please help with my new lizard set-up

[drache]

our move is giving me the opportunity to totally redo the plated lizard tank and I very much welcome input
this is what it looks like now (forgive the dirty glass):

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1329/698608736_3f9551d2f6_b.jpg

next time they definitely need twice as much water, greenery, and a different substrate - something they can dig in without shoveling it all into the rails
someday they'll get a bigger cage too
as you can see I've already stuffed airline tubing into part of the gap on the bottom, but these guys need fresh water daily, so that door needs to stay mobile
right now it's a real pain
I'm gonna look into vacuums too, but the substrate I'm using right now gets lodged in weird places
thanks for your help

[adamanteus]

Rhea, just a thought...Gerrhosaurus major comes from semi-arid regions of Southern Africa. Be careful giving them a larger water bowl as this could significantly raise the relative humidity in the vivarium, which would almost certainly lead to respiratory problems (and possibly skin problems) in this type of lizard.

[adamanteus]

Here is a web page with some very basic info on Gerrhosaurus major.

Sudan Plated Lizard (http://uk.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geul3jZ4lGWRoB85JLBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bzBpdmk xBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDNQRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZAM-/SIG=123u0e0hu/EXP=1183496547/**http%3A//www.reptileallsorts.com/basic-spl-cs.htm)

[drache]

I looked at that page when I got my first one
it's a good basic page
but I don't agree with the water needs
these guys love swimming and slipping through the water
they are always shedding scales and tend toward dry scales
I do have their major heat source at the opposite end of the cage as the tub to cut down on evaporation
also their "ceiling" is a medium grid screen and well ventilated

[adamanteus]

Just thought I'd mention it. Often you find that desert species use their water containers a lot in captivity. I guess instinct tells them to get it while they can! But bear in mind, they wouldn't get the opportunity very often in the wild.

[Stefan-A]

I know some people don't keep water bowls in desert setups all the time, but rather water them by presenting a bowl now and then, by misting the terrarium walls or by using a pipette. Would anybody like to encourage or discourage using that method?

[GarterGuy]

Hey Rhea, looks like a really nice set up. As far as a substrate, I really like the CareFresh stuff.....even for my lizards. I use it on my Northern Bluetongue skink, and he does very well on it. I also used some rocks, branches and silk plants in his tank to kind of make it look nice too. He seems to really like climbing around on everything. I keep a dish full of moist sphagnum moss under his one hide for any extra moisture, especially for shedding and just use a small dog bowl for water. Here's a pic of the set up....it's a 4'X3'X2' melamine cage....got it really cheap several years ago from a snake breeder who was getting rid of all his melamine cages to get the Vision cages.

Roy

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//517/medium/Skink_tank.jpg

[drache]

that's carefresh in there? I'd thought about that too. It's so light though, The digger might not like that, even if I'd like it better.

About the lizards: from what I understand they have quite a habitat spread, which explains the sometimes contradictory info on them. The two I have are different sub-species and one of them loves the water and the other would be fine with a small drinking bowl.
My beardie doesn't get water in his cage at all.
There's not that much info to be had on them, so i've had to wing it a bit, but they're doing real well, so I must be doing okay by them.
The substrate is a problem. Melissa Kaplan recommends potting soil with orchid bark. Somehow I feel that that's a pain in the butt, but I don't know why I feel that way about it - definitely not from experience.

[GarterGuy]

that's carefresh in there? I'd thought about that too. It's so light though, The digger might not like that, even if I'd like it better..

Actually my Bluetongue digs a lot too. The carefresh actually kind of packs down and he burrows beneth it all the time. There's been a lot of times when I've gone into his cage to feed and suddenly a head pops out of the substrate!

Roy

[drache]

now that you mention it - my hognose seems to be fine with it too
It's certainly convenient to use
does prey get lost in it though?
well I guess they can always dig for it then

[GarterGuy]

I always feed in a dish or from forceps, just to make sure that nothing gets away. Not so much for the lizard, but if any bugs got loose in the house, my wife would have a fit! Also, I mostly feed the canned bugs anymore, so they just sit in the dish or I make him chase them with the forceps.

Roy

[drache]

my plateds fight over food, so I don't give them dishes, but feed them in person. They are not much interested in prey that doesn't move - not even hornworms or silkies. So it's crickets and supers for them. The crickets I just let them hunt; the supers I throw at them individually, and sometimes one or the other will disappear in the substrate before it gets eaten.