Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey as alot of people know im looking to get a baby male argus monitor from Nerd at the narbc show in pa for my b day!
just some questions about the cage i will be building for him

i will keep him in a 30 breeder until im done building him a cage
like 3-5 mnths the latest

question?
the 6'by3,by4' cage im gunna build is gunna have 1 1/2 - 2 ft of dirt soil mix

should i put more trees and climbing things in the cage or have more dirt and soil stuff.

one more question about substrate, should when i put him in his new cage build like a little burrow for him or will he just jump in and do it him self

sliding doors good idea bc i dont want like open doors so has anybody used sliding glass doors like 3/4 inches with glass doors

basking spot i would use 2 150 basking bulbs for one hid spot and 1 100 for the other(this one would be higher up on a branch so less wats) and 2 night lights one each side for night should give the righ temps

as for a hide/bask i was gunna build a 2'by2' by 10" hid box whick is gunna be under the lights so also a basking site this a good side.

water dish i was gunna by a big cat litter box thing as a water dish but do argus like soaking, or can i just give him like a bath 1-2 time a week instead.

one reason i want a argus is when they stand up, it there any ways i can get him to stand up more, like put bushes in his cage, do males or female tripod more or no diff, and do babys vs adults ripod more or no diff.

about taking them out
if i take him out have argus monitors been known to pee one the floor if you put them there, like my rough neck pees when evr i put him on the floor, do argus,

last thing
do argug monitor tame easy i will be getting a bay and hold it like 1-3 times a week for about 15 mins but do they tame easy

thanks for you help soor for so long

"should i put more trees and climbing things in the cage or have more dirt and soil stuff. "

I would give both, I collect drift wood, small pieces and big, short and long. I place these in the cage where the lizard can climb and hide under and behind. Don't get carried away, leave some floor space.

"one more question about substrate, should when i put him in his new cage build like a little burrow for him or will he just jump in and do it him self "

Just pour it in, pack it down and watch.

"sliding doors good idea bc i dont want like open doors so has anybody used sliding glass doors like 3/4 inches with glass doors "

I don't like sliding doors because all the dirt that gets flung around gets in the tracks. I am sure others use them, this is just my opinion.

"basking spot i would use 2 150 basking bulbs for one hid spot and 1 100 for the other(this one would be higher up on a branch so less wats) and 2 night lights one each side for night should give the righ temps "

I would just use 50 watt halogen floodlights above the basking site. I have a bank of 3 bulbs in my 4X8X4 and it gives good temps. I leave mine on 24/7.

"as for a hide/bask i was gunna build a 2'by2' by 10" hid box whick is gunna be under the lights so also a basking site this a good side. "

I give all my lizards different hide spots, but they all end up digging their own.

" it there any ways i can get him to stand up more, like put bushes in his cage, do males or female tripod more or no diff, and do babys vs adults ripod more or no diff.

From my little bit of experience and from what I read, they tripod to get a better view of something or when reaching for food. So I guess you have to give it something to see.
Mine likes to see the skink moving in his cage.
You can put plants and bushes in the cage by they will get dug up and trashed.

"water dish i was gunna by a big cat litter box thing as a water dish but do argus like soaking, or can i just give him like a bath 1-2 time a week instead. "

I give all the lizards a bowl big enough to fit in. They use it for drinking and as a bathroom. My little argus likes to fill his with dirt, so dayly claenings are necessary.

I hope this helps.

Scott
-----
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

One of my argus tripods a lot. The other tripods occasionally. If they are on the floor of the cage they have to tripod to see out. The one I have does it alot. They will also tripod to get food and sometimes when they put on a threat dislay.

One of mine loves water. He can burrow, hide uner a board, or get in the water. He likes the water a lot. The other argus only gets in it to poo or to drink. The water needs changing daily.

I good hide I have found is to put a board on the dirt, then cover it with a little more dirt. I then dig a small opening down so they know it is there. They dig it out and use it a lot. They do like to dig their own burrows.

One thing I have started doing is to set the water on 2 cinderblocks sitting side by side. The water is raised to the top of the dirt and the cinderblock holes are used as a hide.

I have basking spots raised 2 to 4 feet off the floor. I have small tree trunks they use to get up there. They seem to be more ground loving when they get bigger, but will still climb.

These are some of the things I have noticed with mine. Now if I could just learm to sex them better
-----
Ed

These heat lamps make my electric bill to high.

Argus are not the best choice for a tame not tamed monitor becase they r very high strung and active. The argus will put down a heck of alot more food than your rn. Yes they can pee when u tack them out it is an defese mecanisam. They can both tripod some individuals tripod more than others not female male its not drifrent. Yes the cage is pretty good id got 8 foot long tho thats just me tho. they do like to climb and dig so go 2 foot of dirt. well i hope i helped just e-mail me if u need more bluetegu88@aol.com

first off i have what i consider a tame argus, she still hisses and sometimes whips(in rare cases)but a young unworked with male argus will be high strung, jumpie , oddly fearless,hyper -active, curious, smart, little monitor.
male arguses get up to 5ft long, my female is little over 32" and she can consume 10 adult mice a week, so before you get it think how much a doudle the size male will eat( males can weigh up to 17lbs my female is 2-3lbs or so) for the cage i personaly would go with a 8'x4'x6' cage with 2' of dirt/sand mix.
if you get an argus you will see it tripod no matter what(take a look at my pics just down a little bit)
water needs to be big enough to fit the monitor.
i hope you know that i'm not trying to be mean i 'm just trying to inform so i hope this helps
Gage