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Jasper2012 Dillonh24 Jasper2012 BansheeRacer25 |
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Jasper2012 View Profile |
V.Salvador so much i need to learn
With the growth, on monday morning I fed it and saw it lay out on its basking spot comfortably, with its tail curled off to one side, the following saturday i hear a strange racket coming from the enclosure... I peeled back a section of drape sat down and waited. The noise was it pacing frantically in little circles around the basking spot trying to get comfortable, when it would settle the edge was at the back of its jaw bone/base of its throat after a minute back up to pacing... so i wet and got a larger basking spot, I swear somehow without me seeing it, it had grown about 1,1/4" in a single week. when I first thought that I figured I must be exaggerating, or crazy, but after doing the math an seeing how large it’s grown since i bought it thats gotta be real. I cant quite pin down a direct average weekly on its growth but estimate it somewhere around 3/4" a week with a few spurts and slow spots here and there. Now I personally plan for an inch a week. As far as behavior its still very shy, but just walks away from me, a step up from panicked sprints I guess, but an odd thing i noticed it every time i change something, add or remove a hide for example, it throws a fit. This begins with furious digging, throwing all the substrate into a large mound in the middle of the enclosure. usually burying whatever is in the middle.Then over the next four to seven days it will readjust things the way it wants. Almost as if saying "jerk now I gotta re feng shui the apartment" Is this typical for these animals? Feeding wise, I still haven’t gotten an ideal diet. Mostly mice, crickets and dubia roaches, with smelt fillets thrown in pretty regularly. For some odd reason it refuses to eat the tail ends of the fish( I cut the smelt into roughly inch long chunks) and it refuses to eat crustaceans, I’ve tried crayfish and small fresh water crabs. I’ve since given up and figure I’ll try again in 4 months or so, reptiles usually alter their tastes as they age. This thing is really a little power house. It moves things I used to think were secure, by using its head almost like a crowbar and pivoting its body, its right around 2 feet and I’ve seen it shift its water container filled, roughly 4 to 4&1/2 gal. Its also the only animal I’ve had to knock over lights trying to force its way out of the top of the tank and get the entire 120gal and stand to shake while going into one of those reconstruction fits. I do have an 8x4x4 under construction that should be finished in the near future. other than that I guess I realize that my ignorance is its #1 health concern, at around 90 days in I’ve invested enough to buy a fair used car, and know it will be the equivalent of a nice truck before all is complete just to have a healthy pet that may very well grow up to hate me. Any criticism is not only welcome but solicited, I’m trying to learn before there’s a major problem rather than after. thanks |
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| 07/17/12 06:33pm |
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Dillonh24 View Profile |
Message To: Jasper2012 In reference to Message Id: 2273735 V.Salvador so much i need to learn
Now for criticism.... 1. I personally am not a big fan of people really jumping the gun and buying some of the largest monitors (like Nile, Waters and Ornates) without starting with a smaller species first. Its like when you get your driver’s license... You don’t just go out and buy a Bugatti Veyron, you start with a more beat up car before you work your way up to nicer ones. (Poor example I know but you get the jist of it) 2. Another thing I really question as well, is why people buy monitors without having a proper enclosure set up ahead of time.. I know you do have an 8’ x 4’ x 4’ enclosure under way but why buy the monitor before it was ready.. A 120 gallon tank isn’t a suitable enclosure for a monitor, even as a temporary one for many reasons such as with all the glass it allows the heat and humidity out which will lead to poor growth and lack of energy, it makes the monitor feel "exposed" which leads to a lot of hiding. You need them to feel safe, so I would cover 3 of the sides and fill the enclosure with tons of different hides so that they do feel safe in the enclosure. I do have a few questions though.. 1. What are the temps and humidity in the enclosure? 2. How big is your Salvator? 3. How often are you feeding your Salvator? 4. Also have you been force handling your monitor at all/trying to "tame" it? But I am glad that you came here for advice because there are some very experienced keepers on here that can answer all the questions you will have about your Salvator. I myself am still sort of a newbie but I do like to try and help others as much as I can with the knowledge I have. I do hope that you take everything that everyone on here says seriously because this is what is best for your monitor no matter how offended you may get with some things that are said it is what is best for your monitor not you. There have been others on here who simply ignore all the facts that we are telling them just because it isn’t what they want to here. |
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| 07/17/12 11:10pm |
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Jasper2012 View Profile |
Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2273762 V.Salvador so much i need to learn
I feed daily. trying to keep it varied as much as i can, I have read that with salvator hatchlings you cant overfeed but I think that info( like so much else) is suspect. Current quantity is about a large mouse, sometimes i go with a hopper/fish combo. roaches are bought weekly and often scarffed down the same day, crickets are left roaming free until i cant hear em then i get more. I have tested how much food it will eat before leaving pieces to gage about how much it needs. Its at around 2feet, maybe as big as 26 inches. I haven’t measured it, just go by the rate things in the cage have shrunk and knowing those measurements. Temps... ambient range is 85-95 basking surface temp I currently keep at 125-130, I realize people say to go higher, but no one told my monitor... at a temp of 133/135 I have never been able to see it stick around on the spot, at 128 it will nap there comfortably sometimes for hours. Since its a digestion thing I’ve just kinda figured a little lower (within suggested range) for a long time is better than a higher temp for 10 mins. Water temp seems to be holding well at 82/83 degrees The humidity is a whole nother issue entirely. I’ve done as much as i could I think with this tank, going as far as using duct tape and visqueen to seal up 2 of 3 lid sections, and dampen moss with a pint glass of water a day, but unfortunately I’m only at 60%. if the info I’m reading is right they really need to be in the 90% range, this will be adjusted in the next week as the box should be complete. There just seems to be alot to learn with no time to learn it, the way I did this. What I thought was a fairly informed decision at the time of purchase quickly turned into little to no idea, coupled with what appears to be disinformation quickly. Through the tons of searches I’ve hit cybersalvator, here, faunaclassifides, kingsnake forums, and a handful of places in the uk etc... desperately searching to learn as much as possible about my animal. I’m under no delusions and realize this first year is gonna be one hard road for both of us. The bigger enclosure is gonna have to be started by the start of winter at the rate this thing is growing. I began this in all sincerity and plan to see it through, hopefully this is my only pet for the next 20 years, but this year is really gonna be a decider. any input would be great, again thanks |
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| 07/18/12 07:39am |
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BansheeRacer25 View Profile |
Message To: Jasper2012 In reference to Message Id: 2273789 V.Salvador so much i need to learn
it is normal for them to destroy everything in their path lol. i own a few that do it. keep up the good work and get that puppy in that big cage as soon as its done. you will see some neat behavior. good luck bill |
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| 07/18/12 12:24pm |
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