Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Any ideas for enclosure for an Asian water monitor he only 8 inches but i am sure he will grow fast.

Anything that is roomy enough to provide the necessary hides and which you can control the temps effectively. Main thing is to offer temp gradient from 130 at the basking spot(s) down to about 80 on the cool end for a hatchling. Night time lows should not drop below that 80 mark. Babies seem especially prone to RI's. You can start him out in a 20 gallon aquarium or something of similar dimensions, but he'll outgrow it in just a few short months so best to start planning on the intermediate cage now. My two little ones are currently in a 7.5' long, 3' high and 3' wide plywood cage. I'm hoping they continue to get along so they can stay together in this cage for the next two years or so. After that, they will get a much larger enlosure either in a spare room or outdoors. Best of luck with your little one! Billy

>>Any ideas for enclosure for an Asian water monitor he only 8 inches but i am sure he will grow fast.

All of my monitors have been regularly exposed to temps below 80 degrees. That includes my newborns. Today (in about 5-10 minutes)Pearl is going into an enclosure that will drop into the low 70s at night. Jalepeño has spent the first 3 months of his life in an enclosure that gets in the low 70s at night. Stevie and Dragon are approaching 2 years old and were also raised in enclosures that had some 70s. I have even had temps dip into the upper 60s with no apparent problems. The problem, in my opinion, develops when a monitor cannot get access to a basking spot during the daytime. It is the total (day or night) lack of opportunity to warm up properly that leads to illness, not the exposure to 70s or even 60s degree temperatures. Obviously, stress, health, and other factors play a role as well, but none of my monitors have died from temps in the 70s or even 60s.

Also, keep in mind that the 130 degree temperatures you are mentioning are surface temps, that is, the temperature of the object they are sitting on and not the air temperature.
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^x^ Bloodbat ^x^

With hatchlings, especially for someone that may be new to keeping Waters or even monitors in general, I feel it's best to err on the side of caution. My two juvies often sleep on the cool side of the enclosure at night as long as the temps do not drop below 77. When it does drop lower than that, I usually find both of them on the warm side of the enclosure in the morning. I also had a subadult female many years ago who would sleep out in the open in temps that would drop into the 50's and 60's on occasion. She had options to sleep in warmer temps, but for some reason still chose the cold, even after I physically put her in a warmer area. In the morning she would be back in the cold. Not always, but sometimes. Again, offer them choices but I strongly feel it's important to keep hatchlings and juvies warmer overall to help them build up a strong body with a strong immune system. Just my .02. Oh yeah, and of course the basking SPOT is at 130, not the air temp. I have every inch of that enclosure mapped out temp-wise and think all monitor keepers should know their temp ranges intimately as well. For example, I know that my smallest Water will bask at 130 for no more than 2-3 minutes at a time. More often he's found out toward the edge of the basking shelf where the temps are around 112 (I'll post a pic here shortly). The larger one tends to favor cooler temps overall and is happy with upper 90's to upper 80's most of the time. Billy

>>All of my monitors have been regularly exposed to temps below 80 degrees. That includes my newborns. Today (in about 5-10 minutes)Pearl is going into an enclosure that will drop into the low 70s at night. Jalepeño has spent the first 3 months of his life in an enclosure that gets in the low 70s at night. Stevie and Dragon are approaching 2 years old and were also raised in enclosures that had some 70s. I have even had temps dip into the upper 60s with no apparent problems. The problem, in my opinion, develops when a monitor cannot get access to a basking spot during the daytime. It is the total (day or night) lack of opportunity to warm up properly that leads to illness, not the exposure to 70s or even 60s degree temperatures. Obviously, stress, health, and other factors play a role as well, but none of my monitors have died from temps in the 70s or even 60s.
>>
>>Also, keep in mind that the 130 degree temperatures you are mentioning are surface temps, that is, the temperature of the object they are sitting on and not the air temperature.
>>-----
>>^x^ Bloodbat ^x^

Here's a picture to show. You have to look closely, but you'll see Sully at the left of the picture right next to the tiles. Right there its's about 110-115. Out near the edge of the shelf closer to the branches, it's low 100's. That area is where he spends a good portion of his day when not exploring the cage. About the only time he goes directly under the floods is right after eating, and even then, it's only for a very short time. Billy

>>With hatchlings, especially for someone that may be new to keeping Waters or even monitors in general, I feel it's best to err on the side of caution. My two juvies often sleep on the cool side of the enclosure at night as long as the temps do not drop below 77. When it does drop lower than that, I usually find both of them on the warm side of the enclosure in the morning. I also had a subadult female many years ago who would sleep out in the open in temps that would drop into the 50's and 60's on occasion. She had options to sleep in warmer temps, but for some reason still chose the cold, even after I physically put her in a warmer area. In the morning she would be back in the cold. Not always, but sometimes. Again, offer them choices but I strongly feel it's important to keep hatchlings and juvies warmer overall to help them build up a strong body with a strong immune system. Just my .02. Oh yeah, and of course the basking SPOT is at 130, not the air temp. I have every inch of that enclosure mapped out temp-wise and think all monitor keepers should know their temp ranges intimately as well. For example, I know that my smallest Water will bask at 130 for no more than 2-3 minutes at a time. More often he's found out toward the edge of the basking shelf where the temps are around 112 (I'll post a pic here shortly). The larger one tends to favor cooler temps overall and is happy with upper 90's to upper 80's most of the time. Billy
>>
>>>>All of my monitors have been regularly exposed to temps below 80 degrees. That includes my newborns. Today (in about 5-10 minutes)Pearl is going into an enclosure that will drop into the low 70s at night. Jalepeño has spent the first 3 months of his life in an enclosure that gets in the low 70s at night. Stevie and Dragon are approaching 2 years old and were also raised in enclosures that had some 70s. I have even had temps dip into the upper 60s with no apparent problems. The problem, in my opinion, develops when a monitor cannot get access to a basking spot during the daytime. It is the total (day or night) lack of opportunity to warm up properly that leads to illness, not the exposure to 70s or even 60s degree temperatures. Obviously, stress, health, and other factors play a role as well, but none of my monitors have died from temps in the 70s or even 60s.
>>>>
>>>>Also, keep in mind that the 130 degree temperatures you are mentioning are surface temps, that is, the temperature of the object they are sitting on and not the air temperature.
>>>>-----
>>>>^x^ Bloodbat ^x^