Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my sav monitor is still a tiny guy but i know he will grow very fast. so i want to get him his cage soon that he will be good in his whole life. some one said 8 feet long by 4 feet wide is good, but he doesn't own them, was just trying to make a good guess, and i dont know how high it should be. so sence this is going to be so big i doubt any one makes cages these large so i will probably have people help me make it. but what materials should be used. and how much screen should be used on the top to help keep in the heat? and any thing else i need to know i really need suggestions and answers soon. hopefully before he's 4 feet long.

Yo man, I have had my sav for 1 1/2 years now and he's grow from the paml of hands size to 3.5 feet. A huge eating machine and is tame as a dog (well... you know). Anyways, at the beginning of this year I built him an 8x4x4 cage and he seems very relaxed in it. It's enough space for excercise as well as big enough to create a good thermal gradient. It's made of a 1 1/2 in. stud frame with 1/4 plywood. I opted for the smaller wood because anything build that big with 3/4 inch wood or malamine would be really heavy. But if you're planning to put in 1 foot of dirt substrate, I recommend the thicker wood. Whatever you use, be sure to build more support at the bottom and put wheels on it. I also built mine in two section (top and bottom) in order to fit it through my basement doors. As for the ventilation, I'd stay away from screen anything. Instead install vents used for air condition in your home. You can purchase them at any home depot and install. They even have little handle to open and close the vents so you can regulate air flow. I use spot lights for the basking and install light fixtures to a piece of wood which hangs on from the ceiling. Well hope that helps and if you need more help, email me.

nguyendqa@yahoo.com

Andrew.