Thanks for all the advice guys. I do think I'd like the wooden box a little better so she'd be more visible. Would the 8x3x2 dimensions for the cattle trough be suitable for the wooden box type enclosure as well? How much extra space would I need if I do decide I want to try to mate her? thanks for the help
Upgraded Home for Savannah Monitor
- Thread starter JeffLeMay
- Start date
personaly.... i would go 10 x 4 x 2
just to be safe if ur gunna get a pair....
that would make them happier then ever
just to be safe if ur gunna get a pair....
that would make them happier then ever
Yeah, that would be an awesome set up. just trying to decide where in the house I could put it without my girlfriend going nuts....
tell her to get over it
heres a sweet idea if its your house build it from the ceiling donw then you wouldnt have to worry about floor space heck you could even put a couch under it
heres a sweet idea if its your house build it from the ceiling donw then you wouldnt have to worry about floor space heck you could even put a couch under it
If you make a wooden box type, I'd recommend just going 8x4x4. That is the size that the plywood is precut to, same with the FRP board, so you would minimize wasted wood. Could go longer if you wanted, but I think a 4' width would be fine for a sav.
thanks again for all the help and suggestions guys. I'm going to get started on it soon, i'll keep everyone posted on the progress
thats some good info on a cool set up. would it be possible to put a viewing window in this, if you were into the metal work etc.???dacox said:Those fresh air habitats, if they are the ones I am thinking of, would be totally unsuitable for a monitor. Screen in general is bad because it does not hold humidity at all. Being that monitors require such a substantial amount of heat to thrive, enclosures with scree tops become ovens, with all of the moisture rising out of the top with the heat. Although savanah monitors come from relatively arid habitats, they do need a decent amount of humidity to survive. In nature, they get this humidity from their burrows, which is why a deep, earthy substrate comes in handy.
What I would recommend would be buying a galvanized steel cattle trough. Fill the bottom with AT LEAST 6" of soil/sand/decomposed granite mixture. You will have to experiment a little with this until you find a mixture that will hold a good burrow. Then build a top with wood and plexi with some heat lights built in to the top. It would look something like this (taken from the ProExotics website)...
I'd get 45-50 watt halogen bulbs (not the ones with the clear hexagon in the center as they create super hot spots that will burn the hell out of your monitor), and then build up the basking surface until it's close enough to the lights to attain surface temps of 130-160*F. Keep in mind that that's surface temp, not ambient temp. With the lower wattage bulbs you will be able to get the appropriate surface temp without turning the enclosure in to a giant pressure cooker.
Here's a link to a ranch supply website that has cattle troughs. The 8x3x2 one would be perfect for him...
http://www.stockyardsupply.com/page11/index2.html
Here's another link to PE's caresheet for ionides monitors. They require very similar husbandry as savanahs, so you might find some of their enclosure notes helpful.
http://proexotics.com/care_ionides.html
Also, Kingsnake.com and varanus.net are two of my favorite websites for monitors. Both have pretty good forums where people often post pics of their enclosures, so if you look through those, you might come accross some more good ideas.
Good luck with everything.
