Well hello everyone, for once its nice and sunny over here in England and got some spare time on me hands so thinking about building Loki a new cave as he is getting too big for his one (savannah monitor). Anyone got any tips? Was just going to make it out of wood, thinking on top putting a basking platform so he can get closer to the heat lamp. Any photos or suggestions would be appreciated, I will await for some feedback before I'm of to get materials!
Hey Dekor whats up mate. I always build my hides/platforms/stacks out of plain old wood. For a couple reasons. 1. Wood is very versatile and easy to work with. You can pretty much do anything you want with very few tools. 2. Its cheap. 3. Im lazy, LOL! Ive seen people do some beautiful things when they make their caves/hides. And I think thats great. But I just dont have the patience. Im not so much into looks as efficiency. I like to build things that are a snap tp put together, take apart and can just be thrown away if they get too dirty. The platform is a great idea. I'd go with several levels under the heat lamps. For the platform itself I would use very thin plywood so the heat can transfer through it to the lower levels. To seperate the levels I would use 1x2s, 2x2s or even 2x4s depending on the size of the monitor. It should be just large enough for him to squeeze into. Basically Im describing a Retes stack. You'll have to forgive me Im loony for Retes stacks. But what you're describing...a cave(hide) with a platform on top for basking sounds pretty close to what a Retes stack is. Just add another level or two and you're all set. I love elevated basking sites since they allow me to use a very low wattage bulb and still get the high basking temps I want. Even in my large cages Im only using 50 watt bulbs and Im getting 140+ no problem.
How did I know you would mention those Retes Stacks! Thank you for the advice I think I will be pretty much making a cave with ramps either side to access top of cave with different layers. Ggoing to be building it at some point this week, will post some photos once done for anyone else interested in making one.
I know Im terrible. Always spouting off about Retes stacks. Shame on me!!! I cant help it. They are such a boon to monitor keeping. Once you've seen one in action you'll know what I mean. Watching the lizards move up and down the stack, making their own decisions what temperature they want to be, its freakin' delightful. And as an added bonus they help maximize floor space. Did I mention I like Retes stacks? Oh yeah I did...
What was those things you were talking about again.....was it Retes stacks! Well looks like a two person post going on here. Anyone else alive and watching this photos will follow shortly!
Ohh one more question for the official Retes Stack spokesperson! I have googled on retes stacks and noticed most people put holes in centres of each layer. Should I do this? Not sure if they just to let heat through or if its for monitor to go through.
Yeah it's been a little quiet around here lately. Oh well I encourage anyone lurking about to join in. I specialize in newbie questions. Whatta ya got? The holes in the Retes stacks were a Pro Exotics idea. Not so much for heat but so the lizards could move from level to level. Not a bad idea but I dont use them myself. The lizards have absolutely no trouble climbing the outside of the stacks. Its a neat modification and will certainly do no harm but I dont feel its really needed so I dont bother.
Before you get too excited about retes stacks, one thing to keep in mind is that they are designed for animals that would normally crawl into crevices in nature - many of the small odatriad type monitors in particular. Burrowing monitors like savannah monitors are okay with them for a while, but as your monitor grows there's a good chance it will start scraping its back as it tries to squeeze in. Just something to consider.
Thank you for that. Well Loki absolutely adores tight spaces, the smaller the better. When we last bought him a bigger cave it took quite some time for us to convince him to use it rather than his old one! His latest favourite places to try and get behind is the radiator (we have it off in his room when we let him out) and the tiny space behind the toilet! I will be allowing some room for growth so he can use this retes stack for a while before I have to redesign but thank you once again for input and concern.
Well after completing the build I remember why in school I picked electronics over woodwork! But it holds together and Loki seems very happy with it. Five minutes of it being in there he was exploring different levels and borrowing under the cave! So here are the pics. Unfortunately I could only do two layers due to height of tank but hopefully I will be building his new enclosure soon.
