View Full Version : New Sav Cage
kenC56
11-12-2009, 9:56 PM
Here is a couple of picks of my new sav monitor cage. Now I just need to furnish. The cage is 8ft long 4 ft wide and 4 ft tall.
AttackFish
11-12-2009, 9:57 PM
Good looking cage.
Now lets see the sav inside it :D
Cakilla
11-12-2009, 9:58 PM
Nice!
Vicious_Fish
11-12-2009, 10:04 PM
Looks great. Nice job.
kenC56
11-12-2009, 10:15 PM
I will post pics of cage and sav when I am done. The fumes from the sealer and bed liner are still strong. I think I am still a little high.
mr.reef24
11-13-2009, 12:32 AM
nice cage you build it?
mr.reef24
kenC56
11-13-2009, 12:41 PM
nice cage you build it?
mr.reef24
The cage was built for me. I only put the finish and the bed liner.
Yanbbrox
11-13-2009, 12:42 PM
Nice job
Lepisosteus platyrhincus
11-13-2009, 12:54 PM
nice!!
Vicious_Fish
11-13-2009, 1:14 PM
Bed liner is a smart idea. How did you do it? Can you buy it in a can now?
kenC56
11-13-2009, 3:35 PM
It is herculiner. I used a roller and a brush to put it on.Goes on like paint. $80.00 for the gallon. I put two coats on and I only used half.
mr.reef24
11-14-2009, 1:47 AM
looks great
mr.reef24
Lepisosteus platyrhincus
11-15-2009, 1:41 PM
were did u get it? is it tough? water proof?
Hernandezj11
11-15-2009, 1:44 PM
Looks great! I cant wait to see the landscaping!! How big is the sav monitor that is going into it?
kenC56
11-15-2009, 3:28 PM
were did u get it? is it tough? water proof?
I got it from Rick at lvbeardeddragons. I put three coats of water seal on the inside and outside. I also just put down about 2 ft of dirt and a few rocks on the inside. So to hold about a ton of rock and dirt it is real tough. I will post more pics soon.
Lepisosteus platyrhincus
11-15-2009, 6:33 PM
ok! i might use that on my caiman enclosure. but it is costly for the space i need. tryin to find a cheaper product that is similar. so u put down water seal before u put it down?
BTW thanks for the awesome idea!! it is gonna make my enclosure so much better!!
kenC56
11-15-2009, 7:54 PM
ok! i might use that on my caiman enclosure. but it is costly for the space i need. tryin to find a cheaper product that is similar. so u put down water seal before u put it down?
BTW thanks for the awesome idea!! it is gonna make my enclosure so much better!!
I did not put down water sealer before the liner. Sounds like it may have been a good idea but to late now. I cant imagine water gettieng through this stuff. I covered 8ft long by 4 ft wide and 18inches tall with 1/2 a gallon and I put two coats on. For the cost and the durability it was worth it.
kenC56
11-15-2009, 8:21 PM
Here are some new pics. Still need to put more furniture in. Both of these savs were rescues. First time the were introduced.
Lepisosteus platyrhincus
11-15-2009, 10:35 PM
yeah but i have to cover 10' by 13'. cost wise it would be too much. You had to cover 34sq ft. I have to cover nearly 130sq ft. each gallon is rated for 60sq ft. means i would need 2 gallons(here they are nearly 100 bucks a pop) and 1 qt which is 40 bucks. 240 bucks total. yeah i gotta find a cheaper way. alot of other products though.
thanks for the idea though!! they look nice!
kenC56
11-16-2009, 8:23 PM
I added a big log in the cage. The monitors already love it. I will get a final full cage shot soon. Glass got dirty while I was moving stuff in and out. I still have other plans like adding shelves and a Retes stack. But it will be over time.
mr.reef24
11-16-2009, 11:52 PM
setup looks great and so do the sav.
mr.reef24
Sweet cage:) what is the wattage of the bulbs your using?
AttackFish
11-17-2009, 1:50 PM
Good looking cage, big savs too.
kenC56
11-17-2009, 6:54 PM
Sweet cage:) what is the wattage of the bulbs your using?
I have 1 250watt bulb and a 150watt bulb in the basking area. I am trying to get basking temps around 140F. I have two other 100 watt bulbs in the cage. I may need to add one more fixture on the cool side wich is about 73F right now.
I have 1 250watt bulb and a 150watt bulb in the basking area. I am trying to get basking temps around 140F. I have two other 100 watt bulbs in the cage. I may need to add one more fixture on the cool side wich is about 73F right now.
Wow monster bulbs, a bit on the overdue side if you ask me:confused: Have you consider using flood ligths? They produce that kind of heat with a much lower wattage, Mike here uses them for its igs
kenC56
11-18-2009, 6:09 AM
Wow monster bulbs, a bit on the overdue side if you ask me:confused: Have you consider using flood ligths? They produce that kind of heat with a much lower wattage, Mike here uses them for its igs
I will try that one out. I used a temp gun and the basking spot is 120f. I am using phillips halogen heat bulb from home depot. Anything to cut down some wattage and feep the heat up. Thanks for the suggestion.
sicklid-holic
12-19-2009, 8:52 AM
Very nice tank and happy Savs, :headbang2
EricIvins
12-19-2009, 9:24 AM
You're going to run into serious issues with high wattage Halogens like that. All I ever did was use 30-45 watt Indoor Floods, with the number of bulbs, and bulb placement, relative to the size of the animal. Elevate the basking spot untill you get what you need. With high wattage bulbs you're going to end up with burns, and or Lizard Jerky..............
kenC56
12-19-2009, 9:45 AM
Well the garage and it is cold. I am putting shelves in this week. I tested the temps with a temp gun and it said 120F in the hottest spot and 75F on the cool side. I actually want to get the basking spot warmer then that. I do not think I will get lizard jerky with those temps. I have the week off so I will be building some shelves and hides. I will post updates as I go. I tried other bulbs but they were not getting the cage hot enough. I am not going by wattage of bulbs, just the temperatures the bulbs are producing.
EricIvins
12-20-2009, 6:53 AM
Well the garage and it is cold. I am putting shelves in this week. I tested the temps with a temp gun and it said 120F in the hottest spot and 75F on the cool side. I actually want to get the basking spot warmer then that. I do not think I will get lizard jerky with those temps. I have the week off so I will be building some shelves and hides. I will post updates as I go. I tried other bulbs but they were not getting the cage hot enough. I am not going by wattage of bulbs, just the temperatures the bulbs are producing.
Those bulbs will dry out those Monitors quicker than you can re-hydrate them. That has nothing to do with temps, it's all wattage..........Low wattage bulbs with an elevated basking spot = high basking temps without any side effects............
varanio
12-20-2009, 7:42 AM
Don't take the advice as a negative, but I
gonna jump with Eric & Coura on this one. The wattage is far too high on these animals 40-65 should be the max. Build a bank of lights and lower it so that you get better surface area coverage and you don't dry out the cage.
What is the substrate on this enclosure? Exanthamaticus are notorius diggers so if the substrate depth isn't deep enough try to provide a nest box in the back with a heat pad stuck to the side for them.
Good luck!
kenC56
12-20-2009, 10:07 AM
The substrate is a sand soil mix about 2 ft deep. I think I am going to have to redo the mixture because I have not seen them try and dig yet.
I was going to build shelves instead of lowering the lights so I can max out the space in the enclosure. Do you guys think that would be just as good as lowering the light? Please keep the input comming and I do appreciate all of the advice. When I am done I will post more pics. I actually like the crticism because it is just going to make the monitors happier in the long run.
varanio
12-20-2009, 10:32 AM
:WHOA:The substrate is a sand soil mix about 2 ft deep. I think I am going to have to redo the mixture because I have not seen them try and dig yet.
I was going to build shelves instead of lowering the lights so I can max out the space in the enclosure. Do you guys think that would be just as good as lowering the light? Please keep the input comming and I do appreciate all of the advice. When I adone I will post more pics. I actually like the crticism because it is just going to make the monitors happier in the long run.
I think it would be best to lower the lights rather than keeping them up high, for two reasons. 1) savs are clumbsy when trying to escalate upwards. Lol 2) with the lights being up so high the heat is not going to be able to rise and not give you a better heat ambient. If you lower the lights and build a bank for 3-4 40 watt bulbs or so you will be able to control the ambients a bit
better, and the humidity in the enclosure will take less time evaporate.
Alex
kenC56
12-20-2009, 11:30 AM
I will lower the lights down for them. Makes sense for the humidity factor. The humidity in the cage is acually pretty high with all the dirt. My glases fog up when ever I go in there. But in the summer I will have more probmes keeping the humidty high.
I will head off to home depot tommorow to see what kind of lights to use. I do not want to use the dome lights with the wire hanging down.
kenC56
12-27-2009, 9:10 PM
Do you guys think this will be better for humidity. I have not put any bulbs in yet. But I figured 60 watt bulbs will do for the basking spot.
kenC56
12-28-2009, 10:42 PM
So here is how my first sav cage is comming along. The next think I am going to do is cut the ramp on the left side of the cage and screw it inn. Just put it in to show you what I am thinking. The basking spot is 130F, the substrate is 20'' soil sand mix, the bulbs are 60 watts and 1 75 watt on basking shelf.
Any suggestions on improvements? I am open to all.