Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, recently I was given a very small, stunted baby Sav. He was in a pet store with his clutchmates who were all 3x as big as him. He has a lump on his lower spine and his tail is a bit twisty. I really do not know how they were being kept or why this one didn't fare as well as his siblings. He was imported about March of this year and he is maybe 5 inches svl and 7-8 inches overall.

Anyhow, I have two choices for housing for him. One is a fish tank that is 4 feet long and 18 inches wide by about 16-18 inches tall. This was my first choice but it is not as easily accessible and I would be reaching in from overhead and freaking him out.

The other choice is a front opening "glasscages.com" cage that is only 3 feet long by about 16 inches wide by taller than we need here. But it opens from the front and I think that would be better to not freak him out as much?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Carole
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www.reptilecare.com

either cage will work,you're right about the front opening cage being better because you don't approach the monitor from above so much.Not sure what husbandry knowledge you have,but make sure not to use screen tops,if you do cover almost entirely so you restrict airflow within cage.Any other questions don't hesitate lots of knowledge on these forums.

Hey thanks for the reply. I did set him up in the front opener. It is like 130 degrees on the hot spot with a uv and spot lamp on it. I know, they supposedly do not need uv but thought since this guy is compromised it couldnt hurt... I have not covered the top yet but will. I have read about the humidity escaping. I have a misting system on the tortoises but I think that might be overdoing it for the monitor. So far, he has been eating well on crickets and roaches.

Thank you so much.
Carole
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www.reptilecare.com

The problem with adding everything is, The key to varanid husbandry is temperature CHOICES. That is, from cool to hot, you mentioned you have 130F hot spot, so you have the hot. The more lamps you put in a cage, the less ability to have the cool side.

Most all reptiles perfer cool temps when resting, 65F to 75F and heat up to acomplish tasks. Such things as walking requires heat, then more heat to run, then heat to digest food, then heat to build an immune system, etc. Even heat to shed. But the REQUIRE cool to rest.

So, offer a range of temps. The more lites you put in, the less range you will have in a small cage. Its just that simple.

In all cases, compromised or not, doing it right is better then doing it wrong. If you offer a proper heat range, UV bulbs are not needed, what so ever.

Anyway, good luck I hope your Sav is doing good. Cheers

Hi there, thank you for the response. Don't think I havent thought about cooking him in there by covering the top with all the lighting. I had temps to where I thought they were good (125-130 on that basking spot and 75-78 on the cool side (the room the cage is in is in the mid 70s.) I only covered part of it yesterday in an attempt to reach a middle ground until Friday when I can monitor the temps better throughout the day. It is going to be hard to get the proper gradient where the cage is presently.

My other option MIGHT be to stick the entire cage on a shelf within my redfoot enclosure. I have sealed that off to some extent (it is floor to ceiling 6x4.) and the humidity is really nice in there. BUT the background temp is also 80-82 for the redfoots so maybe not...

I will be messing with the lights to try and get this right. And will post pics at some point. This little monitor is definitely messed up, but from what I am not sure... thankfully he is eating the crickets and roaches.

Thanks again,
Carole
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www.reptilecare.com