Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Thinking about getting a red ackie. Been doing some research and it says that you have to have ~8-10 inches of soil for the substrate. Has anyone kept these using less than that? Does anyone use anything else for a substrate? I'm not looking to breed them, just to have as a pet. I know sometimes these caresheets that you see online will tend to exaggerate at times, so I just want to be sure before I make an investment. I plan on housing it in a 75g tank. My tank has 2 slide screens which I plan on replacing one of them with plexiglass to hold in moisture. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!

You could use anything you want and have a healthy lizard, it all depends on how you manipulate the conditions in the cage. Alot of dirt provides a huge range of humidity conditions and requires less regulation than just a little dirt. Alittle dirt means more watching your levels and more hides being supplied and what not where as alot of dirt gives alot of options.

Of course there is nesting but that is not of your concern, either way alot of dirt is simply easier, you have more than enough space in a 75 gallon tank to provide 6-12 inches.

Also ditch the screen top completely, not just halfway and open it less to start with untill set up correctly, dont start with it half open (half screened) on the top and work from there, its kinda like starting in the middle and working left or right, start at the left (full cover) or the right (all screen) and work toward the middle instead....but in this case...start at the left....hope that made sense...haha.

Cheers,
Mike.

Like Sypder said, you can do whatever you want to keep a healthy lizard, it's all in how you manipulate cage conditions.

However, caresheets are typically geared towards people like you, who have never kept one before. Sure, you can try using less soil, or no soil, but you're not going to be as successful as quickly as you would with a nice thick soil substrate. If you've never kept ackies before (which it sounds like you haven't), stick to the simplest formula that has worked the best for the most people at your experience level. After you've kept your animal for a while (as in at least 6 months, if not a year!) and are familiar with its habits and needs, start tinkering with cage design and substrate if you want.
But, you'll probably find that the formula recommended is indeed the easiest and most successful way to keep them.

Breeding or not, the setup tends to be the same because in order to keep them as healthy as possible in a pet capacity, you end up keeping them in the same healthy condition they would need to be in to breed. And of course we all want our pets to be as healthy as possible, right?

There's no shortcuts when it comes to keeping monitors. You're going to the effort to block up the screen top, what's so much more difficult about soil substrate?

Good luck!

~jen
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"We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words."
- Anna Sewell (1820-1878)

I have never kept ackies but have kept/bred V. Pilbarensis,Glauerti and Gilleni and the available care sheets seem to apply to all the Odatria complex. I have had issues with dirt getting in the eyes of hatchlings and causing fatal problems. To avoid needless risk's I have found using a substrate that is to large to ingest or cause eye problems is the safest bet. This photo I have posted many times but does illustrate what needs to be accomplished and done in a safe/clean manner for the monitor. This allows for humidity by having a low water line below the substrate [ 1/4 inch washed gravel, approximate. 2-3 inches deep] that evaporates and is visible through the side of the glass so you can see what's going on. The important thing with this set up is to not over water as bacteria can breed in this water that can become nasty with fecal matter. The key is to water and allow almost total evaporation to keep any bacteria's from becoming a problem, then add a little more water, as far as hides, leaf litter is a good safe one and light enough not to crush the monitor. If you use any rocks make sure they are sitting on the bottom of the aquarium to avoid the monitor from undermining it and crushing itself. This set up has no leaf litter but does have grape vines and the peelings or husks from it. This provides safe hides and holds humidity when they hide in it. Dirt and digging is not a necessity for any of the dwarfs I keep unless breeding is the goal. The only time I have seen my monitors really dig burrows are when a female is gravid and needs a nesting site. The monitors also look alot cleaner when dirt is not used, not necessary if your a monitor but if you enjoy their colors it is a plus for the keeper along with needless dust. Most important with this set up is to heat at least 1/3 of the tank from underneath to allow for water evaporation/humidity.
Bob
www.herphatch.com