Reptile & Amphibian Forums

1. I have my Nile in a 20 long right now. I currently have a water dish that he fits perfect into, a habba-hut (only one hide spot because he prefers to make his own underground city in his substrate). I would like to add some rocks, and some plants. Today I went and got rocks at this fallen rock zone area. I need to know how to clean them properly so no parasites and such harm him. Also, plants.. What kind of plants do you suggest? I would like live plants, although I'm not sure if he would rip them up. Would he even use them, I'm not sure how aboreous Niles are.

2. I am actually in the process of building a 8' X 4' X4' cage. I would like to know if anyone knows anything about staining, and sealing the wood. Is it harmful? The reason I ask is that I would like the wood to look more red. I was told it wouldn't be a problem as long as it was sealed, and fully cured. Although, they don't own reptiles so I'm asking to make sure. Also, I was wondering if anyone knows approximately how many lights, and wattage I would need to make the cage at proper temps?

Thanks for taking the time to read, and hopefully answer. Have a nice day.

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Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

>>1. I have my Nile in a 20 long right now. I currently have a water dish that he fits perfect into, a habba-hut (only one hide spot because he prefers to make his own underground city in his substrate). I would like to add some rocks, and some plants. Today I went and got rocks at this fallen rock zone area. I need to know how to clean them properly so no parasites and such harm him. Also, plants.. What kind of plants do you suggest? I would like live plants, although I'm not sure if he would rip them up. Would he even use them, I'm not sure how aboreous Niles are.

Firstly, as far cleaning rocks etc. - most monitors not sure about yours deficate in their water dish which should be cleaned as needed, the only time you would have to clean rocks is if it decided drop feces on then then i'd use either Virosan or a antibacterial soap rinsed therally and dried. As far as plants i've tried live only to find that they dig them up and climb over them so they don't live long so artificial plants are best.
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>>2. I am actually in the process of building a 8' X 4' X4' cage. I would like to know if anyone knows anything about staining, and sealing the wood. Is it harmful? The reason I ask is that I would like the wood to look more red. I was told it wouldn't be a problem as long as it was sealed, and fully cured. Although, they don't own reptiles so I'm asking to make sure. Also, I was wondering if anyone knows approximately how many lights, and wattage I would need to make the cage at proper temps?

I used a water based polyurethane to seal all my cages(4 to 5 coats) and i also like the redish finish so i used BEHR's Deck plus semi- transparent water repellent wood stain from Home Depot (2 coats). I allowed it to cure for 3 weeks until it cured and there was no trace of smell. Then I ran the heat lamps for 24 hours before adding the monitors in case the heat caused the finish to let off any more fumes. As far as lighting im not sure for an enclosure of the magnitude how many heat lamps would suffice but i use two 120 watt infrared heat lamps made by Philips in my 6' long enclosure and they are controlled by a rheostat so it doesn't over heat so im sure you shouldn't need much more than that if that'll be your only heat source.
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>>Thanks for taking the time to read, and hopefully answer. Have a nice day.
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>>Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

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James Grigsby - " When you try of all your forces to make your own way, you will help some of others and will be helped by others. As long as you do not make your own way, you cannot help anybody, and nobody can help you. " (Shunryu Suzuki)

Alrighty, the only confusion I have from your response is about the rocks. You said the only reason I should need to clean them is that if he defecates on them. Yes, I agree. But did you thorougly read that I got them from outside, at a fallen rock zone. I am not sure if rocks can contain diseases, parasites, and whatever else. Perhaps you did read, and responded as needed. I might just be over worried. Although, I have been previously informed that you should soak wood, and or rocks in bleach over night, and bake them in the oven to kill off all germs. Is this legit?
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Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

no i didn't read that you got them from outside(must have over looked that) but you have to realize that monitors come from nature so when bringing in rocks or dirt from outside theres no need to bake or bleach. Dirt should be sifted of rocks and debree and rocks should be rinsed thorouhly. That is all.

Wood is another story.
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James Grigsby - " When you try of all your forces to make your own way, you will help some of others and will be helped by others. As long as you do not make your own way, you cannot help anybody, and nobody can help you. " (Shunryu Suzuki)

Ahh, Thank you. I appreciate your help.
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Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

Oh, finally, a responsible, curious, and caring Nile Monitor Owner. You are right for asking questions.

First off, if you haven't already built the cage, make it a foot shorter tall. They never go up high, trust me, I know this I have two wonderful Niles right now. And a baby in raising. Make the substrate very deep, maybe seven inches to a foot. They love making their own dens, if you don't have access to decomposed granite soil, get a clayish dirt you might have in the damp areas of your area. It holds dens wonderfully.

Second, you will need two elevated basking spots, to allow for variation, it also helps to have two elevated spots if you expect to house him with another animal, I'd say two one hundred watt Basking bulbs should do it for that. Get a temp gun if you don't already have one, his basking surfaces should be 100-150 degrees, elevate or lower the spots till you get what seems good for your monitor.

Third, although it isn't a water monitor, I highly suggest soaking weekly in room temperature water for about an hour, this gives you time to rearange the cage, they love that, it gives them something to do, *explore*.

Fourth, I suggest using leather gloves when handling your Nile, they will scratch and bite sometimes...but once you get the handling down to a regular monthly or every other week schedule, they will calm and become used to you. I see he has a bit of a temper and tendancy to bite, lol.

Fifth, try to keep ambient air temperatures at around eighty seven or so degrees, that is what seems to be good for mine. As for the finish, I love mahogany, thats what all my furniture is in my room, It is safe to stain the OUTSIDE of the cage a week or so in advance to caging the Monitor, or until scent runs off. Also test the heating and lighting a day or so in advance too. I find that cutting holes in the top of the cage, wood, and screening them off works well for lighting placement, cut the right sized hole, screen it, then place the light on it. At home depot they have all sorts of sealants you can use, just don't get something black, it attracts the Niles, they don't come in contact with this strange black stuff in their normal habitats, if you can't find something not black than cover it with tape I'd suggest.

I hope all of this helps you out.
I am overjoyed to find someone who cares about their Nile, and isn't afraid to ask questions.
Don't be discouraged if others say that it won't work out.
They are not vicious, not if you care for them.

-John May
Water and Nile Monitor Enthusiast

"We cannot fight communism all over the world..." - John Kerry, Post Vietnam
"Mr.Obertraff, tear down this wall!" - Ronald Reagan Post Vietnam

John Kerry was wrong then

"We cannot fight terrorism all over the world..." - John Kerry
"We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts, and those who harbor them..."

And he's wrong now.

Wow. Thank you very much. I've done a bunch of research on Niles. Although I do not know everything, so believe me I am not afraid to ask question. Perhaps, if it is not too much trouble you could email me sometime at endigohaze@yahoo.com and we could chat alittle bit more about the niles and exchange some thoughts. I have printed out your response, to keep for future reference.

Alright, I haven't started the cage, as I haven't bought all the materials yet. I insisted to a friend of mine that staining the inside could be bad, but I was told that I could stain and seal both inside and outside of the cage without any worries. I was very nervous about even thinking of staining the inside, and since you have verified to do just the outside, I feel much better knowing that I was right to begin with. Well, I liked the idea of having the cage 4' tall because it just seemed better to me letting him have more room. Perhaps I will decide that when the time comes to cutting.

Currently, I don't own a temp gun. I'm not sure if the pet store carries them. (Which, btw, I just got hired at today - in the Herp Room. I'm happy because now I have a say in how the reptiles are being treated, yay!) The air temperatures in the cage currently are at around 95 on the hot, and around 80,85 on the cooler side. I'm not sure of the surface, but I can gaurantee they are around 120, or so. As for a 20L tank, I have a *really old* 100 watt emitter, and 20 watt outside floor heating pad. Infact, the 200 watt emitter is so old, I think I have to buy a new one in the next few days, as it does not feel like it's giving off too much heat. Perhaps that will be on my tomarrow agenda.

I give him a soak about once every two weeks. He seems to just like to try to run away, which is fine by me. He can try, but he shall not succeed.

For the leather gloves suggestion, I've been told welding gloves would be better then just straight leather gloves. I'm not sure which is the difference. Me, being a female, does not handle welding materials.

Sorry if somethings are hard to understand. I was kind of all over the place while typing. Thank you for you time, I appreciate having help and not being told "you don't know what your doing get rid of that beast before you kill it or it kills you". LOL Thank you once again.
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Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

Okay, I was reading over my response. Ahem, I noticed I made a mistake, and could possibly get chewed out for. When I said the ambient air temps is around 95 on the hot side.. I keep it that way BECAUSE i have a screen tank, with only a bit of the screen covered because of the lamps. Also, I am constantly spraying down the substrate to try to keep up the humidity. I've also noted that sometimes it gets cold in my room, and it brings down the cage temperature, unfortunately due to the screen. Also, he seems to be doing quite fine with the temperatures at around 90, 95 on one side. He acts normal, he eats well, and defecates normally. I assume all is well.

Any questions about what I've said, or clarifications needed, please make a comment. Thanks.
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Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

Theres nothing wrong or harmful about staining the interior of your enclosure as a matter of fact its necessary or your wood will rott. The key is to allow it proper time to completely cure before adding the monitor.

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James Grigsby - " When you try of all your forces to make your own way, you will help some of others and will be helped by others. As long as you do not make your own way, you cannot help anybody, and nobody can help you. " (Shunryu Suzuki)

Aww. No worries mate! I am currently building a Juvinille cage for my baby water monitor, 6x2x2ft, He's gonna love it. So you're a shiela, well welding gloves are really a bit of a mess to deal with, they are kinda like the gloves you or someone you know, your parents maybe, use for gardening. I suggested leather gloves because they are harder to tear through than cloth. If you are wondering I am austrailian, I just don't type like it. It's funny though aint it?

I live in Texas, boy it's fun.

My suggestion about your nile trying to run away when it soaks is, put a cover, a screen or something over the tub he soaks in.
It will discourage him from running away.

Nile Monitors are Fun. I think that the best part about owning one is, watching them grow up. It's great, they grow faster than alot of other monitors, and they mature alot easier. Don't waste your time trying to watch it feed, it will know you are watching, it may make him nervous. You aren't gonna want a nervous Nile Monitor.

What have you been feeding it? I suggest a diet of feeder roaches and or large crickets, four times a week live, ground turkey or ham, once a week, and their favorite meal seems to be, ground chicken, not fried/grilled. Just chicken like, baked chicken right out of the freezer. Thaw it out and feed until he seems, satiated. Or go with whatever diet suits you and your monitors needs.

Gooday

-John May

-John May
Water and Nile Monitor Enthusiast

"We cannot fight communism all over the world..." - John Kerry, Post Vietnam
"Mr.Obertraff, tear down this wall!" - Ronald Reagan Post Vietnam

John Kerry was wrong then

"We cannot fight terrorism all over the world..." - John Kerry
"We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts, and those who harbor them..."

And he's wrong now.

Well, I haven't bought him crickets in about two weeks, he seemed to of stopped taking an interest in them. I shall try them again though. Currently, he's been eatting fuzzies, and small hoppers. He eat's one fuzzie every day. Sometimes lately he's been going every other day when he gets small hoppers. My mice actually just laid a new batch. I will try the other foods you listed.

Yea, I'm not worried about him eatting infront of me, as long as he eats. I've been trying to keep track of his length, but he just loves to try to bite, or run. lol Can't blame him though.

Thanks for the food suggestions. Infact, if you get time email me a full list of foods at endigohaze@yahoo.com. Thanks.
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Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

There is some orangey red clay at the fallen rock zone where I obtained some rocks. I've read on here a few times that some people have actually dug up their own substrate. Now, how do I know what is suitable? What should the clay look like, feel like? Any certain things I should be looking for? Then, last question hopefully, but not least.. how do I clean it?

Currently, I'm using screened topsoil, with a mixture of playsand. It's working, and is fairly cheap so it's not like I *need* to dig up my own substrate, but perhaps alittle change up would be nice.

Thank you once again.
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Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

Frankly the color of the clay doesn't matter a bit. Try digging a hole that resembles a burrow in it, oh about a foot or so down and to one side. if it doesnt cave in, ITS GREAT, if it does, try six inches down, if it doesnt cave in use it, use about seven or nine inches of it if it doesnt cave in at six inches, and if it doesnt cave in at twelve inches, put a foot of it in, she or he, the Nile, will love it, they love burrowing, they prefer burrowing close to an under cage/tank heater to climbing to an overhead basking light, either way they get the right amount of heat, remember, surface temperature either way.

I prefer the under tank heater because you tend to see your monitor at play, digging or burrowing, more often.

plus it saves on the electricity bill.

Your current soil sounds good to me, but eventually your nile is going to be big enough to where he wants a more solid, thick, burrowable substrate

Gooday

-John May
Water and Nile Monitor Enthusiast

"We cannot fight communism all over the world..." - John Kerry, Post Vietnam
"Mr.Obertraff, tear down this wall!" - Ronald Reagan Post Vietnam

John Kerry was wrong then

"We cannot fight terrorism all over the world..." - John Kerry
"We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts, and those who harbor them..." - George W. Bush

And he's wrong now.

Your baby Nile looks healthy and sounds healthy. Where did you get she/he? I am in the market for another baby, as it were. So if you could tell me an eligable breeder/seller I'd be thankful.

-John May

Actually, your going to be shocked. I got him from the pet store that I work at. The first one I got was horrible. He looked healthy and what but he refused to eat, lost weight, etc. I made them exchange him. Then I got the one you seen. He was awesome from the get go. He ate wonderfully, gains weight, etc. I'm not sure how much he's grown. I think he's grown abit, seeing as how he eats a mouse everyday or every other day. I've only had him for about a month now.

Erm, to answer your question though. The petstore. lol It's called Pets Plus in Lockport, NY.
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Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

I think I am coming up to New York for teh GOP convention. But if not. Hmm...do you think you could get a healthy one for me from your store and charge me? or let me send the money to your address? -john may

I do not see why not. Do you have some kind of Instant Messanger? This would be lots easier. lol
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Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

AIM

BaggerVanceTCU

-John May

do you have AIM or any other messenger like MSN

Yes, I have AIM, and MSN.

I use aim more though. SN is ToxikZero
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Mouse - It's what's for dinner!

Live plants might survive a while with a juvenile monitor, but before long the lizard will be large enough to wreak havoc with any plant you put in its enclosure.

I seal my wood cages with an outdoor sealant from home depot. The cages have held up until now and the monitors in them still seem healthy, so I guess it is working. If you are looking for enclosure building ideas, you can visit my web page at
http://www.pizards.com/hbd/tricks.html
It is discussing argus monitors, but the basic care of Nile monitors is practically identical.

The number and wattage of lights you will need will depend on the ambient temperature of the rest of the house, and the insulation and air exchange of your enclosure. I find that a line of 4 halogen floodlamps, each 90 watts, gives a basking spot large enough for an adult monitor to fit most of its body under the lights and heat up to an acceptable temperature, while keeping the interior of the enclosure adequately warm durring the winters of Upstate New York. In summer, I will often unscrew one or two of the lights to prevent overheating. You will probably need to experiment for yourself, but this can give you someplace to start from.

Even light canvas gloves will be sufficient to protect you from a monitor's claws. These are also light enough to give you more tactile feedback when handling your beast. For protection from their bites, however, you really need heavy leather welder's gloves. These can be purchased in any hardware store. Even these only offer partial protection from really large monitors. I've been thinking about how to attach steel plates to my gloves for better protection, but have not gotten around to that yet.

Best of luck,

Luke