Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I have a question about how good Blackthroats's are at finding their basking zones.

Mine is getting pretty big, too big for the 60 gallon tank. I want to put him in his ultimate enclosure, the whole bedroom #2. It's not a big room. It has visqueen stretched all across the floor, a large area rug, a big box of dirt two feet deep, and a small kid's plastic pool. It has a six ft^2 zone at 95F (140F on newspaper read by a non-contact thermometer, He likes that temperature).

I wonder if he'll just get lost in a lot of square feet, and spend time in an unheated corner, stone cold. The ambient temperature will be 75 F.

My question: Is he smart enough to find the basking area, and use it?

Roger

I am not sure which response to use:

1. Often in the wild when monitors need to bask they never figure out they should go in the sun and they wander around in the shade until they die. Sometimes they even explore deep in the water desperately looking for a place to bask and drown themselves.

or...

2. I have several million monitors I keep in a really really huge cage. They seem to find their basking light ok.

But seriously I would go with an intermediate sized cage in order to better monitor their progress and control their environment as he grows up. Pain to build one for a short time but hey use it for more later one! Either way...dont worry he'll find his basking spot!

take care

Tom

...thank you for your assessment. I guess God made him able to find basking spots in the wild, even if it's an asphalt roadside in the late PM. But, it's true that sometimes captive *iguanas* can't figure out where their basking zone is, for complicated reasons. That explains the reason for my question. I'm only good at iguanas.

Roger

Hello Roger,
Your monitor would find his basking spot if every door in your house was open(except to the outside)and you hid the site behind the refrigerator. What I would be more concerned about is will he recognize the other obstacles or how to use the other things that you have provided. Especially the box of dirt... I probably would have to see a photo of it to understand the sensibility of it... I may be wrong about this but my monitors dig down and under obstacles- it just seems that he will have a tough transition going from hard floor up onto dirt box(obstacle) then digging down... Anyways, the space sounds great- I still say put a board across the doorway and fill the floor with dirt. Best to you- Mike

I would probably limit the space until the animal gets larger myself, as was suggested by others. Regarding the digging, I have supplied several species of smaller monitors (along with dozens of species of other lizards) with various tubs for digging and nesting. They apparently had no problems finding the material when they wanted. Makes sense if they can find basking spots.

Good luck
AH

Regarding the space- Would you limit the space for your benefit or the monitors, purpose? Smaller areas are easier to make greater changes in over a shorter period of time but larger ones are more steady and detrimental changes take longer to occur in them- I say it's up to the individual and his own confidence level- as for me, give me either and I will make it work.
Regarding the dirt boxes- I hardly believe that this is the prescribed method for keeping and breeding monitors... Can it work in one instance, yes... Should it be the method used and employed by others- probably not. I doubt that you will find lasting support in this method- but it is a zoo characteristic.

Best to you- Mike

Mike,
I believe his animal was a smaller one. The concern had come up about the animal getting "lost" in a full room. I guess I was meaning a balance of best for the lizard and easier to care for. Don't get me wrong. I am all for large enclosures. But, I have seen some smaller, younger animals that did not feed well with too much space ... until they reached a certain size. Probably just has a lot to do with getting used to surroundings. Remember, most baby monitors have to be especially secretive in the wild or they become a meal.
As far as the box idea. I use what works. Will it work with all animals? No. But, once most of these guys are feeding well and temp/humidity ranges are worked out, they are pretty adaptable. There is always more than one way to do things that works.
It's hard to teach people how to read animals. That was one of my jobs when I supervised up in Chi-town. Some have it and some don't.
You are in Chicago, right? How long have you been there?

AH

Hello,
The reason why small animals do poorly in a large space has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of space provided. It has everything to do with the husbandry that is provided for the animal by the keeper/owner. If you place a small monitor in a large empty room- it will not thrive- But that same animal placed in a closed room filled with dirt, leaves, logs, a water source, high heat basking spots and an unlimited food source and you may never see him again- because he will be thriving.
As for the dirt box nesting or whatever- sure it can work, but it is my belief that at least in my cases it has been a last minute attempt to scratch together provisions for an animal that should have been provided for when I acquired it(and I don't do this anymore)... never a standard method for doing it right- that is old school- really old school, like I said, zoo tactics.
As for Chicago, my Dad is from Chicago... I think you are talking about Mike from Mike's Monitors- he is a monitor breeder. As for me, I breed some herps. But as for monitors, I am just an old keeper working on becoming successful at breeding... Best to you- Mike

I keep my niles in a large room. As was mentioned, in an enclosure this large, it's harder to keep on top of things, especially humidity. My monitors have no trouble finding anything they need so long as it's provided. There are many things to consider with a room size enclosure. If the room is not on the ground floor there is the weight factor. In order to keep the humidity up I found it necessary to use a very large amount of moist cypress mulch especially in the winter when the heat dries everything out. The mulch weighs a tremendous amount. Also I have about a ton of dirt in there. Everything must be monitor proofed, electrical outlets, wires, windows. The plastic on the floor will be shredded in no time by a digging monitor. I used sheet linoleum on the floor and plywood with like 6 coats of marine varnish on the walls All corners are caulked with polyurethane caulk. I could go on but you get the idea. All things considered it is well worth the work it takes to maintain. They use every inch of the room.

Roger