Black Headed Monitor

[Jdsixtyone]

Hi guys,
Im looking at buying a Black Headed Monitor. I found a old melamine toy box in storage. It measures 96cmL x 56cmW x 40cmH. I am going to transfer the box into an enclosure. What wattage should the light be? How hot does the basking spot need to be? And any other info on feeding and care. Also does anyone know of a good caresheet for them?Thankyou for reading my post
Jordy

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Please any info? I am buying the rest of the stuff i need tomorrow. (lights,glass etc)

 

[richardsc]

hi mate,that size is a wee bit small for adults,id be going at least 4x2x2 for an adult pr,your size is ok to raise them in though,or for adults like gillens or storrs monitors

 

[nathan09]

um, im no expert, i have a beardie, but ill see wot advice i can give ya incase no one else does, as i said no expert

light wattage, as long as its enough to heat the enclosure to required tempurature
basking spot, not sure but as most enclosures they have a hot end (i think 30oc dont quote me) and a cool end (22-25oc dont quote me) somthing around that but may also depend on what you have in there and what its heat requirments are.
feeding and care, sorry cant help and dont wanto advice as i have NO idea.
caresheet, without going into specifics for what your keeping i guess its just, feed schedule, water bowl, keep enclosure clean etc.

dunno if it helped but if ya didnt its somthing to work on while u find out more info.

enjoy your monitor

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Thanks guys. I know they need basking temps around 50 degrees. He is going to go either outside or into a 6ft x 3ft x 3ft when he is an adult. They dont require uvb do they?

 

[Shonfield]

My ackies have a 50W halogen roughly 15cm away from their basking spot and the temp gets to about 60 max.

 

[nathan09]

snakemadness: yea sweet (about ur enclosure plans) was gonna mention they get quiet big, i would like to get a monitor too, but cause size wise ill probley be getting mertins water's (still big but not that big ) good luck bro

 

[garycahill]

I give mine UVA & UVB, just because we don't think they need it, doesn't mean they dont.
There's still a lot to be learnt about reptiles imo.
I provide a HOT basking area, no thermostat in a 4 x 2 x 2 aquarium with a mesh top.
I only use a timer on the heat & a sun switch on the light.
Guarantees a hot & cool end, as tanks have basically no insulation, they can sort themselves out from there. Having said that, they spend a lot of their time hanging upside down directly under the heat lamps.
Food is pretty straight forward, mainly insects, with pinkies, sliced chicken neck & chicken mince on occasion. I dust with calcium & vitamins once a week, provide plenty of insulated hides for them as they can be shy.
Add a laying box 20 days after being caught in the act.
Seems to work fine for me, as I just got another 6 eggs.
I'm sure others will have different methods also. It's all about what works for you.

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Gary, would a nec10 black light be ok? Thankyou guys for all the info!!

 

[garycahill]

That's the only UV globes that I use

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Thanks dude

snakemadness: yea sweet (about ur enclosure plans) was gonna mention they get quiet big, i would like to get a monitor too, but cause size wise ill probley be getting mertins water's (still big but not that big ) good luck bro

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Can i use them just for the uvb. I am going to get a heat lamp for the basking spot. How much uvb do they produce, would they be ok for beardies?

 

[garycahill]

That's the only UV globes that I use

They only provide UVA & UVB, not heat.
You will need a seperate heat source.

 

[Jdsixtyone]

I know. I have seperate heat globes. Would they be ok for beardies just for their uv?

 

[garycahill]

That's the only UV globes that I use

I think that I have made it pretty clear already.


YES, I use NEC T-10's on all my herps!

 

[Poggle]

i agree just cause some say they dont need it doesnt mean thats tru... like it is something they recieve in wild so i try to give them all that in captivity

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Ok sorry, i just thought all of them need different uv outputs. I didnt understand your post at first.

 

[Tristis]

4x2x2 is as small as i would go. 6x2x2 would be better.
just remember Tristis are very flighty and you may be looking at an empty cage for a wile.
as for uv its up to you but i have bred monitors with no uv.

 

[Jdsixtyone]

Thanks Tristis. Thats only for 2 or 3 years then he is going either outside or into a 7x3x3.

 

[garycahill]

UV Table available from the herp shop.