Varanus99
12-02-2008, 09:42 PM
Y'all knew this was coming...
Hey everybody! It's me again! I've mentioned Retes Stacks a lot. Im silly for them. I usually put "All Hail" in brackets around it. Why? Glad you asked! Because I think they are one of the finest husbandry tools available to monitor keepers. And they work well for other species too!
The concept was originated by Frank Retes. Big surprise I know.
A Retes Stack is a multi level basking platform designed to allow the animals to thermoregulate under cover. A stack of boards and spacers is placed under a heat source. The top platform will naturally be the highest temperature. The next one down a bit lower. And so on. By doing this you allow the animals to move up and down the stack and adjust their body temperature as they see fit. And, as an added bonus, they are also heated hides allowing the animals to warm up while maintaining the security of a hide spot. They are just groovy! Here, lemme show ya..
The size of your Retes Stack will depend on the size of your animal. I have mostly dwarf monitors so my stacks are small. They seem to work best for small to medium size monitors and juvies of all species. Trying to make a Retes Stack for a full grown water would be one heck of a project! But I digress.
For this example lets say we're making a stack for a little guy. An ackie, a blackhead, a Kimmie, something like that. I usually go 12"x12" for juvies and 18"x18" for adults. You want to give them enough room to fully stretch out but not so much room that you defeat the purpose of a hide. In this case Im going 12 x 12. First, choose a very think plywood or paneling. You want it thin so the heat will transfer. 3/4" CDX does you no good. In this case Im using a thin luan. First I cut my pieces. Im using a ripsaw which makes it easy to have them all the same size since you just set your saw and go. But you could also use a circular saw or even a hand saw if you have the patience which I do not:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/001-6.jpg
Next you cut your spacers. I am using 1x2 laid flat since the animals are small and I want them to squeeze in there. Cutting them on my handy mini miter box:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/002-8.jpg
Once you have your spacers and boards it should look like this:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/003-6.jpg
Now we put them together. Im showing just two levels. I usually like to make mine 4-5 levels. This is just an example. You just keep building up to whatever you need:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/005-6.jpg
Now here is where you customize. I like to screw mine together. I just put an 1 5/8" drywall screw through the boards every couple of stacks and they hold the whole thing together. Now, this means I cant extract the lizards without taking the stack apart. Im fine with this since I dont make it a habit of snatching my lizards out of their hiding places. And in case of an emergency I can just spin the screws out. Some folks dont like to screw them together since if you dont you can easily lift the layers off and get at the lizards. This is up to you. I always worry they are going to collapse the stacks and hurt themselves. Highly unlikely and the wood is very light. Its doubtful they would be injured but I prefer a secured stack.
Another option is just to put a spacer on one side. This creates a really tight side that the lizards can squeeze into:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/006-4.jpg
And yet another method, make a bunch of single levels and scatter them under the heat source. Voila:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/008-2.jpg
Whats the right way? Thats up to you. They all serve a similar purpose. Me, I like the original. Very simple, easy to duplicate.
And now Retes Stacks in action.
A Kimberly chillin on top and grabbin some heat. His buddies are lower down in the stack:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/011.jpg
Peek-a-boo!
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/010-2.jpg
A larger stack. Notice I turned the 1x2s on their side to accomodate the fat ackies. Dont mind the wet spots they just got a spritz:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/013-2.jpg
A baby stack made with 1/2" plywood strips to make it tighter. It could be a little tighter but they grow into it so fast what the heck. None of them were in there for the pic. Shucks:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/015.jpg
They can even work for leopard geckos! Not so much for thermoregulation. Maybe a little. But more for extra space and good hides:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/016.jpg
And one for the blue tongue skink. Used 2x4s here to fit her fat tush. Just two levels plenty for a skink. They arent exactly nimble, lol:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/018.jpg
So there ya have it. More than you ever wanted to know about Retes Stacks. I think they can be used for all sorts of critters. Try'em out!
One thing to keep in mind. While many small species of monitor enjoy and are good at squeezing into tight places some of the larger species may rub their backs raw if its TOO tight. So when dealing with larger animals and different species make it snug but not so snug that it could potentially damage the animal. For other species like ackies, kims, tristis you really dont have to worry. They rule tight spaces.
Know what else I think would like these? Carpet pythons. Oooooh yeah!
Enjoy! Go build a Retes Stack today! Its fun!
:yessir:
Hey everybody! It's me again! I've mentioned Retes Stacks a lot. Im silly for them. I usually put "All Hail" in brackets around it. Why? Glad you asked! Because I think they are one of the finest husbandry tools available to monitor keepers. And they work well for other species too!
The concept was originated by Frank Retes. Big surprise I know.
A Retes Stack is a multi level basking platform designed to allow the animals to thermoregulate under cover. A stack of boards and spacers is placed under a heat source. The top platform will naturally be the highest temperature. The next one down a bit lower. And so on. By doing this you allow the animals to move up and down the stack and adjust their body temperature as they see fit. And, as an added bonus, they are also heated hides allowing the animals to warm up while maintaining the security of a hide spot. They are just groovy! Here, lemme show ya..
The size of your Retes Stack will depend on the size of your animal. I have mostly dwarf monitors so my stacks are small. They seem to work best for small to medium size monitors and juvies of all species. Trying to make a Retes Stack for a full grown water would be one heck of a project! But I digress.
For this example lets say we're making a stack for a little guy. An ackie, a blackhead, a Kimmie, something like that. I usually go 12"x12" for juvies and 18"x18" for adults. You want to give them enough room to fully stretch out but not so much room that you defeat the purpose of a hide. In this case Im going 12 x 12. First, choose a very think plywood or paneling. You want it thin so the heat will transfer. 3/4" CDX does you no good. In this case Im using a thin luan. First I cut my pieces. Im using a ripsaw which makes it easy to have them all the same size since you just set your saw and go. But you could also use a circular saw or even a hand saw if you have the patience which I do not:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/001-6.jpg
Next you cut your spacers. I am using 1x2 laid flat since the animals are small and I want them to squeeze in there. Cutting them on my handy mini miter box:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/002-8.jpg
Once you have your spacers and boards it should look like this:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/003-6.jpg
Now we put them together. Im showing just two levels. I usually like to make mine 4-5 levels. This is just an example. You just keep building up to whatever you need:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/005-6.jpg
Now here is where you customize. I like to screw mine together. I just put an 1 5/8" drywall screw through the boards every couple of stacks and they hold the whole thing together. Now, this means I cant extract the lizards without taking the stack apart. Im fine with this since I dont make it a habit of snatching my lizards out of their hiding places. And in case of an emergency I can just spin the screws out. Some folks dont like to screw them together since if you dont you can easily lift the layers off and get at the lizards. This is up to you. I always worry they are going to collapse the stacks and hurt themselves. Highly unlikely and the wood is very light. Its doubtful they would be injured but I prefer a secured stack.
Another option is just to put a spacer on one side. This creates a really tight side that the lizards can squeeze into:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/006-4.jpg
And yet another method, make a bunch of single levels and scatter them under the heat source. Voila:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/008-2.jpg
Whats the right way? Thats up to you. They all serve a similar purpose. Me, I like the original. Very simple, easy to duplicate.
And now Retes Stacks in action.
A Kimberly chillin on top and grabbin some heat. His buddies are lower down in the stack:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/011.jpg
Peek-a-boo!
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/010-2.jpg
A larger stack. Notice I turned the 1x2s on their side to accomodate the fat ackies. Dont mind the wet spots they just got a spritz:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/013-2.jpg
A baby stack made with 1/2" plywood strips to make it tighter. It could be a little tighter but they grow into it so fast what the heck. None of them were in there for the pic. Shucks:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/015.jpg
They can even work for leopard geckos! Not so much for thermoregulation. Maybe a little. But more for extra space and good hides:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/016.jpg
And one for the blue tongue skink. Used 2x4s here to fit her fat tush. Just two levels plenty for a skink. They arent exactly nimble, lol:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg239/Varanus99/018.jpg
So there ya have it. More than you ever wanted to know about Retes Stacks. I think they can be used for all sorts of critters. Try'em out!
One thing to keep in mind. While many small species of monitor enjoy and are good at squeezing into tight places some of the larger species may rub their backs raw if its TOO tight. So when dealing with larger animals and different species make it snug but not so snug that it could potentially damage the animal. For other species like ackies, kims, tristis you really dont have to worry. They rule tight spaces.
Know what else I think would like these? Carpet pythons. Oooooh yeah!
Enjoy! Go build a Retes Stack today! Its fun!
:yessir: