Choosing a Lizard

[Tijah]

Hello

We are looking at converting our old aquarium into a reptile tank and were hoping to get a few opinions...

The tank itself measures 6' x 2'D x 2.5'H. The main thing, however, is that it is a room divider -- all four sides are exposed. We are wanting to keep it this way, so we're looking for a lizard that isn't going to scare from movement in the rooms. Also, we will be accessing from the top, obviously.

We're hoping to get an active-ish lizard (versus one that hides all day). We were considering at perhaps a Storr's monitor -- are these suitable for this environment?

And are there any other species that would be suitable?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jaylikesbeef]

If you are going with monitors (good choice btw), Ackies, Storrs and Gillens will all be excellent choices. I would strongly recommend Gillens mate, as I have a few in a 6' x 1.5' x 2' and it's very entertaining to watch them go about their business. Each to their own of course, I've never kept Storr's before but I don't see them up for sale all that often?

 

[Tijah]

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, Storr's do seem fairly uncommon -- it was just a species that got my attention, as I'm quite fond of the idea of monitors and I've been told Storr's have a lot of personality.

So I had a better look at the other two -- didn't really get the time before I posted to have a good look at each species. I hadn't realised the Gillens' size (should be obvious, as they are pygmies), but they're actually a bit smaller than I originally thought. The idea of being a tree-climber is interesting -- are they an active species?

I must admit Ackies colouring can be quite attractive. The only reason we weren't looking at Ackies is because they're about twice the size -- we want to give the lizard plenty of room to move around, and don't have the room in the house to get a bigger enclosure at a later date. I've read they grow to around 70cm, but obviously a lot of their length is made up of their tail. What do you think about enclosure size for Ackies? Their larger size is appealing (for me, anyway), I just don't want it to be too constricted in a tank that's not big enough.

We're not stuck on getting a Storr's, just that it was the species that really got me looking at monitors. Are you familiar with these species' activity? As I said in my earlier post, we do want to get a more active guy rather than one that spends a lot of time hiding. I guess the height of the tank could be more utilised with a Gillens, because of being arboreal.

 

[jaylikesbeef]

They all have a lot of personalities mate, you'll be surprised after they settle in Yes they are all pretty active species.

Size comparison wise Ackies will be the biggest amongs these 3 species (around 70cm), followed by Storrs (40cm) and Gillens (35cm). These will be different depending on the locality of the species, but that's roughly the average lengths I think. All these can be housed in a similar terrestrial environment (including Gillens eventhough they are arboreal in the wild, they do equally well in a terrestrial setup), and all will make use of your branches since the height of your enclosure is limited to 75cm (Gillen's will utilise it more obviously).

In terms of housing an adult ackie in your enclosure, that will be no problems at all. You can quite comfortably house a male with 2-3 females in that enclosure, although providing a separate basking spot will be better (but if you are only housing one then there's no issue there).

PS - There's an old thread here that compares Gillens to Storrs: http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-lizards-5383/pygmy-mulga-monitor-vs-storrs-136915/

 

[Tijah]

Personality is good

OK, so we're probably just going for the one lizard. I think I read somewhere that at least twice the length of the animal is required -- ours is about 2.5 times.

Thanks for the link -- I'll have a good read a bit later. Just got to make a decision on what species...

So, in regards to the tank itself, sizing aside, is an aquarium going to make an alright home? I've read that monitors like a fair amount of humidity, so will just adjusting the lids from glass to mesh work? What about substrate depth?

EDIT: Just been doing more reading and found a site that says a mesh top should be avoided for monitors, as you need to keep in as much humidity as possible. Would this be about accurate?

 

[dragonlover1]

one thing you need to think of ;old fish tanks hold a lot of bacteria and need a good scrub before changing to reptiles.Also a guy I had some dealings with had a pair of ackies in a 4x2x2 with no obvious problems

 

[jaylikesbeef]

Aquarium should be ok but it depends on where you live, as aquariums don't contain heat will (not to mention you'll have a mesh top) so you might need some additional heat sources at night if you live in the southern states. As for humidity I can only speak for Gillens, and they'll need a dry and hot environment as too much humidity can lead to respiratory infections. I couldn't imagine ackies or storrs needing a high humidity environment as their natural habitat is hot and dry (although the sand can be quite moist in their burrows).

Substrate depth wise a good 6-10 cm should be ok as storrs and ackies love to dig, not so much for gillens.

 

[Tijah]

Thanks for the input, dragonlover, and, yes, I am aware you need to give the aquarium a good clean.

As to heat... We're in Queensland (Brisbane area), so heat shouldn't be a problem. The area in which we live gets very hot in summer, although winters are actually fairly cold. Obviously, we'll look at what we need for heat.

In regards to humidity... This is what I read:

Maintain a humidity level of 60% to 70% by keeping the substrate adequately watered and via misting the cage. Most hobbyists don't realize that if your lizard is soaking in the water dish, your cage is too dry (this is your lizard's attempt at re-hydrating), it isn't just relaxing.

This comes from Lizards and Snakes as pets: care sheets, observations, photos, and videos. -- it's the fifth paragraph under 'Monitor Lizards'.

I also found this, in regards to the lid:

Screening not only causes excessive heat loss but it will also dehydrate the cage and thus the monitor very rapidly.

That's under 3.2 at Varanus.net---Captive FAQ--Housing

In your experience, what sort of humidity level should you be looking for? Not sure what type of enclosure you have, but would you suggest using glass lids or mesh?

 

[Womagaunt]

If you want to get a monitors, Ackies would be a good choice!

 

[treeofgreen]

Have you thought about bearded dragons? You could house pair or trio in that tank no worries.

Amazing personalities, full of life also they seem to like human interaction. If you have kids these would be great as they are easy and placid to handle (most cases)

Very nice colours available aswell, reds, yellows and oranges. Just a thought

 

[Tijah]

Thanks for your opinions, people.

We have considered getting a bearded dragon (we actually owned one a while back), but read that they don't like to be so exposed, as our tank would be. Our last guy was in a tank with three solid sides.

We just don't want to cause the animal stress, or end up having it hide away all day because of all the movement in the house. Also, as I have mentioned, we will be doing everything from the top, as we don't have the doors on the front. Thoughts?

 

[treeofgreen]

My 2 are in a high traffic area and in a glass tank (does have the backing covered). They are fine and i think they like watching us do the dishes, cleaning etc.
Mind you we only walk past on one side of the tank. Yes they may get stressed abit so thats good thinking. I know it varies from animal to animal (even in same species).

Wouldnt any of the monitors (or any other reptile for that matter) get stressed aswell?

I think as long as you give them a good settling in period to get used to their new home and also have plenty of hides scattered around you would be fine.

 

[Tijah]

Hm... We definitely want to keep all four sides clear (i.e. no background, etc.).

I'm not sure about monitors in an open environment. From what I've read, they do seem a bit less skittish than bearded dragons, but any input anyone can give would be welcome. We don't want to end up getting a lizard that's only going to be stressed out by being in an open environment.

 

[treeofgreen]

I think you should prepare yourself for either moving the tank to somewhere else or have another enclosure ready incase whatever you do end up getting gets stressed.

 

[Tijah]

Yes, that would probably be the best. That could end up being a bit difficult, as there's no room in the house for another tank, but if it was absolutely necessary, then I guess we'd have to work something out.

Does anyone on this forum have experience with lizards (any species) in aquariums that are positioned as room dividers?

The other thing we're still trying to figure out is the ventilation and humidity. This does vary from species to species, but is there somewhere we can start? As I said earlier, heat shouldn't be a problem for us, as we're in Queensland.

 

[Robo1]

I use a converted aquarium to house ackies; however, I built a wooden lid rather than using mesh. But having said that I do house some in a glass enclosure with a mesh lid. To control the humidity in both I use a deep sand substrate (about 20cm in the deep areas). The surface will dry out within a couple of days, but the deeper sand, which they burrow down to, will retain the moisture. I wet the sand down every couple of weeks if I think it's drying out too much. 70cm for an ackie is an extreme rather than the norm, my adults are around the 50-55cm mark.

In my opinion, the open nature of the enclosure shouldn't be a problem if it's furnished correctly. I'd consider putting some sort of tall (narrow) furnishing in the centre down the majority of the length of the enclosure. This would allow an animal on the ground to only be easily viewed from one side. Some sort of rock feature comes to mind. As treeofgreen said, as long as they have plenty of spots where they can hide and watch you without feeling exposed the animal should become comfortable in the enclosure (though it will depend on the individual).

 

[Karly]

No matter what kind of monitor you get or what kind of enclosure you keep it in, you will need to provide some kind of hide for it. This can be a hollow log, hide rock or a shoe box with a hole cut in it. This is especially important when introducing them to their new enclosure, they will eventually become used to their surroundings and movement around them but it is important to give them somewhere to hide occasionally.
Good luck, monitors are fantastic and I'm sure will give you endless enjoyment

 

[Tijah]

Thanks again, people.

Yes, we're in the middle of hunting down some hides for whichever lizard we get. I read somewhere that suggested including a hollow log (or something similar) that spans the entire length of the tank so the animal can get from one end to the other without being seen. This is similar to what Robo suggested.

In terms of the lid... the aquarium currently has glass lids with a wooden hood (standard aquarium design). Still debating what to do.

The size of Ackies that Robo mentioned makes a fair difference, although I always like to work on the larger sizes when considering enclosures.

@Robo -- Are your glass enclosures completely exposed (no solid walls or backgrounds)?

 

[Robo1]

No, both my glass enclosures have at least one side covered. The converted aquarium is against a wall while the glass enclosure has a rock wall background.

 

[Tijah]

Hm, OK.

Well, guess it's just a matter of deciding now.

Thanks heaps everyone for your input -- it's been very helpful