is it going to burrow, the cage looks looks a few inches deep

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by curious.boa.guy

i know exactly what responsibilities i have take on, i have just ordered 60L of Savannah substrait for him to burrow, I have a friend who owns a pet shop and he orders all my reptiles food for them in bulk so i have surplus amounts to feed him (he already eats like a pig). his vivarium is currently 4ft by 3ft as he is small and when he grows a little more i will move him up to a 7ft by 4ft i am currently building for him.

Hi, there`s no way you can provide a reasonable depth of substrate of any type in that enclosure without at least modifying it (building something across the front to increase the depth it can hold), also, melamine once the surface is broken will rot in a very short space of time, not to mention it won`t take the weight of said substrate either.
At best this enclosure might last a few WEEKS with modifications.
What type and wattage of heating/lighting are you using, what`s the lowest ambient (air) temp in the coolest parts and the surface temp of the basking object plus the humidity range, and how are you measuring all those?
The hatchlings will flourish in an "adult sized" enclosure from day one, moving them into different enclosures usually causes a great deal of stress.
You also need to be aware of how quickly they can reach sexual maturity in captivity when fully supported (literally in MONTHS), meaning if the monitor is female you must provide suitable nesting (well before they become gravid, in fact I advise from day one).

[sirtalis]

@murrindini I was hoping you would comment good point about the sexual maturity/egg laying, I'd forgotten about that.

[curious.boa.guy]

So here we go guys... I have emptied out his viv and refilled it with potting soil mixed with reptile sand and vermiculite, compacted it down to the point where it supports structures, two feet deep in the far left corner and he has started to burrow a little already. his basking spot temp is reading 106 at the moment. Any other thing's needed please inform me. I will be adding photos later so thanks for the info

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by curious.boa.guy

So here we go guys... I have emptied out his viv and refilled it with potting soil mixed with reptile sand and vermiculite, compacted it down to the point where it supports structures, two feet deep in the far left corner and he has started to burrow a little already. his basking spot temp is reading 106 at the moment. Any other thing's needed please inform me. I will be adding photos later so thanks for the info

Hi, you MUST remove the potting soil with vermiculite immediately, the vermiculite could easily be ingested. There is no point in even putting a soil/playsand mix into this enclosure because the wood itself will rot very quickly once moisture gets in (which it`s bound to do).
There is a possible temporary solution, that is to use a large plastic tub filled with substrate. It will mean cutting a hole into the enclosure floor then dropping the tub in (very easy to do) obviously you`ll need to raise the tank off the floor).
The basking surface temp is far too low (you need it between approx 50 to 60c), how are you measuring it and what type of heat/lighting are you using?
Any water used for bathing should be heated to around 27 to 30c.

[curious.boa.guy]

I feed him in a separate tank so there should be no risk of ingestion,the Base of his vivarium has been lined with po d lining so no moisture will get into the wood, the temperature has risen since I had initially measured it as I measured at the start it is now 127.4 in his basking spot and his bathing water bowl is heated by a heat mat to 78.8 as of right now

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by curious.boa.guy

I feed him in a separate tank so there should be no risk of ingestion,the Base of his vivarium has been lined with po d lining so no moisture will get into the wood, the temperature has risen since I had initially measured it as I measured at the start it is now 127.4 in his basking spot and his bathing water bowl is heated by a heat mat to 78.8 as of right now

Why are you feeding the monitor in a separate enclosure, also it means forced handling which is extremely stressful? They burrow into the substrate it would be extremely easy to ingest the vermiculite while doing so. You need to adjust your husbandry asap otherwise the animal`s health WILL suffer.
If this is a female there is no way to provide suitable nesting in the current setup simply because the substrate needs to be at least 45cm in depth throughout the enclosure, NOT piled up into a small heap at one side/corner.
You still haven`t said what type of heat/lighting you`re using?


http://www.herpcenter.com/attachments/aja2-jpg.35306/

http://www.herpcenter.com/attachments/aja-jpg.35305/

[curious.boa.guy]

I don't force handle him, (a he as he was probed) I open the door and hold out locust and he comes out then I walk him to the second enclosure, I have emptied the current substrate and refilled it with just a soil and sand mix and for the lighting I use a 150W crematic bulb and a 75W basking bulb around the basking spot and at the cool end I use a 75W with the additional 14% uvb