Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I put both of my Water Monitors in there new cage about 2 month's ago.one came out and started eating the first day and the other can out the second day but didn't eat and I haven't seen him since.Whats the longest he can stay hidden?Do you think he could be dead?

The cage is 12x12x7 with wire mesh separating 2 12x6 sections.I have temps from 175 at one of the 2 basking spots per side.and temps down to 65 on the cool side.humidity is about 85 on My digital gauge that I keep on the cool side.Substrate is leaf litter and is 2 feet deep.I also have a 133 gallon pond on both sides.Sorry I don't have pics or a camera.

I have kinda been dealing with the same issue-incompatabilty between the two indiduals might cause this and possibly the substrate may be to cool.I'm relatively inexperienced but understand how incorrect substrate temps can effect your monitors health especially of concern to those living in northern climates.So many factors that can be intertwined.How i see it and this is just what i have understtod from my own experience is if the substrate where they conserve moisture/ energy is too cool it slows their energy level-heat up the soil raise their metabolism so they need to feed more.I wouldn't normally post but sometimes it's good to show others they are having similar experiences Moe

Thank you to both of you.I will get it heated up today.Is it ok to put a space heater in the cage were they cant get to it or will that dry the air to much?If I cant use a space heater then Ill just add more lights but its going to be a pain to cool it down in the summer.

I should add that they only have 1 basking spot at 175 each.but they have plenty of cooler basking spots all the way down to about 85.There is also a big piece of plywood on top of the leaf litter that had a row of lights over it and the surface temp is around 105 there.

Are you using the low wattage halogens?

the cage is in the garage so I cant raise the temp in there.the hole cage is insulated all the way around though.and I am using 50 watt flood lights.I have 2 banks of 3 on each side of the cage.No lights at all on the cool side though.

I got 6 75 watt floods because they were on sale so I hope that is enough.if not Ill just keep adding heat.

You mention the enclosure`s in the garage, I assume the garage floor is concrete, does the bottom of the enclosure come in contact with itif not, what`s the bottom of the cage made from?
Why have you only used leaves sa a substrate and not soils/sand/other?
Also, is the pond heated, and if yes, what`s the temp of the water? Sorry for all the questions, particularly if you`ve already answered them in another thread. (It`s difficult to remember, there are so many)!

The floor is concrete,but the cage is sitting on thick foam insulation.I use leaf litter because its what I have.I have lots of oak trees in my yard and since Im renting I cant dig up the dirt.The ponds arnt heated,they stay at about 75 degrees.

Could you buy some soil and sand?
Have you noticed any food being taken, and what are you offering them?
I think it might be best to search through to see if they are still alive.
And until you can get the conditions acceptable, use a smaller enclosure for the time being, which should be easier to regulate..

only one of them hasnt been seen.I just fed the smaller one 4 weened rats and it was catching them out of the air when I threw them in.Im ordering a kane heat mat,13.5x60 to heat the substrate.What would be the best way to heat the ponds?I am thinking that I can use water heater like is used in a house,and it shouldn't get to hot sense I have 266 gallons of water to heat.any ideas would be appreciated.

as for the smaller enclosure idea,I think it will cost more to build a smaller enclosure then it will to heat the one I have.

also I forgot to say that sense I added the 6 new floods the temps has gone up 8 degrees on the cool side and its only been about 2 hours.the lights are about 2.5 feet above the plywood thats on top of the substrate.Im thinking about building another shelf to lower the lights and help with the substrate temps and also still get the heat pad.

sorry for the bad pic,but My phone is cheap lol

The 6 lights in the middle are the ones just added today.

O.k, it`s quite hard to see clearly, but it looks to have been very dark in there, moreso if you`ve just added 6 more bulbs. The best way to supplement the illumination is with fluorescent tubes (just a household, not the "reptile" type), because the more heat you use, the more you`re drying out the air, though because of the water container it might not effect it quite so much?
I would keep the bulbs at one end, rather than all along as it seems in the photo (or maybe I`m mistaken)?

all the bulbs are on the hot side.the wall you can see is 12 feet away from the front of the cage.Most of the lights are on the back wall and then there are 3 on each side but there also on the back 5 feet of the cage.Its not really dark in there at all,except on the cool side its darker.

The cool side got up to 78 degrees yesterday and the humidity is still around 80% on the cool side.

You can see in the picture but there is wire mess separating the 2 sides of the cage right where the plywood is that you can see going down the middle of the cage.and there are pieces of plywood under the lights on top of the leaves with a surface temp of 95 through 110 degrees.The substrate under the plywood where the surface temp is 95 is around 85 degrees.the temp of the leaves was NOT taken directly under the lights but about 2 feet away.

Do you have any idea if I can put the kane heat pad in its side running down the plywood separator?It says on there site that you dont lose heat through the bottom of that pad so Im not sure if Ill get heat to both sides of the cage if I mount it that way.

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I doubt the heat pad will have too much effect on the other side of the partition, perhaps heat the air slightly in that immediate area, if they don`t emitt heat from the bottom.
If the lowest temp is 78f under the substrate, it`s o.k, because that`s where they`ll usually bury themselves), if not, you need to check that.
Did you search for the other monitor?

78 is the air temp,not under the substrate.How far down should I dig to get the substrate temp?

I have searched for the other monitor with no luck,but a mouse came up missing 2 days in a row.I then put a rat in there but it didn't get eaten.Im not sure if he can eat the same size pray as he used to so Ill go back to mice.

The ponds are plumbed in so I cant look under them for him but I know that's where both monitors have the entrances to there burrows.I dug through both sides of the cage and I didnt find either monitor lol but I saw and fed the other one since then.

Are you feeding live mice and rats?
You need to check the temps all the way to the bottom, because with the substrate being only leaves, they might go all the way down. (You must get the lowest temps in the enclosure, especially at the bottom of it).

I feed fresh killed or frozen thawed.

Right now the cool side is 76 degrees air temp and 67 degrees at the very bottom of the substrate on the cool side.

O.k, f/k and f/t are good! I think the temp at the bottom is too low, is there a way you could raise that from under the emclosure floor somehow, even by around 5f?
EDIT: You mention the plywood on top of the leaves, is it just for basking on, if so, remove it and see if the temps come up at the bottom (just a thought).
How thick is the insulation under the floor?

The plywood is on the hot side,not the cool side.Its just something for them to hide under or bask on.Its 77 at the bottom of the hot side..

Sorry I didnt answer all your questions,

Yes I could heat it with heat pads but I would have to remove the insulation.

The insulation is the thickest one they had at home depot,Im not sure what it was though.Its the hard yellow stuff,not the white stuff.

Hi again, I think the easiest way is to raise the room temps that the enclosure`s in. Especailly if this is a cold season problem, then adjust when the weather gets warmer?

Hi, Water monitors are from the tropics, they normally don`t experience temps that low, maybe the animal has gone into brumation, although I haven`t heard of them doing that in the wild, they remain active year round.
Neither do they need 175f surface temps to bask in, anything between approx 120 to 140f (50 to 60c) is fine, the young animals heat up very quickly. I would raise the cool side ambient (air) to around 75 to 80f (24 to 27c), that includes the substrate.