Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wandering what everyone thinks the best beginner monitor is?

Max

Ackies are the best Monitors without a doubt. They have great personalities, realitive easy up-keep, and are smaller and can be housed in smaller cages.

How are the temperment with ackies? I'm just wondering because if I don't go away for college (coming up after next year), I might think about adding to my reptile collection, and I'll have at least one 4'x2'x2' cage ready for business (I'm making three currently and only need two). I don't really need a reptile that can be handled on a daily basis (I've already got a beardie for that, and my mali uro tends to like coming out for a run around the room now and then). I would like it, however, if I didn't have to worry about getting bitten/tail whipped everytime I had to get the little guy/gal out for one reason or another. The cage that an ackie would probably go in would most likely be the bottom cage, just because I am going to have the beardie in the top cage and the uro in the middle cage, because my mom seems to love coming in each day before work to check on them. So, I wouldn't have to worry about weight or anything like I'm going to with the top two, and I could put a bit more dirt in than I will for my beardie and uro (both will have either burrow boxes or sort of a fake burrow though). Since the cages are only 2' tall though, and the lighting is all inside, I could probably only stretch about 6, 8" at the most, which would mean extending the substrate dam a bit.

By the way, I have ideas for the uro and possibly the beardie, like I said, to have some way to mimic a somewhat natural burrow. Which of these two do you think would feel more natural?:

-get a rubbermaid box, one of those ones that aren't see through, and are about 14"x10"x7-8" I believe. Cut a 3" hole in the side with a hole saw and put a flexible ribbed plastic tube leading in. Fill the box up with a good dirt mixture, and put some in the tube also. With this I would have just a thin layer of dirt (an inch or two) covering the rest of the cage floor.

-Put down the first layer of dirt. around 1" on one end of the tank, but 2 or 2.5" or a little more on the other side (probably the warm side), and cover the higher part with a piece of plywood, then cover that up with a thin layer of dirt, and start to dig a little entrance underneath it...the basic concept is that the plywood would act as the roof of the burrow.

To me it seems like it would be better to go with the rubbermaid idea with the beardie and the uro (especially because they'll be the top two cages...have to save a little on weight), and then if I ever end up getting an ackie, I could do the other idea because I would have deeper substrate to work with.

If anyone has any answers or anything, you know what to do. Also, just on the off chance that anyone here has a beardie, have any of you ever tried a retes stack in your beardie's tank? I use one in my uro's current tank, and I like it a lot. You don't even need a dimmer or anything to get the temps right, just more or less levels on the stack. I think I'll probably try it with the beardie when i get the new cages done. He's brumating right now...I haven't changed his temps or lighting or anything, and he still somehow knows.

>>By the way, I have ideas for the uro and possibly the beardie,
>>like I said, to have some way to mimic a somewhat natural
>>burrow. Which of these two do you think would feel more
>>natural?:
>>
>>-get a rubbermaid box, one of those ones that aren't see
>>through, and are about 14"x10"x7-8" I believe. Cut a 3" hole in
>>the side with a hole saw and put a flexible ribbed plastic tube
>>leading in. Fill the box up with a good dirt mixture, and put
>>some in the tube also. With this I would have just a thin layer
>>of dirt (an inch or two) covering the rest of the cage floor.
>>
>>-Put down the first layer of dirt. around 1" on one end of the
>>tank, but 2 or 2.5" or a little more on the other side
>>probably the warm side), and cover the higher part with a
>>piece of plywood, then cover that up with a thin layer of dirt,
>>and start to dig a little entrance underneath it...the basic
>>concept is that the plywood would act as the roof of the
>>burrow.

One to two inches? That's nothing. Go with a foot or so of substrate depth. Then they can really burrow!!!




Now that's one happy argus monitor!

Seriously, real depth of a burrowable substrate beats boxes, thin layers of dirt, and pieces of plywood any day.

Luke

Well, ultimately, that would be best (obviously). Living at home under my parents' roof and their rules though, it doesn't work out. Plus cage stackability was an issue. I need bigger cages, but I can't do that without having them stack on top of each other. I understand that dirt boxes and all that aren't going to be close to a regular burrow, but since I can't offer that, I wanted to find the best alternative for a humid shelter.

Thanks. Nice pics by the way.

Well, do what you think best. I have used rubbermaid boxes in the past for nesting female argus monitors. Not the best solution, but she did lay in them.

You are familiar with Deer Fern Farm's website? They've got some notes on how they keep their uros using boxes and a bird seed substrate. It seems to work for them, Doug has had good success with his critters.

Best of luck,

Luke

You may not want to hear it but its true, ackies are the best example to start with though.