Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Boy: (?)

Girl: (?)

The boy poops in his water and the girl only poops outside. Where does your monitor poop?

A monitor like a savannah always using the water as a toilet is a big sign of dehydration. You should take a look at your husbandry and see what would cause this.

Really? Even if they just go in there to poop then come right out again? I thought it was just if they are constantly lying in their water, not just using it to poop in.

Deficating in the water is a way to conserve moisture. Now for more aquatic species like salvators, it's fine. But things like savs and albigs usually don't use water as a toilet unless they're too dry.

That's too bad because it kind of makes the keeper's life easier when they go in the same spot all the time. Anyone else have an opinion on whether or not this is normal Sav behavior?

PERFECTLY NORMAL...

For a monitor that is too dry.

I do not think it is a sign of the climate... I think it is just personal preference... monitors (or just savs, from my experience) are odd, as many know they like routine, and i think they routinely poo in the same place, and the males choice happens to be his water possibly for cleanliness. I know before I started taking my female outside (in the summer... don't know what im gonna do in the winter and she won't go inside!!!) she would poo in the same spot, everytime. back right corner, farthest away from everything else in the cage. I think they just don't like to fester in their own poo.

the only catch to this theory of mine is that i DID just get the male, as a juvenile 2 weeks ago. The keeper i got him from in fact even said that he likes to poo in his water. SOOOO it could be that it has been too dry its whole life, but with me having the male in the exact same conditions the female is in makes me say no, it is not dehydrated. she has never pooed in her water.

There are other signs of dehydration or dry conditions other than pooping in the water. But, for savs, pooping in the water is definitely a sign of being too dry and/or dehydrated.

Dehydration and stress can add up.
Most dry land dwelling monitors that consistantly crap in water are dehydrated internally to the point that they are constipated, when they soak in water it loosens things up, they can crap alot easier.
By looking at a few features your male looks a bit female in the face, and your female looks a bit male in the face (looking at the eyes, nose shape, head shape, jaw. These things seemed a bit obvious, but I really didnt look close at the rest of the animals for features.
African monitor lay lots of eggs at a time, therefore the ratio of length from front legs to the back legs is longer in a female compared to a male the same size.
If the former owner had the same problem the animal was dehydrated there also. You said youve had it for a few weeks, give it time and see if that behavior stops, try to prevent this from being a problem now (eliminate any well known causes of this such as open top caging, screen top cages, living much of there life free roaming), prevent the problems before they get serious.
Excessive soaking is a problem, consistanly crapping in the water dish is another, its also a sanitary problem, why would your monitor resort to soiling its water unless it had to because other health issues were more important than constantly available clean water.

Funny, cause my humidity in my Sav enclosure is 70% she never ever soaks in the water, but 90% of the time she defacates in it. Now here's the thing...
..she doesnt climb in the water, stands on edge of pan and defacates in it.
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1.0.0 YBS
1.3.0 RES
1.0.0 red belly cooter
1.0.0 Fire belly toad
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor
0.0.1 Blackthroat monitor
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
cats, dog, ferret, rabbit, rats, mice and hamsters

So she uses it more like a toilet? Gets above the water and lets it fall in? Sounds more like a habitual thing than a dehydration thing.

EXACTLY.

Exactly what? You said your monitor is going INTO the water to poo. Susan clearly stated that her monitor doesn't touch the water, but hovers above it and craps into the water. There's a huge difference.

Dude, either way: there is poo in the water. I do not know if my monitor is swimming around in there before he poos, or if he is doing dives off the top of his cage then pooing, or pooing while he is doing the dives, or hanging his butt off the side and pooing while reading the latest Reptiles ™ magazine...

Either way it is not a sign of dehydration, it is a sign of personal preference/ habit.

I would love to see some sort of scientific backup that it is, but I highly doubt it. As someone recently told me elsewhere "It's not like the water is giving the monitor a full on enema."

It's no use. You don't get it.

These guys are just trying to help you (and your Monitors).

>>Dude, either way: there is poo in the water. I do not know if my monitor is swimming around in there before he poos, or if he is doing dives off the top of his cage then pooing, or pooing while he is doing the dives, or hanging his butt off the side and pooing while reading the latest Reptiles ™ magazine...
>>
>>
>>Either way it is not a sign of dehydration, it is a sign of personal preference/ habit.
>>
>>I would love to see some sort of scientific backup that it is, but I highly doubt it. As someone recently told me elsewhere "It's not like the water is giving the monitor a full on enema."

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike Heinrich,
Mike@amazontreeboa.org
www.amazontreeboa.org

I know, but I just don't believe it until I see it... my monitors (both of them) have 70% humidity, water bowls with water available at all times, and a daily misting or two, not to mention when i take them outside to to roam around my back yard and are given the option to swim in the kiddie pool that is back there. dehydration is out of the question.

I am not trying to be condescending or an ass, i am just defending my point.

No, you are being bull-headed and going to learn the hard way. Daily misting, excess water dishes, daily soaking, and all of that does not solve the problem. The dehydration occurs over a period of time to where the animal is dehydrated internally, they start doing strange things like soaking excessively, or crapping in their only source of clean water to prevent worse health issues.
You can do as you choose, but in a few months someone else will be whining about the same things here on this forum, only a different name is all it will be.
Take the advice or dont take it, but dont give advice or say that you are right when those of us who have seen this thousands of times know you are wrong.
By the way, the cage is supposed to be a proper environment, if you are taking it out daily to solve a problem your cage has serious problems.

How about this, this forum has years of posts, there are thousands of newbies like yourself who have posted about this subject and others that are proven symptoms of a bigger problem.

They, like you posted about a behavior they thought was unusual or interesting, they like you were told they have a problem, that they need to make changes. They like you thought there were no problems, that they were doing everything right, and got defensive instead of taking the advice, they next became insultive those who tried to help them. In the end they disappeared from the forum in no time at all when their monitors died, or asked how their suddenly sick monitor could be sick, then died, they then joined the other thousands like them and disappeared.
How do I know this, I have attempted to help thousands of people here in many years, the only things that change are the names of the keepers. I dont post much here lately, so you can take this however you want, I could care less at this point about how long you stay in this hobby, but I still do care about the fact that every year thousands of bosc monitors are imported and sold to new keepers to only die in days to a few years at most.
So you can be a bull-headed newby, or you can start asking for help, and post detailed enclosure pictures, etc.
You see I know from years of experience from keeping monitors (probably longer than many keepers here have been alive) how to keep them properly.
You want scientific eveidence, the description you gave is a symptom of a health issue that has been known about in reptiles in captivity for many many years.
An animal does not crap in its only source of clean water unless the alternative to doing so is worse, common sense, they are not people who have been taught to use running water toilets, we are referring to a formerly wild lizard here.

You guys force people out of this forum because you pick these things to death and you 'veterans' get defensive about questions raised and arguments that come about. I am not about to drop this forum because of an argument, that is what this forum is here for. And i do learn a great deal from it.

As far as my male sav dropping a deuce in his water: it may be a problem. Ok. I am not sure of that. I have had my female for nearly 2 years and she is perfectly healthy. Not only by my standards, but by my vet's standards, and by anyone that would take a look at her who knows anything. Now, I just got the male sav 2 weeks ago (almost 3), so i am not ruling out the conditions he was in prior to me owning him given that judging by his size he is nearly a year old. I am just saying that the female I have had for nearly 2 years does not poo in her water, and if he does, it should change, because his enclosure is right next to the females, side by side, under the exact same conditions. Now, if you think i should go through extra practices to ensure he is not dehydrated, I would love to know what i can do to get him up to speed. But, based on my female, my conditions are fine and he should be fine too, in the long run. I take them outside because they enjoy it- where i live it is humid and hot in the summer and no matter how much i want to, i could NEVER build an enclosure the size of my backyard (100ftx 100ft, roughly.) they enjoy the natural sunlight and open space to run around in in which i can not provide them indoors. the enclosures indoors are by no means small, but still could not be the size of my backyard and could not give them the freedom and exercise they can get out there.

As far as 'doing the right thing and posting pics of my enclosures on here' scroll down as far as 2 years ago and up. there are multiple pics of my setups, my lizards, my temps, maybe even some of my wang (i kid).

I think it is some people in here that like to 'flex their muscles' which makes 'newbies' run away from this forum, not lack of interest or failure. hell, i have thought about it a few times, but i DO learn a lot from reading through this stuff. Every time i make a post i brace myself for the impact and criticism i am sure to receive, and just because i disagree with it or want to argue a point with someone that has been in the hobby for over 20 years does not mean i am going to back down with my tail between my legs.

And thank you guys for advice because it DOES help. It helps a great deal and does not go unnoticed.

I believe there is too much "Bullying" on here. I see that when a person on here asks basic or even more complex questions that the so called experienced people are right and anyone who disagrees with them is wrong and the enemy. Everyone is titled to their own opinion. People come here for answers, not to be criticized. Everyone must remember that we are just talking to perfect strangers. I think people on here should just chill out. Just because you have an opinion does not make you right. As for the Hydration thing, I have a savannah that I have had for 4 yrs. She has always pooped in her water bowl. Her humidity is up to 80 percent. Sometimes more. So I would definitley agree that its not a humidity problem. In fact I would say that because she poops in a water bowl does not mean any kind of health problem. She has not had any health problems whatsoever. Common sense tells me as well as the facts that I dont have a humidity problem. I know that there are a lot of people on here who have been caring for monitor lizards for a long time, just cause you have been keeping them for a long time does not make you an expert. I learn new things about my reptiles on a daily basis. If somebody does not want to take your advice on something, dont try and force it upon them or criticize them for not doing it just move on. You are not helping. There are a lot of beginners on here that are too scared to ask a question because of the criticizm. Animals suffer because of this.

...respond about, its all about this "does not mean i am going to back down with my tail between my legs.", and nothing to do with taking advice or help. The only one causing an issue or attempting to flex anything is yourself.

By all means go on about what you are doing, but dont tell others bad advice, or give advice when you are deomonstrating a total lack of experience and knowledge on the subject youself. If someone takes your advice and their animal dies in their mind you are responsible for the animals death (although, they are by following the advice).

You have a choice, take the advice offered or move on.

on forums about animal husbandry the most important thing is the welfare of the animal. That's what people care about (in a good forum), and that's why some people are so outspoken when they see something they feel could likely be a problem. They are not trying to make you quit, they are trying to make you learn.

Thanks for all the info on this guys. I had no idea this was a sign of dehydration and have since upped the humidity in my baby Sav's cage! She(?) is now spending more time hanging out in her mulch burrows and looks pretty peaced out.

Don't think you are the best bosc monitor keeper effer! The first thing I saw when looking at your pics where that both of them are OBESE, like they are about to explode!

So clearly you are overfeeding you monitor! And about the dehydration they have warned you, but you do not want to listen!

To bad......

Come on, there's no need to go attacking his cute monitors! Compared to many pictures of Savs I've seen, they look alert, happy and healthy. At least they're not laying around like lumps of lard like most of them we see.
If he feels he needs to make adjustments, based on the advice given, that's up to him now.

Since we are on the topic, and dehydration is an internal thing, that seems to be from longterm bad care from reading the posts above....how would one cure this if theyve already increased their humidity to 70%.....and is 70% where its suppose to be? That Im curious about since living in Florida at any given time my house, even with AC doesnt get below 50% humidity and to me thats not humid.
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1.0.0 YBS
1.3.0 RES
1.0.0 red belly cooter
1.0.0 Fire belly toad
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor
0.0.1 Blackthroat monitor
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
cats, dog, ferret, rabbit, rats, mice and hamsters

There have been some interesting statements made in this thread. Pooing in permanent water is also a behavioral method of avoiding predation by many reptiles by removing your scent from an area..

You must keep in mind that humidity and hydration have nothing to do with one another. Humidity levels are completely irrelevant to a properly hydrated reptile.

Cheers
T-

True- I will have you know since I originally made this poo post (well today, actually) the male has pooed in the corner of his enclosure, not in his water. Maybe he has been doing some reading on this too? or maybe pooing in water is a sign of dehydration, but he is finally hydrated after having more stable conditions (with me) for the past 3 weeks? or maybe it was just a fluke thing and he will continue to poo in his water...

I DO know that if an animal (or anything) is dehydrated, there will be much more surefire signs other than that, that does not mean I am ruling it out as an early sign of dehydration though.

Can I throw another question in this thread?

people feed their monitors turkey... What kind of turkey? Can someone give me a brand or shoot me in the right direction as to what kind? I would like to change up the diets a little bit.

Thanks

Then feed your monitors other whole prey items. Such as quail, chicks, snails, worms, roaches, etc. Ground turkey or pieces of turkey is a horrible decision.

Its a sign that the animal is dehydrated internally, "ie" it does not have the ability to retain moisture internally so it is trying to rectify temporarily.
As far as turkey goes, I tried that many years ago, to me it was a waste of time and money. Whole animal are the easiest and healthiest form of food you can feed them.
On the subject of hydration, whole prey items contain 80% or more water, therefore they supply great amounts directly into the lizard. Ground animal meat is but one ingredient to a balanced diet, therefore you would need alot of other parts to make it useful to them.
Monitors swallow whole animals to eat a healthy diet, not just rip the muscle meat off and eat it (greatly deficient diet). Even mammal predators such as canines, and felines must eat organs, skin, hair, connective tissue, fat, bones, and small amounts of digestive system contents.

[Humidity levels are completely irrelevant to a properly hydrated reptile.]

Really? So, as long as they are eating whole prey items and drinking regularly, they should be properly hydrated internally?

OT-ish- my horses drink lots more water, when it's very humid, if the humidity was helping keep them hydrated, why would they increase their water intake?

Susan.

Well, I do feed them those items. Mainly mice, rats, roaches, and superworms. I was asking about turkey because in most of these posts people say they feed them turkey. Just wondering.

I have not noticed most, many, or alot of people saying that they feed turkey here, in fact very very few mentioned theyve tried it.
Turkey is not what you may be referring to, the San Diego Zoo turkey diet and turkey are 2 different animals.

SHvar, Have you had luck with this diet?

What are the differences?

Can it be fed as a steady supplement(meaning, say 50% SDZ Diet)?

Just wondering cause the way things are going I can just about afford to feed myself nowadays and large rats or large quantities of smaller rodents are getting very expensive.

Right now my girl is eating large rats and trimmed cooked chicken thighs with bone in.

Before anyone jumps to conclusions about her diet, I know it is not the 100% best thing for her, but that is all I can honestly afford at the moment. I am doing the best I can absolutely do right now.

" Really? So, as long as they are eating whole prey items and drinking regularly, they should be properly hydrated internally? "

Exactly, for all intensive purposes reptiles don't absorb water they drink it for hydration . Savanna monitors are built to be very water tight . Their water proof skin is designed to conserve moister not lose it.

Ernie Eison
Westwoodreptiles.com

Good to know, but what's all the bally-hoo about humidity then?

" Good to know, but what's all the bally-hoo about humidity then? "

The major benefit of humidity to monitors is that it helps with skin shedding . Even properly hydrated animals sometimes have a tough time with skin around their fingers and tail tips. The added external moisture helps to loosen dry skin.

Ernie Eison

Westwoodreptiles.com

Ernie,
Why is it then that when the humidity level gets low my savs defecate in their water bowl. But when I bring the humidity level back up they go back to defecating in their usual corner. 1.1 savs in one cage and 0.1 sav in another. Both will do so.

They have the same amount of drinking water, whether the humidity is low or just right.

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not tryin' to be argumentive, I'm just tryin' to see where ya'll are coming from saying that humidity has no bearing on hydration. Does humidity slow the loss of body fluids or increase it? Or, neither?

Thanks!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

" Why is it then that when the humidity level gets low my savs defecate in their water bowl. "

" Does humidity slow the loss of body fluids or increase it? Or, neither? "

In reptiles most likely nether at least not to a relevant extent but humidity is an indicator of change. This can cause a change in behavioral patterns. Along with the drop in humidity there could / probably be other subtle differences that cause the lizards to switch up the routine. It's easy to speculate and read to much into something or miss something. African monitors are very resilient when it comes to dehydration , a drop in humidity could be telling them that they better do what they can to get their moisture levels as high as possible because a drought might be coming. In captivity they don't understand that the water will never go away. The same behavior can have different causes. Behavioral questions are the toughest to answer.

Ernie Eison
Westwoodreptiles.com

I like your reply, Ernie. Looks like you saw what was/is hanging me up from my "body fluid/humidity" question.

Oh what a tangled web we weave by failing to adhere to the K.I.S.S. rule of thumb. Especially me. If I knew anymore than I do, I'd be really dangerous. Ha! Ha!

You made a good point by pointing out that physical conditions dictate behavioral conditions. (Not to put words in your mouth, that's just they way I interpreted it.)

I have to say that I think rappstar609's situation goes to show that under proper conditions it can take awhile to correct an animal's health due to it's prior husbandry conditions. And even then, we don't know what damage has been done that's irreversible.

Thanks!
Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

They are designed to be very water tight, but they still lose water through their skin, eyes, nostrils, vent, mouth, etc slowly.
Humidity helps to slow the loss, or prevent it. Something to consider, humidity is formed by heat and water trapped into an environment. These creatures make use of high temps, they make use of cooler temps, they make use of dry and damp areas, low and high humidities.
The points behind all of this most people are not seeing or getting through their heads, is that they need a broad range of temps and humidities provided by basking spots, the surface of the soil, the air around it, the burrows they create which have all but 100% humidity
Something else to consider, if you have a lizard that is showing signs of dehydration, wouldnt it be common sense to leave it alone in its proper environment as much as possible to allow it to become hydrated by hiding in its burrows, under leaf litter, etc, then comming into the open to dry out and do what it needs to do. Not taking it out to run around your dry house and into the sun to take walks on a leash where its stressed out, scared, dry, exposed to the elements and what it percieves as threats?

Like a proper diet, humidity, water, heat, soil, basking spots, etc are but single bricks used to assemble a strong wall which is their life and requirements. Alone each is a single brick, but together they are a wall, alone they are no good, only when combined all together.

I'd have to agree 110% with shvar on this one. Monitors aren't like a bearded dragon that you can throw in a cage with some sand, a branch, and a basking spot, feed and it'll live until it's full life expectancy.

Beardies are alot like monitors in many ways. In fact most people who use sand and expose them to dry environments do not have very long lived beardies. I used to breed them at one time, until recently I still had one here (gave away the last one).

" They are designed to be very water tight, but they still lose water through their skin, eyes, nostrils, vent, mouth, etc slowly. Humidity helps to slow the loss, or prevent it. "

True In a technical sense but by slowly, extremely slow. The point is unless the circumstances are extreme. Under captive conditions humidity control is for all intensive purposes a non issue for African monitors as long as there's sufficient drinking water. It's the least of thing to worry about.

' An animal does not crap in its only source of clean water unless the alternative to doing so is worse, '

The above statement is incorrect.

Ps. are you Sam Sweet posting under another fake name ?

Ernie Eison
Westwoodreptiles.com

No, Ive been using this name for many many years.
Ill bet Sam Sweet probably wont visit this forum much anymore. In fact Over the years Sam and I have had it out on subjects, yet we agree on others.
Yes, a monitor lizard which is consistantly crapping in its water is doing so to conserve moisture, ie, there is a problem. If the lizard is crapping in the water it is most probably soaking first for a short time (seconds to however long) then relieving itself. This is a sign that the lizard is dehydrated and is facing a decision to soil its water source, or be constipated from internal dehydration.
Just as mentioned by others who have been in this hobby for years, if you make adjustments and correct the issue (environmental factor), the lizard stops crapping in its dish, if you adjust to the former conditions they go back to crapping in the dish, simple communication and your monitor teaching you something about its living conditions.
I saw this in the past with a few monitors once, when I decided to listen to what they were telling me, also what FR helped me to realize, the behavior stopped when I made adjustments.

The point is unless the circumstances are extreme. Under captive conditions humidity control is for all intensive purposes a non issue for African monitors as long as there's sufficient drinking water. It's the least of thing to worry about.

Do you know of any successful monitor breeders who would agree with that? For all us newbies, trying to keep their monitors healthy, most would say it's best to go with what's been proven to work.
Is there any proof out there, of long term monitor keeping/breeding, where humidity was considered a 'non issue'?
If so, why isn't it more widely known/accepted?

And what difference does it make if they're African, or Ausie monitors?

I, like everyone else, just want to do the right things to keep my monitors healthy and happy. If humidity is a non issue, why do most long term keepers consider it a big issue? What's in it for them?

The reason I say humidity is a non factor is because when the majority of people think of humidity they think of the moisture content in the air. What the gauge on the side of the cage says. My cage is at 70, 78 whatever percent. Forget the gauge. Forget the 70,78 % and look at the ground.

If you have your basic cage set up good and it's maintained the humidity level will take care of it self. It's a non factor . On the other hand humidity will not remedy other cage issues. If the entire cage is at 90% humidity and 110 degrees with no where for the lizard to go it sucks. If the humidity is high but the cage is 70 degrees it sucks. If the cage has plenty of humidity great temps but insufficient drinking water or the animals diet is poor ...................

People get hung up looking at some gauge . If the gauge says the humidity 70 % then things are fine. Never mind the substrate is like dust. Just look at what the lizard is living on , can it successfully make a nice burrow ? If the answer is yes then what's it matter what the humidity is ?

The thing is when the substrate is useless and the humidity says it's only 30% the most common way keepers address the situation is by misting. Ok now the humidity is high when it drops back down they mist again . This brings us back to

" If the entire cage is at 90% humidity on the gage and 110 degrees with no where for the lizard to go it sucks "

True if the humidity in the air is high this will help to maintain the moisture level in the ground but just because the humidity in the air is high does not mean that there is sufficient moisture in the ground. It's the ground you have to watch.

The lizards water intake is the key to hydration if the lizard has an adequate water intake it will always be fine as far as hydration if the lizard is not drinking enough it will dehydrate and die no matter what the humidity level. Again the humidity level isn't what matters it's if the lizard is drinking or not. If the lizard is not getting enough water then the water source is not good or there's possibly a health issue. Having a higher humidity level might help the animal to conserve water over a longer period of time but will not solve the problem. No matter what the humidity level the animals water intake is what keeps it alive.

" Is there any proof out there, of long term monitor keeping/breeding, where humidity was considered a 'non issue'? "

My rescues . They experience real seasons very wet / very dry and they adapt accordingly . 100% problem free.

" And what difference does it make if they're African, or Ausie monitors? "

I should have specified by type and not continent. In captivity we tend to try and keep everything within a group the same way. We say monitors do this and are like that. Generalize.

For the most part this is 0k. When it comes to things like water intake and loss their probably are subtle differences maybe even not so subtle based on the individual species evolved lifestyle. Savannahs come from Africa and so do Niles but they lead different lifestyles and occupy different habitants . Savannahs disappear for months during the dry season the Niles remain active. It stands to reason that the savannahs who may go for months with out a drink would have developed a metabolism that's better able to cope with lower water intake then a Nile that is always close to water.

Ernie Eison
Westwoodreptiles.com

Thanks for that. You obviously put a lot of thought into it and it makes a lot of sense. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions!

Susan.

(African monitors) Compared to Aussie and Asian species have a thicker skin, therefore they can stave off moisture loss longer.
Something which many keepers do not consider is that the smaller the monitor is, the larger the surface area that can lose moisture is (ie their eyes, nostrils, vent, mouth is larger by overall size and their skin is also thinner). This contributes greatly to loss of moisture.
Far many years Ive always set cages up and looked at what happens (but I have a general idea of what it takes to make a cage work with very little adjustment), and I make little a few adjustments. Once I had a humidity gauge inside of a cage on the wall, to me it was a waste of time and money. In fact I havent replaced the batteries in my digital cage thermometer/hygrometers in about 2 years now (all dead, and they sit in a box).
The original post on this subject has 2 monitors (as someone else mentioned) in cages made of particle board, with dry cocopeat substrate (both of which are useless for monitors). In reality if the cage was set up to be as moist as they say it is the cage would fall apart in no time at all, the lizards need a proper substrate which holds burrows and moisture.

I few, hopefully helpful, comments on your enclosure.

The cocopeat that you're using is bone dry. This stuff retains moisture well and, if you're misting it daily, it must be like a beef jerky machine in there. Is the enclosure covered? What are you using for heat?

The substrate is worthless for burrowing. Savs use burrows to help conserve moisture. Even in a hot and dry environment a burrow can be a humid place.

You are using particle board for the back of your ecnlosure. In a proper set up it would be garbage in less than a month.

Make it a priorty to make some changes and I'm sure they'll do very well. Good luck.