Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, Need a little help here please!

I received a "Black Rough Neck monitor" as a gift over the weekend. (Long story for another time how I wound up with a live gift) He (??~No clue of it's sex~ just guessing) So~ He is about a 14 to 18" (counting all that tail) so I believe him to be just past hatchling size but still pretty young (???).

I've got him in a small quarantine tub right now (How long should I keep him quarantined? I do not own any lizards but do keep a lot of snakes)~ the little info I have found suggests that I have been over heating him since receiving him late Saturday night ~he is in a smallish tub about 2 feet long and I used a ceramic heat emitter~ he is pressed against the cool side not looking happy (What does a "Happy" lizard look like?) I plan to change that now to an incandescent bulb to cut down the amount of ambient heat put off the bulb. I'm finding it difficult to actually create a gradient for such a long animal in such a small quarantine tub. He is on aspen shaving substrate now~ but I suspect (??) he will be better off with Mulch from the garden center (Increase his humidity?) when moved to his permanent home (4 foot long X 2 Foot tall tank).

I'd planned to feed him pinkie mice~ but now think I need to get him some crickets to start with? I am planning to offer his first meal today (after he cools a bit).

How's that sound for a start for my new rough necked friend? Any suggestions on some great resources I should read? Any good books or web sites?

Thanks so much! I imagine y'all will be seeing a lot of me here until I figure out the best care for this little guy. I'll post some pics of my new friend later! (I can't get over how darned cute he is!)
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Cheryl Marchek
AKA JM
Check out my website at:
The Red Dragons Den

pinkies might be a bit small for him i dont have a roughneck but my sav is little over a foot and hes eatin hopper with no trouble

screw the pinkie thing, 4footx2foot aint gonna work!!!

Well I understand he will be getting to large for that tank on a permanent basis~ but I had been thinking it should work for the first year~ will he grow faster than that?
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Cheryl Marchek
AKA JM
Check out my website at:
The Red Dragons Den

yea it might work for a year maybe a little less , but definitely not a permanent home, and about the pinkie thing , he probly like both pinkies and cricketts

nm
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Cheryl Marchek
AKA JM
Check out my website at:
The Red Dragons Den

I am unsure what the ceramic globes available in the US. But the ones in Australia are not ideal for a basking spot. which is REQUIRED for monitors. You have no choice in this.

All of my monitors have basking spot of up to 50 degrees celsius. this is acheived through the use of a 75watt reflector globe.

Cheers,
Brodie

Reflector bulb? Would this be along the same lines as what we (the the US) tend to refer to as a flood light? Behind the filament is a metalic/reflective finish that reflects the light away from the fixture and directs it outward?
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Cheryl Marchek
AKA JM
Check out my website at:
The Red Dragons Den

Hello,

I have Rudi's 2.2 to be exact. Below are pictures of what I raised one of the females in when she was your rudi's size. I would get that tank ready and set your little one up in it. Make sure you place a large tub for soaking and drinking, a few hides, branches to climb on, and a good temp. gradient. Use mulch, leaf litter, bedabeast mix. If I was you I would feed yours hoppers or small mice.

My setup:
This is a 40 gal/breeder tank dimensions are 36x18x16.
I use a 65watt incandescent flood bulb on one end of the cage. This points down on a log and heats up around 130 for the basking area. The ambients range from 90-75 within the cage. This would be counting within the many burrows and hides she has.

Here are some pictures that may help. *Note:* (This setup works for me and my conditions you may need to change things as you see fit). An example might be like the screen top, in a house or others areas you may find you lose to much humidity and heat. I have mine on my back porch in south florida. I need to let some heat and humidty out.

I am going to be keeping him in the house for the time being. Once he outgrows the enclosure he is in I may move him outside (southern California) but I need to do a lot me research and know a lot more about his prefered habitats first.

Thanks~ I will post pics when I put his enclosure together to get any tips from y'all.
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Cheryl Marchek
AKA JM
Check out my website at:
The Red Dragons Den

Search Google or this sight using the following key words:
Varanus Rudicollis
V Rudicollis
Black Rough neck

On this sight or the one I will give you below you could also use:
Rudi

Search through the arcives they go back over 3-4 years. Additionally you read on http://www.varanus.net however do not post questions there and expect to be spoon fed information. Varanus.Net is not a beginners forum but contains a lot of good information. Between Varanus and KS you should be able to find volumes of information.

Rudi's are one of the few monitors that will continue to eat insects even when they are full grown so go head and get some crickets or roaches for now. I hope you understand you are the proud new owner of a lizard that has the potential to grow to over 5.5 feet so you will have to plan to build a much larger enclosure. Good luck, hope this helps.

Thats exactly what I need. Volumes of information!

Yes~ I realize he is going to be a big guy~ not sure how excited I am about that~ but that was one of the very first things I figured out~ that and that he looks like he is going to be much more work than a snake is!

Thanks so much for the info. Never can have too much knowledge!
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Cheryl Marchek
AKA JM
Check out my website at:
The Red Dragons Den

...have you heard of a rudi growing past 5 feet?

I am curious to know, since I have a magazine artilcle written by M. Bayless(the Varanid Library and keeper of all records) that lists the largest size recorded at 58 inches (4.8 feet).

Telling someone they grow to five and a half feet is REALLY exaggerating now!
They average four.
Theres a big difference in those extra inches. My five foot male weighs almost twice what his four foot mate weighs. The mythical 5.5 footer must weigh a quarter of a ton...
hahahaha
D.

actually 5 and a half foot would be 5.6 not 5.5 and if yours is 5 foot than he should record yours since its largerthan the largest!!lol

Just for curiosity's sake, I'd like to get an 'official' record of War's size. But I don't know how to do that. Get someone here to look at the tape measure with me? Hmmmm, maybe try and photo him with a ruler next to him...it would have to be in the tub, and when he is dozed off, since if he knows a stranger is here, all bets are off. He wouldn't relax then.

I have been reprimanded by tc5000 (in a nice way) for skirting the issue of how to set up this new person's monitor. If tc thought this, maybe others have as well...

The truth is, the more time goes on, the less confident I am that I am taking care of my animals properly. So who am I to step right up and say "Well, this is what you do..."

My female has only nested twice out of seven pregnancies. This is bad, BTW. The male has health issues (his eyes). I have been humbled and shamed by all the dead hatchlings I have failed to raise. I cannot figure out the substrate issue. (I need to balance their needs with keeping it CLEAN and dealing with explosions of ants, spiders and mites.) I don't know whatever happened to the nice rudis I had that only crapped in the water basin, but when they moved to the new cage, they crap and pee everwhere BUT the water basin. Oooo, newspaper looks better all the time. (just kidding..)
I have also typed a ton about my rudis, and its all archived on this board and the other. I now think its best to tackle all our problems on our own, surely everyone's are different.

I wish the original poster luck and lots of fun with her new rudi.
D.

Thanks Dragoon, remember we can all learn from our own mistakes as well as others. I know you have had a tuff time lately but I am confident you will sort everything out. If you ever want help trying to measure War I will be happy to volunteer, I pretty sure I live in your back yard.