Argus monitors - Enclosure building (dial up warning)

[allergenic]

My new Argus monitors were hating the temporary quarantine I had them in. It was not enormously huge, they were stressed, hissing and whipping when I walked in the room, and not eating.

From all my readings most problems can be fixed with husbandry corrections. Big thanks to DRZRider and RazeRaze for the late night PMs to make sure I'm on the right track. I took the weekend and finished the much larger enclosure I was constructing them.

I used Birch plywood, which in hindsight was too soft. It was medium priced, I didn't want to break the bank. I originally started with a 6 x 3 x 2 that was going to sit on a 6 x 2 x 2 horse trough full of topsoil, similar to the Pro Exotics setup.









Test fit = Near perfect. Just a small gap where I overestimated size:



At this point my wife-to-be came home and freaked out over the idea of an unsightly horse trough full of soil in our computer room. If you've ever had a pregnant wife and experienced the hormones and irrationality, it can't be explained, only experienced. The horse trough went back to the store ASAP, we discussed more sanitary substrate options. I was actually glad to do something different, because total cost up til this point including 600 pounds of soil/sand was $400.

She went to bed, I went back to the drawing board. I decided to take the 6 x 3 x 2 box and convert it into a 6 x 2 x 3 by turning it and shifting where the opening was and where the substrate dam will be. I still got a good 12 inch substrate dam in for future topsoil use, but opted to use CareFresh for the substrate, which they could still burrow in yet would be way more clean to dispose of for health reasons. I sealed it with 3 coats of PolyCrylic water based urethane. Total cost dropped to $240.



Both Argus immediately calmed down upon entering their new home. It's bare bones except for some plastic hides, the next step is cage/viv "furniture" and decoration/perches/etc. They got curious and explored every inch of their new box, trying to open the plexiglass slides six ways from Sunday. They immediately stopped hissing and tail whipping, and seemed really comfortable with me in the room. This is a good thing. I'll try feeding them tonight and see if they take, I suspect based on their new behavior it won't be a problem.

[razeraze]

I am glad you moved them, they will need an enclosure like your original idea so start convincing your wife. Soil is very important to the mental and physical health of a monitor.

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[DRZRider]

The enclosure looks way better than the aquarium. I would suggest that with those vents it will be too dry in there. Soil will help hold moister, but you may still need to block the majority of the venting. That will make a nice grow up enclosure. Since they both will be over 3 feet long in 8 more months and continue growing, are you planning on making a larger one for when they are bigger?

I got a full truck load of dirt that works great for less than $20. If you have a pickup truck you are all set.

Ed

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[GUYANAROB]

Looks nice

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[allergenic]

Originally Posted by razeraze

I am glad you moved them, they will need an enclosure like your original idea so start convincing your wife. Soil is very important to the mental and physical health of a monitor.

That's definitely the goal. Once the baby is here and my wife's immune system isn't so taxed, it will be easier to have soil. Thanks dude.

Originally Posted by DRZRider

The enclosure looks way better than the aquarium. I would suggest that with those vents it will be too dry in there. Soil will help hold moister, but you may still need to block the majority of the venting. That will make a nice grow up enclosure. Since they both will be over 3 feet long in 8 more months and continue growing, are you planning on making a larger one for when they are bigger?
I got a full truck load of dirt that works great for less than $20. If you have a pickup truck you are all set.
Ed

Definitely making a larger one, that won't be a problem. Just to mentally prepare, what dimensions is your adult Argus enclosure, the one I mentioned with the green background?

I didn't think those vents would be too big for that size an enclosure, but it turns out I'm having trouble holding humidity in there, especially with two basking lights. I'll have to cover part of them for sure.

Thanks man.

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[DRZRider]

That enclosure is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. I may need to make it bigger in the near future. You would probably be surprise at how little ventilation is needed.
Digging for eggs

My wife's entertainment

Both argus at 8 months old

Ed

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[allergenic]

Originally Posted by DRZRider

That enclosure is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. I may need to make it bigger in the near future.

That's a very nice manageable enclosure size, in the grand scheme of things. Do you have it in your garage/basement?

[DRZRider]

I have it in the basement.

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[razeraze]

Great pictures Ed, you sure you wouldn't want that cage on the second floor How are the cinder blocks holding up, and about how many pounds of substrate do you have in the cage?

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[DRZRider]

How are the cinder blocks holding up, and about how many pounds of substrate do you have in the cage?

I have a bunch of cinder blocks under the enclosure, at least 15. They are holding up fine. I don't know how much the dirt weighs. I know it was a cubic yard. When it was loaded into my truck (dodge dakota 4x4 at the time) it bottomed the suspension in the back. It was a pain to drive home and felt like driving a boat. The dirt cost me about $20.

Ed

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[razeraze]

Thanks we have about 50+ bags of soil and sand mix at 50lbs a piece. I think our cage is a bit bigger than your Argus cage though.

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[allergenic]

Good stuff, thank you.

I went ahead and covered the vents after wrestling with humidity for awhile (was hoping against hope).

Also, they are eating like pigs and are happier than ever.

Thanks.

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