Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey guys i have some questions on timor monitors. i have a 20 gal. tank, cocobedding,asorted branches,and a powersun bulb that i am not using and i was wondering if this would be adequest to house a hatchling? i have been looking a lot on the internet for more info on them but i cant find much at all.

thanks
matt

oh yeah i forgot to include, i am definatly upgrading tanks. i will probably make something around 4ftX2ftX3ft. the 20gal. would just be to keep the baby in.

>> hey guys i have some questions on timor monitors. i have a
>> 20 gal. tank, cocobedding,asorted branches,and a powersun
>> bulb that i am not using and i was wondering if this would
>> be adequest to house a hatchling? i have been looking a lot
>> on the internet for more info on them but i cant find much
>> at all.

I suspect a powersun bulb will cook a 20 gallon tank. Remember, you want the bulb inside the tank, and the tank top covered with something solid in order to keep the enclosure from becoming extremely arid (no screen tops). Set everything up first and check the temperatures to make sure it is within acceptable limits (about 25 to 30 C at the cool end, 35 C or so at the hot end, and basking temperatures in the 45 to 55 C range). Make sure the humidity is up to something muggy and tropical.

The space provided by a 20 gal is probably okay for a while, but act quick - monitors grow fast if properly cared for.

You can take care information for nearly any monitor and scale it down for a timor - the basics are all pretty much the same. Here's one on savanna monitors that isn't bad
www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/lizards/savannah-monitor.php

Good luck,

Luke

thanks man. the bulb is a good foot and a half over the tank though. would that be okay?

>>thanks man. the bulb is a good foot and a half over the
>> tank though. would that be okay?

If the cage top is covered with something solid, the heat will not be able to get through (nor the UVB) although with a transparent top (like plexiglass or glass) some light will get through. This is not acceptable for the lizards.

If the tank top is covered by screen, the heat and light can get through, but the cage will dry out to unacceptable levels. Chronic dehydration is perhaps one of the most frequent causes of premature death in monitors. Just providing a water bowl is not sufficient.

Go to Home Depot or whatever other hardware store you happen to like. Get a cheap ceramic light fixture, a wiring box, a replacement cord, and a 1/4 inch acrylic sheet. Get a selection of halogen flood lights - say 25 watts, 35 watts, and 50 watts. get a thermometer (actually, you might as well order an infrared temp gun - I like to go through either the bean farm or Pro Exotics - google them for their web sites). Cut the acrylic to fit the cage top. Attach the light fixture to the acrylic on either the far left or right side, so a bulb screws in to the underside of the sheet, and the plug wire comes out on top. Drill a few ventilation holes (not many) in the acrylic sheet opposite the bulb on what will be the cool side. Set up the cage. Screw in the the 50 watt bulb. Wait for long enough for the temperature to stabilize (several hours). Measure the temperature. If it is too high, replace the 50 watt bulb with the next lower wattage. If it is too low, try with a higher wattage bulb. Repeat until you get suitable temperatures. If the temperature gradient is too uniform, you can drill a few more ventilation holes in the acrylic over the cool side.

Put in the work to get the heat and humidity right, and your lizards will grow up much healthier.

Good luck,

Luke

thank you. ill go tommorrow probably.

Sounds like some basic review of the archives would benefit you very much so. Look for advise from those who produce results.

Goodluck,
Mike.

They are arboreal so many branches and corkbark things for climbing. Mine also digs so a deep substrate is a good idea as well. For a baby deep being like 4-5 inches.
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1.1 Savannah Monitors (Annah & Terrance)
1.1 Nile Monitor (Lyle)
1.0 Timor Monitor (Timmmmaaayy)
1.0 Blood Python (Kevin)
1.0 Ball Python (Martin)
0.1 Leopard Gecko (Bella)
2.0 Bearded Dragons (Peter & Jack)
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake (Hector)
1.1 Kenyan Sand Boas (Wayne & Maude)
1.0 Dwarf Gecko (Little Girl)
1.0 Curly Hair Tarantula (Pube)
1.0 OBT Usumbara Orange Baboon Tarantula (Sin)
1.0 Emperor Scorpion (Ashoka)
2.0 D. auratus (Poison Dart Frogs)
1.0 Peacock Bass (Gary)