Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone tried or thought of tring to use those outdoor rubbermaid storage containers?? Their are basicly mini garages, big enough to store bikes or lawn implements. Seems to me with some minor mods one could convert it into a nice enclosure. My argus is in need of a new cage and I have been thinking about picking one of those containers up. Any thoughts/oppinions?? I myself see some potential there. By the time I add up all the materials to build one from scratch plus time, I'd be better off dropping 2-3 hundred on a rot proof box ready for the mechanicals. Let me know your thoughts, Thanx, Clint.

I really don't know, but I have a few questions. Whats the weather like where you live?

The reason I ask is, if its not hot enough to be baking inside one of those rubbermaid dealys, that its not really hot enough to keep monitors outside. If it is baking inside one of those, then its not suitable for monitors(without a ton of work)

One more thing about those rubbermaid dealys. I often see them(or parts thereof) flying by during a dust storm. They really are not very sturdy.

I think that designs modified from dogruns are of most benefit. With a added night house(heated or cooled) they can be suitable for lots of different types of weather.

If you decide to build outdoor cages, let me remind you, there are very few understood basics. Things that are unexpected like, dogs, cats, racoons, kids, unwanted adults, that attack the cage. Also, such things as, bugs, parasites, vermin, and desease, that can also attack the inmates. Then of course there is the usual things, like, hurricanes, tornados, wind, rain, floods, heat, cold, and lightning.

So, are you ready for this, are you feeling lucky? then go for it. Cheers FR

Frank first of all thats an awesome pic of your enclosures.

I just wanted to ask what your experience has been with other animals like racoons and feral cats? Also has disease played a big role in the time that you have had animals outdoors? Like lets say parasites or illness? Maybe you can share how you may have avoided these pestering elements......without the obvious being keeping healthy monitors?

thanks alex

We do not have Raccoons, hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. We have lots of other animals, Thats why our cages are so strong. By far the worst is feral dogs. They are like outlaws, they have no rules or manners. The wild animals are very nice. We get, fox, bobcats, mountain lions(within a half mile) coyotes, collard peccary. Lots of hawks and owls.

To go on about the problems would take months, the biggest problem for me is ANTS and kissing bugs.

I have heard of all sorts of problems, from pestisides on. That is the point I am trying to make, for the most part, the problems are unknown. Even how to allow thermoregulation is unknown to most. A friend once told me years ago, two things happen with you allow monitors outside, they get away or die. I have spent years trying to prove him wrong. So far, hes winning. FR

One day youll beat him bud i have faith in you. Hmmm youve made me think about taking my animals outside. I will be in fl soon and i was considering moving them outside.

I know just because its fl its no different, ill still face some of the same variables, but another question I have is.... will being in a residential area be different from being in the country side? What i mean is will some of these pests stay away you think since ill have my dogs on guard and the fact that humans are around the larger predators may stay away? Those damn ants and kissing bugs lol....I dont know what my point is maybe im just reaching a bit here. They look so much happier outside though.....any thoughts?

alex

I would think that a residential area would be far worse, full of pestisides. All those folks making sure bugs won't get them. I would think Fla would be horrible that way. When I lived there, there was not so many people(northerners)(city folks)(afraid of all living things). I did live in New Orleans, and it was horrible, the place reeked of poison. It had no place to go. herbisides, pestisides, holy crapisides.

Its true, once you see a monitor enjoying the sun, its hard to turn back, that is until you kill them, that will get you to thinking. FR

I know Arizona can get pretty hot being desert and all. If any of your monitors died do to being outside did you find out or are you attempting to figure out the cause? In other words did you have thermastats regulating the temps(min/max), did you disect them, was it parisites? I can't amagine that it would be impossible keeping reptiles in outdoor enclosures unless maybe stress played a significant roll with all the wild life running about but unless they were captive bred that shouldnt really be anything out of the ordinary. And if they were doesn't that bring up the question of whether or not cative breeding wild animals is harmful to the species and takes away otherwise inherited traits. Maybe im just reading too much into it and missing something obvious like the fact that they are trapped in an enclosure and cant do what it is that they would normally do in certain situations and are forced to only do the things that their enclosure allows them to. Is that allowing them to be monitors? ASK YOURSELF...
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Jaye- "If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.". ... Jiddu Krishnamurti

But these are questions that i ask myself like are we as herpers doing justice to the species or are we creating unnecessary problems in it? We're changing the nature of a living thing whether we admit it or not and that is actual.
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Jaye- "If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.". ... Jiddu Krishnamurti

I have lots of empty cages, because its far easier to keep them inside. Also, I am too bull headed to quit so easy. Just now I was installing misters in the cages, because very soon we will be in the 105 to 115f range. Just another problem, overheating.

Please understand, we do not and cannot change the nature of a monitor. I would think it would take many many generations of selective breeding to change their nature. We can and do, change the nature of how that monitor lives. They without a doubt, recognize certain important things and its our job to find what those are. FR

the inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing. Its essence, disposition, temperment. I know this may or may not be across the board but atleast a few of these things are tampered with or changed while in captivity and though its physical make up appears the same, is it not just a shell(in most cases)of its natural self when man doesn't come in to play?
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Jaye- "If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.". ... Jiddu Krishnamurti

Ya no sh%# good points my friend I am going to overlook the urges to do this outside thing and focus on making a good sized building in the back yard (which is half an acre) so im sure ill have plenty of room to make a reptile room back there for the rascals. But they just look so great outside.........dont give in lmao

alex

My wife wanted me to build an outdoor inclosure. Too many kids, dogs, racoons, bobcats, but the biggest reason I said no was the bug sprayer that comes buy twice a week. Sometimes I wonder why I live this close to the river. Big skeeters in Bama. lol

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

This past October in the city of Omaha, Nebraska, a mountain lion was spotted and ultimately captured right in the middle of a well developed commercial area with a major freeway running along the spot it was seen as well as 4 lane road with lunchtime traffic. It was later determined with a fair amount of certainty that it was not an escaped pet, but had wandered along the river for several hundred miles. Being in a residential area, you might actually encounter a lot more strange (or expected) "pest" animals than if you lived in the middle of nowhere! Keep in mind, many of these "pests" learn that people throw away lots of stuff that tastes good, or keep lots of things in their yard they find interesting or appetizing.
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^x^ Bloodbat ^x^
Monitors, monitors everywhere
and all the food they ate.
Monitors, monitors everywhere,
their parents loved to mate.

Yes I agree, but in Fl the mountain lion is a puma smaller and more reclusive and also almost extinct or severly threatened. But good point to those living in South Ca. where mountain lions are plentiful.

alex

I live in the boonies in Florida, but we are also less than a half hour from Daytona. We have lots of critters here, in part because we built to have a corridor for them to travel down the back of our property to the wetlands conservation area behind us. Do we have Florida panthers? Yup! Have not seen one yet, but have seen the tracks. Do we have bears? Yup! Saw one just down the road with two new cubs just last month. What we don't see a lot of on my property is gators. Do we have them? Yup! Several live quietly in our pond. But you want to know where you see most of them? In swimming pools in the more populated suburban area just a few miles up the road.

When you take away the habitat, as they are doing in Florida, or make it impossible for the animals to get from one mini habitat to another, you get them in residential areas, like the bears in Deland last year that moved into town after they widened the one country road that used to be right on the border of their area. So, you may be surprised what you will find in your new Florida neighborhood. If you are moving to south Florida, you may see gold tegus and niles and water monitors in your suburban neighborhood. There is a growing problem with escaped/released monitors there. They seem to be surviving rather well, but the feral cat and dog population is reported to be declining. Some of the monitors are reported, albeit by nervous animal control and Fish and Wildlife folks, as topping 6 feet in length. Welcome to Florida! Bring your susncreen and your insect repellent.

Leslie

I live in FL. I have yet to see a gold tegu, water monitor or nile. I have seen a bunch of iguanas, knight anoles, even tockay geckos, and burmese pythons. But not 1 nile, water or tegu.

Thanks Leslie I will be ready for the unexpected

alex

One other thing youre gonna have to be worried about here will be bufo marinus aka cane toads. Killers and they're all over the place.

Nice, but here in Wis. it'd be a waste, as it'd only be usable 2-3 months of the year. I should have been more specific. I'm well versed in construction, you did a fine job on those. They look well planned out including the pathway in front of the enclosures. Thanx anyways, Clint