Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I would like to ask how would one create a rete's stack that has thick enough spaces in between and using thin plywood (to avoid thick heat sinking material) for a large monitor such as an adult water monitor. It seems to me that any thin material would warp or collapse and not be strong enough to hold the big heavy lizards. Especially if the spaces in between are tall enough and the area is big enough for them to hide. And how would one extract the lizard from under the racks of this size especially since each stack will be really deep and probably very heavy.

I brought up a similar topic on the 6th. You will want to discuss this directly with Frank Retes. I believe that he was going to try out a "BIG Retes stack". I would imagine that you could use thicker wood or some other more solid (rigid)material. But for certain a big lizard would need a big stack and- will need a big heat source as well as the big dirt mound and cage to go with it(huge water source also if it's a salvator). You will have to try it out and figure ways to get around the difficulties of maintenance. I rarely (maybe once a year) have to get at and move out my lizards. I mainly work around them. But again, get with Frank on this topic... Best to you- Mike

a Pro Exotics style Retes Stack does not work for large monitors in a captive setup.

if you are going to make something that large, say for a 6 ft Ionides, you would run into a few problems. number one, if that stack is not tied all together, the movement of a big heavy animal will knock it over/apart.

but most importantly, you won't have the light source and space necessary to create the gradient you get with an Ackie stack and a 50 w bulb.

take it outside, and set it under the biggest light source we have (the sun), and it could work. but that is the widest beam floodlight of all, and on that scale, it would be extremely difficult to replicate in a captive setup.

you can use Frank's style of scrap boards in a pile, providing for SOME temp gradient and good hidespots, but again, that is a large diameter pile (8ft? 10ft?)

with larger lizards, you are better off providing the basking temp gradient through sloped basking, or various basking spots.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Exactly right. Althought I would like to try a five foot tall stack for my lacies, It could be of use.

I could attack it to a log they climb on. In this case its more about having their own spaces and only a little bit of thermoregulation. Cheers

Ok, so I will make a rete's stack for my baby water until it is bigger, then I after that, no rete's stack. Right?

How exactly would this "slope" thing or attach to a log thing work? I'm talking BIG lizards like full grown waters.

Do you mean that I should have an assortment of tree trunks horizontally, one above another, with the lights mounted under the top tree trunk??

And not too many layers..
Its heavy, but they like it, well, albigs do. Sobek uses 22/32nds thick plywood stacks, only 2-3 layers thick.