My friend Chomper was laid to rest due to complications arising from poor husbandry. He succumbed to low level long term dehydration from poor caging.

Since life would be incomplete for me without a monitor in the house, I made the necessary corrections and my new baby "Littlefoot" arrives in the morning.

I revamped Chomper's cage to accommodate the baby..

I installed a 4 foot UVB light, the frame is from an aquarium light hood, so the humidity will not hurt it, I also used a cord from a Christmas light string with the tiny fuse in the plug so that if anything goes wrong the fuse will blow quickly...

http://www.chompersite.com/husbandry/tube.jpg

On the "dark end"

http://www.chompersite.com/husbandry/end.jpg

I wired in a GFI to prevent any issues with humidity and electricity..

http://www.chompersite.com/husbandry/GFI.jpg

Applied 5 coats of wood sealer to all the untreated plywood to prevent mold.

http://www.chompersite.com/husbandry/doneseal.jpg

I buried two drain pipe hides.. they have dirt on the bottom for a natural floor.

http://www.chompersite.com/LF/mouth.jpg

I dumped in some forest floor.

http://www.chompersite.com/LF/leaf.jpg

I made this basking platform with a ramp & put in the half log hide..

http://www.chompersite.com/LF/log.jpg

Perfection!!

http://www.chompersite.com/LF/stable.jpg

Thanks for looking.

That looks awesome Wayne, good luck with your new baby! :yes:

I was about to ask if that platform was close enough to your heat/light source but the next pic answered that question :yes:

Good luck with Littlefoot Wayne. :cheers:

Looks great! I'm sure Littlefoot will enjoy it.

Awesome!!! Best of luck with the new little guy!

We've all taken a loss, all we can do is try harder the next time. ~

Looking forward to seeing Littlefoot !

Very nice setup.:yes:

Dan

Thanks!!


If I would have waited another 20 minutes to post...

http://www.chompersite.com/LF/again.jpg

I was about to ask if that platform was close enough to your heat/light source but the next pic answered that question :yes:


I had to move one of the bulbs up a few inches Quig, it climbed up to 180 and the thermometer blanked out and said "HI" and I don't think it was greeting me.

Found out today that he was going to ship me a sub adult, I asked to wait for a baby.

So meanwhile...

Live grass!!! yes.. I hacked up my lawn, but we have live grass in there.

http://www.chompersite.com/husbandry/grass.jpg

This conceals the opening to the hide,

http://www.chompersite.com/husbandry/grassOpen.jpg

Found out today that he was going to ship me a sub adult, I asked to wait for a baby.

So meanwhile...

Live grass!!! yes.. I hacked up my lawn, but we have live grass in there.

This conceals the opening to the hide,

Grass is a good touch. When is baby Littlefoot going to get there?

I had to move one of the bulbs up a few inches Quig, it climbed up to 180 and the thermometer blanked out and said "HI" and I don't think it was greeting me.

:eek: I know savs like hot, but yeah, 180 woulda cooked him

Grass is a good touch. When is baby Littlefoot going to get there?

If all goes well next week.

It seems that currently the "market" is flooded with 2-3 foot sub adult/adult wild caught Savs, and not so many hatchlings.

I want to raise another baby, not deal with an animal that has been free for 2 years and suddenly trapped in a net, stuffed in a box and shipped.

Looks good.
I would do away with the pipe hides. You want your Sav to dig its own burrows. They stay hydrated by digging down to damp soil layers. Make sure the bottom level of dirt is damp.

I would also get those basking temps up to about 140.

Other than those 2 suggestions, I think everything looks great.

Just added more grow lights for the grass....

http://www.chompersite.com/LF/growL.jpg

http://www.chompersite.com/LF/F40.jpg

http://www.chompersite.com/husbandry/6500K.jpg

http://www.chompersite.com/LF/10ft.jpg

I filled the pipes up half way with damp dirt.. The baby can dig them out for a tight fit. Tunnel temperatures 72 degrees 95% humidity, any wetter it would be a swamp.

The 88% humidity is down low to the grass, the higher temp is the ground level temp, the lower reading is the temp under the leaf litter.

I will lower the one flood bulb about a half inch, that will raise up basking a few more degrees.



http://www.chompersite.com/LF/turf.jpg

If any moisture is evaporating out into the room, it's of no benefit to the Monitor. Right now my cage is sustaining a 70% humidity level with the basking lights blaring and the dirt in there is staying nice and moist.

http://www.chompersite.com/husbandry/glue.jpg

http://www.chompersite.com/husbandry/doorstrip.jpg

The lowest humidity reading I could get was 50% right at the basking platform.

Lookin good! ~

That is one awesome setup. I'm sure he'll thrive, and more, in it.

Thanks, That grass is taking hold with a vengeance in there..

Thanks, That grass is taking hold with a vengeance in there..

Cool, won't be long and littlefoot will have it all tore up :D

Cool, won't be long and littlefoot will have it all tore up :D

Of course.. That sod was complete with worms, grubs and slugs, so we already know what is going to happen in there..

Of course.. That sod was complete with worms, grubs and slugs, so we already know what is going to happen in there..

:lmao: :wamma: Yeah buddy!! :yes:

Like a little boy in the garden with a Tonka backhoe...

best of luck with the new little guy.

Still waiting on hatchling availability..