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Member	Message
#2267428 Mason12 View Profile	New Baby Sav and homemade cage Here is a few pics i took after first placing my new guy in his new homemade enclosure 4x2x2 let me know what you think
05/23/12  06:57pm
#2267432 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2267428  New Baby Sav and homemade cage im getting the big plastic water tub from the pet store in a lil bit btw lol
05/23/12  07:01pm
#2267435 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2267432  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Extra info: Substrate- Part Peat Moss & part soil Temps- 120 on tip cinder block(basking spot) 85-90 on ground around the cinder block on warm side. Cool side 75
05/23/12  07:30pm
#2267446 Savannahmonitorlover View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2267435  New Baby Sav and homemade cage More hides also the top should have been solid with the lamps screwed into the to hold heat and humidity in . But congrats I have a little one right now to . But good luck
05/23/12  09:39pm
#2267457 Milkweed666 View Profile	Message To: Savannahmonitorlover   In reference to Message Id: 2267446  New Baby Sav and homemade cage I’d flip it sideways so the opening is in the front, slap some plexy glass over the holes, with small door hinges maybe to open, put the light inside. U probly want a dam infront of the door to get deep enough substrate (if u choose to do it this way). More hides. What kind of bulb r u using? Looks good tho. Open tops let all the humidity out is the reason for all what i wrote.
05/23/12  10:20pm
#2267463 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Milkweed666   In reference to Message Id: 2267457  New Baby Sav and homemade cage I rearranged things and Ive added some more hides and a new basking rock and also got the water tub in there too. And Im using a 75w Zoo Med halogen bulb i was thinking i should have got a 100w... but anyway here are the pics im gonna add possibly another half log hide next to the water dish added this lil badass lock to keep him in when he gets a lil bigger lol looking any better?
05/24/12  01:41am
#2267466 Norf View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2267463  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Looks too plain still. Add fake plants/shrubbery. It’ll give the enclosure more life and different textures for the monitor to scratch around at.
05/24/12  03:13am
#2267467 Daryl- View Profile	Message To: Norf   In reference to Message Id: 2267466  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Get rid of the screen and like Milkweed suggested, put some plexiglass in its place. Currently there is no way you are keeping the right temperatures which is shown by the dried out soil. Not a bad start though!
05/24/12  03:45am
#2267505 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Daryl-   In reference to Message Id: 2267467  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Ill put in a lil more logs or something but im not trying to make it look like one of those elaborate enclosures, im a more practical guy and am more concerned with the temps and humidity. But more hides is what im gonna work on today. but no plants that is pointless to me, they’ll just get toppled over later down the line.
05/24/12  03:48pm
#2267507 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2267505  New Baby Sav and homemade cage But the plexi glass is a great idea. I might add that to the cool side but i need to have some screen to put the heat lamp on. I covered the cool side with plywood to keep heat and humidity in until i get the plexiglass
05/24/12  03:55pm
#2267514 Daryl- View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2267507  New Baby Sav and homemade cage You still need to cover up the screen as any roof ventilation will literally deplete any heat or humidity in the cage. All you need to do is find a place that will put a circle in the plexiglass the same size as your fixture, or what I sometimes do it get some expanded polystyrene, lay that over the screen and hack out a hole for the light to fit into. It doesn’t look as good but does the job bloody well!
05/24/12  04:20pm
#2267543 Norf View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2267505  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Obtaining and maintaining proper temps and humidity levels is mandatory. It’s not something only practical guys do. I understand that plants may be pointless and inconvenient to you but at the very least the monitor will be able to keep itself entertained. How long are planning on keeping the sav in there for? I don’t see anything protecting he wood from the soil. Are you aware that the moisture in the soil will rot the wood and deem your cage useless?
05/24/12  07:22pm
#2267547 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Norf   In reference to Message Id: 2267543  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Yeah Daryl im gonna look around for somewhere that can help me cut the hole in the plexi to fit the fixure. Thats a really good idea!. but your polyester thing..... ha umm idk bout that lol. And Norf perhaps i might get a fake cactus. And I didn’t think about the soil rotting the wood before I was all excited and just dumped it all in lol. But i’m only planning on keeping this cage for like 8 months to a year then I’m building a 6x4x4.
05/24/12  07:47pm
#2267551 Varanus_odom View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2267428  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Where to start... :-( Daryl advised you to use plexi to cover the area where you have screen but you will STILL be letting heat/humidity rapidly escape out of the lamp fixture itself. It needs to be mounted inside. If you want ventilation, put small vent near substrate level (not top). The Bad: -Screen top allows rapid heat/humidity loss -Heat lamp should be low wattage halogen flood bulb -Bulbs should be mounted INSIDE the enclosure (throw the silver lamp fixture out) -Enclosure should have been sealed and protected (it will rot, fast) The Good: You have a small box put together already. Dump every thing out, put your monitor in a temporary spot for a couple hours, flip the enclosure so that the TOP becomes the front and build a substrate wall so that the substrate doesn’t spill out when you open it from the front. Cover the screen with plexi so you aren’t getting rapid loss out of the front. Mount ceramic fixtures inside the enclosure so you can plug a couple low wattage halogens into them and voila. Put substrate back in, furnishings, etc. and throw him in his (still temporary) enclosure. Good luck!
05/24/12  07:56pm
#2267557 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Varanus_odom   In reference to Message Id: 2267551  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Okay so first of all that seems like a hell of alot of work lol How do you know plexi glass will let the heat out? and if so realistically how much...? certainly a lot less than the screen so there’s some improvement right?
05/24/12  08:18pm
#2267559 Aragarnn View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2267557  New Baby Sav and homemade cage the plexi is thinner than wood. thats what it really comes down to. and if its on top the heat rises and is absorbed by that. same with the lamp just sitting on top. if its inside, much less humidity and heat is let out. but yes it is improvement over just mesh. theyre just helping you and the monitor. and trust me, to do things right, intially it is a hell of a lot of work lol did someone tell you different??
05/24/12  08:25pm
#2268240 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Aragarnn   In reference to Message Id: 2267559  New Baby Sav and homemade cage So my sav died a couple days ago:/ i found him on his back in the water tub whitney houston style smh. But the good news is I redid my enclosure and got rid of the whole top and made a new one with plexi glass look-ins and the light fixture inside the cage. I also added more soil and its way better.
05/31/12  12:12am
#2268258 Adam L View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2268240  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Sorry to hear that. When I first got my baby I found him on his side in the water bowl and thought he had drowned but luckily when I reached in to pull him out he walked away. I wonder how he managed to get flipped over in his water.
05/31/12  09:21am
#2268273 Varanus_odom View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2268240  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Sucks to hear that, Mason... Regarding the plexi glass on top, I wasn’t saying the heat will rapidly escape from a solid top. But with the way you had it, the heat/humidity would have had easy access to escape out of the heat lamp that was sitting on top of the enclosure - or the areas in between. That’s why it’s best to mount fixtures inside the enclosure (as you’ve now done). Good job, and of course hope the next one sticks around a little longer!
05/31/12  11:22am
#2268274 Krusty View Profile	Message To: Varanus_odom   In reference to Message Id: 2268273  New Baby Sav and homemade cage Sorry to hear he died. When they die, they usually are weak and disoriented and dragging around. The fact that he eventually stumbled into the water and drowned was just a nail in the coffin, not the real cause of death as a healthy Monitor can swim and do anything. And they can have air in the gut that makes them float upside-down, particularly if they’ve been dead a few hours and bacteria are starting to digest things. Look carefully at what’s preached as the "right" way to set up a cage for a Monitor here if you’re going to get another Monitor. The ideas here do really work and prevent a lot of needless deaths.
05/31/12  11:31am
#2268446 Mdf View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2268240  New Baby Sav and homemade cage sorry for your loss, if you try again remember the key to success is a good set-up!
06/01/12  04:59pm
#2268694 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Mdf   In reference to Message Id: 2268446  New Baby Sav and homemade cage yeah i was pretty bummed :/ here he is before i buried him and heres the new top
06/03/12  08:41pm
#2268807 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2268694  New Baby Sav and homemade cage so just ordered a new baby sav from lllreptile. I got my last one in this sketchy reptile shop in LA so hopefully my new one will be healthier. Ive been researching a lot more lately but if anybody has any good caresheets or articles that i should checkout please let me know! I appreciate all the help too thanks
06/04/12  06:30pm
#2268811 Mdf View Profile	Message To: Mason12   In reference to Message Id: 2268694  New Baby Sav and homemade cage looking better! just remember with all the heat the tp lid will warp at the corners & break your humidity seal, so you might need two catches, from a viewing point it may worth placing plexi or an old glass viv door on the front for easy viewing. every time you hover over the top your rep will think there’s a big bird of prey coming :)
06/04/12  06:40pm
#2268824 Mason12 View Profile	Message To: Mdf   In reference to Message Id: 2268811  New Baby Sav and homemade cage ahh haha thats an interesting observation but that does make sense, maybe ill add a window or something to the front so he doesnt get freak out by me looking in so much
06/04/12  08:31pm

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