Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently finished building a new enclosure(6'x4'x4') for my sav. Its a plywood case with plexi door in front and 2 large closable vents on top. I use a soil/play sand/vermiculate(50/25/25) substrate and use 2 (heating) flood lights(controlled by a rheostat) for heating. It holds proper temps (130 degree basking/85 degree ambient) as is but ive been reading alot of posts about enclosures needing side vents as well for circulation. Can't believe i over looked something as simple as that. I just recently moved my sav in there from a 50 gal aquarium which he quickly out grew and he is in heaven, ive never seen him move about and burrow as much as he has these past few days. So my question is , is there an alternative to taking him out and cutting side vents into the enclosure or is it back to the drawing board literally with the measuring tape and jigsaw?

I drilled holes in the top only. The doors aren't airtight so I guess I have side vents. lol
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

vb

youre going to lose your humidity as the heated air takes it right up n out those top vents

and wrong. top vents can be effective if placed correctly. it also depends on where you live. i live in the NW and we have pretty good humidity already.

andrew

i really would monitor (lol) him for a while and see what he says, if he is having problems shedding then i don't see why you can't just take the sav, put him in the tub and cut out a couple vents with the cage standing. that doesn't seem difficult.

i think the vents you have will be fine. i use top vents with my troughs. they work fine.

sounds like a nice cage, a pic would be cool.

andrew

the vents i use with my troughs are the floor ones that you can close a little or open up a little. that might be another avenue.

andrew

Right now i run my set up with vents partially closed, pouring a gallon or so of water into the substrate as needed- usually every 4 days or so. I also have a mister on a timer that i use to water my plants. I dont have a humidity gauge as of yet but it seems to hold humidity pretty well and i say that because of the way the glass fogs and whenever i change his water bowl i can feel the moisture in the air. I plan on purchasing a gauge today so i can keep a more accurate eye on that and if the levels arent right i'll just have to close the top vents and add additional side vents if need be but i'll keep you guys updated and will post some pics in the next couple of days. Thank you all for your helpful oppinions and facts in this matter ,it means alot and brings us all closer to our goal.

the plants aren't necessary man and if you like them, get them out.

also, i spray down my cages every few days too but that is only this time a year and is to create a season, not for the purpose you are doing it for. so just give him a water bowl.

you want his dirt to be clumpable but not wet or highly humid.

andrew
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andrew

Varanus Creations

Actually his dirt is nice and clumpable and burrows excellently, i added a small tree and two grass like plants for scenery and he doesnt seem to mind besides their located on the far side of his cage near his water bowl. Trust me i could care less about the plants but he seems to enjoy stretching out behind them when he goes to cool down after a dip in the bowl and doesnt even try and dig them up surprisingly. They are along the wall so he has plenty of room roam and he never has been the type to dig burrows outside of his hide spots and me knowing him gave me the insentive to try adding them in the first place. He is very tame as well as predictable and we are talking savs cb.

Its definitely ok to use greenery or plants in your enclosure. Some monitors do encounter plants and trees in their natural environment, so it can't hurt. This one here is for a pair of waters

the humidity level. the glass should not fog for long periods of time.

the plants are another story. your monitor might be different in that it might not destroy the plants. i too think they look cool in some cages and because i like plants i have put live ones in monitors cages only to found that i wasted my 15 bucks.

best of luck,
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andrew

Varanus Creations

You can just cut branches off trees with greens or leaves on them. That way when they get destroyed or dried up you can just replace them with other fresh ones. Plus it has the added benefit of the dried leaves turning into leaf litter, but that can be a bit difficult to do in fish tanks, even if you do have 15 bucks to spare for your monitors

BTW It has nothing to do with it looking "pretty" for the owner or other people. Its to try and make the enclosure resemble their natural environment, and make them more relaxed.Especially when dealing with WC. For instance jungles, grasslands, etc.

Again maybe its not necessary, but it definitely can't hurt