# Is this enclosure too small for a Komodo ?



## HonestPirate (Nov 4, 2011)

Thankfully it's just for a baby Ackie then hey !?

Been trying to find a place for this thing since I hauled it back from Bali in January- he now has a home; ironically he is also a home for my new Ackie; named Dacca.

He provides a bunch of hidey holes underneath him and can be climbed at will. 

And best of all, he requires no feeding.

The area behind his tail is a perfect basking spot; running at a toasty 60 degress...just right.


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## mattyg (Nov 4, 2011)

haha thats awesome. i have elephant from bali in my bredli enclosure. hope dacca doesnt try and challange it to stare contest....he wont win :-(


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## MathewB (Nov 4, 2011)

Hahaha very nice, I think the Komodo is a nice touch. Any pics of the ackie on his head? Or just the ackie?


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## HonestPirate (Nov 4, 2011)

I think he thinks of it as his bodyguard for now. Suddenly a trip to Sukawati markets is on the cards....

Just glad I found a spot for him now- I left so much stuff behind just to get him on the plane so they didnt have to weigh him in our luggage !



MathewB said:


> Hahaha very nice, I think the Komodo is a nice touch. Any pics of the ackie on his head? Or just the ackie?



Sure, Love this guy he's awsome; full of character:


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## SamNabz (Nov 4, 2011)

Haha, nice one mate and congrats on the ackie 

I would suggest you replace the substrate with sand or a sand/soil (pesticide free) mix as they enjoy burrowing. Also, add some hides and furnishings with tight spaces for the ackie to squeeze into.


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## HonestPirate (Nov 4, 2011)

Yeah Ive built a little system of hidey places under the bark and he has been exploring all day- plus the shape of the Komodo allows for heaps of tight spaces and climbing bits and private enclaves  The pic is probably a little deceiving in that regard.. ! Ive been through the sand thing with a bunch of different herps and setups, but I find Cypress mulch to be the best odour killing substrate and holds warmth really well.


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## hector (Nov 4, 2011)

If u pick up the poo straight away there is hardly any smell. They need sand/dirt mix to dig holes for security and humidity. That substrate might be alright for a monitor species that climb trees, but for ridgys they love to dig. 
Cool komodo, was ur ridgy scared at first or approched it straight away?


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## congo_python (Nov 4, 2011)

I've got a komodo like that and his names George


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## HonestPirate (Nov 4, 2011)

hector said:


> sand blah blah, dirt blah, security blah blah........



I don't remember requesting substrate opinions in the Noob section, but just for you , *I REPEAT: *



HonestPirate said:


> Ive built a little system of hidey places under the bark and he has been exploring all day- plus the shape of the Komodo allows for heaps of tight spaces and climbing bits and private enclaves  The pic is probably a little deceiving in that regard.. ! Ive been through the sand thing with a bunch of different herps and setups, but I find Cypress mulch to be the best odour killing substrate and holds warmth really well.



I MIGHT ADD THAT IT HOLDS AND CLUMPS WELL SO IT IS EASY TO DIG THROUGH !!!!!!!!!!

My BHP lives in Cypress Mulch- it is perfect for reptiles that like to dig. Just because you can;t build sandcastles with it doesn;t mean it's useless.

There is no RIGHT way. There's opinions  And Experience



hector said:


> If u pick up the poo straight away there is hardly any smell.......



Dude some of us don't spend all day watching our herp's anuses for signs of discharge so we can dive in and remove it 



hector said:


> was ur ridgy scared at first or approched it straight away?



All over it- I'm Pretty sure reps have the intelligence required to discern a 3 ft piece of carved wood from an 8 ft Komodo Dragon.


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## saximus (Nov 4, 2011)

HonestPirate said:


> Dude some of us don't spend all day watching our herp's anuses for signs of discharge so we can dive in and remove it
> 
> 
> 
> All over it- I'm Pretty sure reps have the intelligence required to discern a 3 ft piece of carved wood from an 8 ft Komodo Dragon.


Hahaha that made me lol on the train. Now people are staring at me...
Either that or they don't have the intelligence to realise that it is shaped like a giant lizard they have never seen. Either way it's an awesome cage ornament and a very attractive little guy. Mine are still scared of me but have recently started taking food from my hands


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## HonestPirate (Nov 4, 2011)

Nice Sax. Our guy is definitely being cautious; has barely touched his food- but he'll come round with lots of cuddles. Fascinating to watch hey- heaps of character even in his currently shy state. Between this guy and the GTS we only discovered recently our carpets and beardies are starting to loook....dare I say...... *normal ?*


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## crocdoc (Nov 5, 2011)

HonestPirate said:


> There is no RIGHT way. There's opinions  And Experience


Actually, there is a right way (supported by the experience of many). I agree with the others - Ackies are known to do much better on a dirt-based substrate in which they can dig. Don't take my word for it, do a search around assorted monitor forums on which there are a lot of ackie keepers and breeders.

As for the Komodo, I've got one of those, too! Mine's a lot smaller, though:


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## GeckPhotographer (Nov 5, 2011)

Hmmm the tail on that comodo is rather paddle like Crocdoc. Are you sure of ID it appears much more like a water monitor species to me.


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## HonestPirate (Nov 5, 2011)

crocdoc said:


> *Mine's a lot smaller, though:*



Well you are definitely right about one thing 
Thanks you so much....... I'm glad we had this talk.


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## Scleropages (Nov 5, 2011)

Lizard!!


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## HonestPirate (Nov 5, 2011)

Scleropages said:


> Lizard!!



Well apparently it's an Anti-Cypress Desert Sand-Lizard.

The teachers at school would have made sure we sat on different tables, Paul


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## SamNabz (Nov 5, 2011)

HonestPirate said:


> Yeah Ive built a little system of hidey places under the bark and he has been exploring all day



From the pics, it looks as if the bark substrate is no deeper than 4-5 centimetres..? Do you have some sort of miniature ackie? Awesome!



HonestPirate said:


> plus the shape of the Komodo allows for heaps of tight spaces and climbing bits and private enclaves  The pic is probably a little deceiving in that regard.. !



I'd love to see all these 'tight spaces' and 'private enclaves' your extraordinary komodo contains..?



HonestPirate said:


> I don't remember requesting substrate opinions in the Noob section



True, but perhaps you should have.



HonestPirate said:


> My BHP lives in Cypress Mulch- it is perfect for reptiles that like to dig. Just because you can;t build sandcastles with it doesn;t mean it's useless.
> 
> There is no RIGHT way. There's opinions  And Experience



Yes, only an experienced keeper (such as yourself) would compare the way they keep their BHP to the way they keep a monitor. Their requirements are pretty much identical, right..?



HonestPirate said:


> Well apparently it's an Anti-Cypress Desert Sand-Lizard.
> 
> The teachers at school would have made sure we sat on different tables, Paul



Yawn.. I would say good luck to you and your new addition......but I don't see the point, as you seem to know everything; more commonly referred to as, being stubborn and ignoring advice/criticism.

Good work mate, you're doing great.


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## waruikazi (Nov 5, 2011)

Tone i agree with others in this thread about your choice of substrate, you should listen to there experience. Ackies are a terrestrial rock monitor, they live in burrows and shelter in cracks and crevices. That enclosure doesn't offer anything for your ackie to create burrows in and i don't think the statue will provide appropriate crevices. 

If you are deadset on using that cypress stuff then do your ackie a favor. Either mix it with wet sand so that it can create long burrows that wont collapse or put in a separate container in with it that it can burrow into. I think you should make an ackie stack too.


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## Scleropages (Nov 5, 2011)

I keep mine on sand , you evil evil keeper!!! 

It will have more fun digging in sand ,But it's not going to die on the substrate you have...

I only have 3-4 inches max in the enclosure for them to dig ,Mine spend 99% of their time on the back wall


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## crocdoc (Nov 5, 2011)

HonestPirate said:


> Well you are definitely right about one thing
> Thanks you so much....... I'm glad we had this talk.


Well, you know what they say - I don't need a big wooden lizard (and nor do I need a little red sports car), but that's because I have a big ....


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## HonestPirate (Nov 5, 2011)

Meh now it's just getting repetitive... you lovely posters are more than welcome to PM me and we can continue this fun. Especially you Sam you look like a WHOLE lotta fun just waiting to be had


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## SamNabz (Nov 5, 2011)

HonestPirate said:


> Meh now it's just getting repetitive... you lovely posters are more than welcome to PM me and we can continue this fun. Especially you Sam you look like a WHOLE lotta fun just waiting to be had



No need to PM - type what ever you need here, expert.

*NB: *Also, feel free to post pics of your awesome komodo dragon's secret hides and 'private enclaves'.


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## Scleropages (Nov 5, 2011)

Sands?


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## HonestPirate (Nov 5, 2011)

SamNabz said:


> No need to PM - type what ever you need here, expert.



Uh huh. That's what I thought.


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## SamNabz (Nov 5, 2011)

Good reply expert. If you want to say something and have your "fun", then PM me.

I've said what I wanted to, waiting on your reply and some pics.


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## HonestPirate (Nov 5, 2011)

ahh but the best way to be rid of a troll is to not feed it .....better to pretend it doesn't exist. 

Bye bye darling, I've had my fun. 

xoxo


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## crocdoc (Nov 5, 2011)

You've been offered advice and you've chosen to ignore it. That's your prerogative. It's your lizard, after all. 

What possible good can be had of continuing more of the same in PMs?


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## MathewB (Nov 5, 2011)

Scleropages said:


> I keep mine on sand , you evil evil keeper!!!
> 
> It will have more fun digging in sand ,But it's not going to die on the substrate you have...
> 
> I only have 3-4 inches max in the enclosure for them to dig ,Mine spend 99% of their time on the back wall



I like your enclosure, where did you get the background? It's awesome


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## Wookie (Nov 5, 2011)

Hahaha if you take the komodo out you'll have heaps more room .


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