Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i saw in the b/g of the pic of u n ur female which u posted for me thanks again. but how did u build the cage if possible can u tell me the things i would need to MAKE a 6 by 3 by 3 cage thanks or evn leave me like the blueprints thanks so much

tom

Hey, buddy, I would LOVE to help out a fellow rudicollis lover, but I am NOT good at the cage thing. Maybe I will be someday...

I did have photos of my cages at all steps of the building process, but my computer was totally erased recently and I don't have those on CD yet. So here are pics of my two 8 foot cages as of today. They are the same exact dimensions, only one cage has a removable divider, padded on one side to protect the plexiglass.
They are both built on top of 4 x 4 x 2 foot high boxes that I built elsewhere and waterproofed with epoxy paint(which I do NOT recommend- it doesn't cure well on wood). I built the base in two parts in order to get it into my apartment building. Then I just pushed two boxes together and built the top over them.

The top is based on a standard sheet of plywood- 8 feet by 4. I made the frame and just slapped the wood over it. Outdoor primer is used for the tops, cheap stuff, since I know they will just claw it up and wipe blood on it anyway...

I used plexiglass for the fronts, since it is light, and I can screw it on. Heat is from ordinary halogen floodlamps, two side by side. (Ignore the incandescent reflection, that is my beardie tank beside my bed.)

Anyways, some comments on the cage thing, MY OPINION ONLY:
-rudicollis are relatively clean and tidy animals to keep, they crap in their water dishes or a favorite corner
-rudicollis don't tear up their cages, making plexiglass and cheaper chipboard acceptable
-rudis like hiding so much, they can be happy in a smaller cage if you give them lots of boxes and deep leaves to hide in
-they are active in the morning, you will not see them late afternoon or evening

-water monitors are DESTRUCTIVE
-they crap everywhere, and drag it everywhere
-they will SHRED chipboard, and scratch the heck out of plexi
-they are restless, and need SPACE to explore
-they are very active after dark

So you can see, I was happy with my cages until I started babysitting a water, now I can see they just would not last with another species. Keep this in mind if you get another varanid besides your rudi.
And, I don't have cage plans. I made it as I went along. Its just a box, you can do it!
Cheers
D.

Ignore the rotten bird cage, it came with my Quaker parrot. I will NOT be using it...I took these pics in a hurry..
A young water is temporarily in the left side, and two baby rudis on the other..it is not done, of course, I'm putting more stuff in it, but first I want to get more of that cork sheeting, they really like going up and down on it, and use it rather than the bark. Why they like being vertical, I have no idea, I get dizzy just looking at them.
D.

np
-----
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Nice cage layout! Can you please email me if you have a sec, as I have a question for you..

Thanks,
Lou

web@dragonbreeders.com