# show us your indoor monitor enclosures !!



## myteam (Oct 10, 2010)

plz


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

not really suitable for spenceri, but this is what I have for my lace monitors


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## myteam (Oct 10, 2010)

thts awesome man honeslty
wat are the dimensions on it 
its really something special bro


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## python_dan89 (Oct 10, 2010)

Thats a crazy enclosure A+++


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## Laghairt (Oct 10, 2010)

Incredible crocdoc, did you make it yourself?


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

yes, I made it myself. It's 2.4 x 2.4 x 1.2 metres. The top and bottom of the enclosure aren't visible in the photo, but it's pretty much floor to ceiling.


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## myteam (Oct 10, 2010)

if i dont mind how much was it to build
and did u raise them in it their whole life or did they have a smaller enclosure before this


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

They were tiny when I first got them, so I had them in small enclosures and gradually moved them into larger enclosures. They both got moved into their current enclosure at two years of age. It's a huge enclosure when you're standing next to it (or in it), but they could do with something larger and if I had a yard I'd get them outdoors into an aviary. You're going to find yourself giving up a lot of floor space for an adult spenceri, too, for you can't go vertical with them.


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## myteam (Oct 10, 2010)

thts why i like the idea of a lace as u can go up aha
was the current enclosure tough to build
and do u have any pics of the smaller enclosures u had them in by any chance
btw i appreciate your help man


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## Boney (Oct 10, 2010)

here's one ive been working on for a while . nearly finished now just need some wood and then ill put my monitors in there. 

Ben Stein made my rock i just had to cut and fix.he done a real good job i think and he was good to deal with i made the cage and the rest of it


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## myteam (Oct 10, 2010)

thts nice boney looks great
wat monitors are u puttin in there


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## Boney (Oct 10, 2010)

ive got a couple of ackies here . the cage is 8 x 4 x 3 foot so they should be able to turn around and even get lost in it.


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## myteam (Oct 10, 2010)

its very nice mate
if u dnt mind was it expensive makin the enclousre


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

Yes, the enclosure was tough to build - especially the mock rock as I didn't do it by the easiest technique.

I'm afraid I don't have any photos of the smaller enclosures uploaded to my photo hosting site, or even on this computer (they're on a back up hard drive and I'm on my laptop), but as I'm still using their original enclosures as raise-up enclosures for hatchlings I can get photos of them at some stage.


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

Nice enclosure, Boney. My only advice would be to get some deep substrate in there for them to dig into.


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## Boney (Oct 10, 2010)

thanks mate , yeh i think it came up good ! 

the cage was not that much 4 sheets of melamine at $32 a sheet. aluminium windows $330 vent $20 then you got lights and the rock and that ,but yeh the cage its self aint that much


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## myteam (Oct 10, 2010)

aha fair enough crodoc
were ur smaller enclosures as extravagant as this one is?


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

No, the smaller enclosures are more utilitarian. I did have plans to mock rock them up and have spare mock rock, but haven't had the time nor inclination (and the enclosures are rarely empty for long, anyway).


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## myteam (Oct 10, 2010)

ohk tru
wat other reptiles do u have in ur collection?


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## Boney (Oct 10, 2010)

crocdoc said:


> Nice enclosure, Boney. My only advice would be to get some deep substrate in there for them to dig into.




thanks crocdoc your cage aint to shaby either . 

yeh on the left hand side of the cage if you can notice there is a pond like thing built in the rock on the floor thats getting filled with sand when i have time .no rush no monitors in there yet .


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## myteam (Oct 10, 2010)

does anyone else have some pics ahah?


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

Boney said:


> yeh on the left hand side of the cage if you can notice there is a pond like thing built in the rock on the floor thats getting filled with sand when i have time .


You'll want more than that, especially if you end up getting a female, as it'll be needing nesting options.

myteam, lacies are all I have room for at the moment.


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## richardsc (Oct 10, 2010)

u can just use nesting boxes for the ridgeys,especially in a cage of that size,thats mammoth for ridgeys,would be hard to find eggs if the whole floor had burrowing potential,but end of the day they love to dig anyways,so it would be cool to set up maybe a couple of areas for that purpose,but main thin is,especially for nesting,but even just digging you want to give them some depth to dig like croc doc has hinted


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## Laghairt (Oct 10, 2010)

Crocdoc have you ever seen crimsafe being used instead of glass? I'm in the process of building an enclosure at the moment and was thinking about looking into it. I live in Sydney though so was wondering if it would create heating issues. Also I'm not sure about the cost. The enclosure will be used to house small monitors (tristis orientalis or gillens).

Also where did you get your fake rocks from?


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## Boney (Oct 10, 2010)

no probs crocdoc thanks for what your saying ill put some more sand in up the other end ..cant hurt . but considering alot of people keep there ackies in a 4 foot cage i thought my 2 foot sand pit would of been enough.. . and if you can get a lacie to lay in a small box . . do you think if i put a box of sand up the other end of the cage that should do it?. i really dont want 300 kgs of sand in my cage .but i will do what is best for my ackies .


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

I'd never use any sort of screen rather than glass as you have no control over humidity. Monitors love a really hot basking spot and when you combine that with any sort of screen you get a dehydration chamber, even for species from relatively dry areas (which still often seek relatively humid microclimates, like burrows or tucking under bark). 

I made the mock rock myself.


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## Boney (Oct 10, 2010)

thanks also richard ... you got in before i asked the question .......thanks..


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## Laghairt (Oct 10, 2010)

OK thanks, I suspected as much. I'm planning on having a go at making some mock rock too, I was wondering how it would stand up to monitor claws, however if yours stands up to the claws of a Lacie then I should be fine. Did you do anything different to make it extra strong?



crocdoc said:


> I'd never use any sort of screen rather than glass as you have no control over humidity. Monitors love a really hot basking spot and when you combine that with any sort of screen you get a dehydration chamber, even for species from relatively dry areas (which still often seek relatively humid microclimates, like burrows or tucking under bark).
> 
> I made the mock rock myself.


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

Boney said:


> ...and if you can get a lacie to lay in a small box . .


Some of this comes down to biology. In the wild, lace monitors nest in termite mounds which aren't that large, which is why I get away with getting my female to nest in a relatively small, heated nest box (it wasn't small when she was young - she's just grown a lot and I don't dare change it). People do get their ackies to nest in nest boxes, but you will still need a reasonable depth.


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

anouc said:


> Did you do anything different to make it extra strong?


 Yes, I used quite hard material when casting the mock rock from the mould. I mixed the polyurethane elastomer with slate powder and also mixed in a fair bit of sand and crushed rock.


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## Laghairt (Oct 10, 2010)

And here I was thinking that I'd just carve one out of polystyrene. I'll have to do a little more research before I attempt to make it. Another thing I was concerned about with the polystyrene approach was whether it would stand up to the high basking temps needed for monitors. You don't seem to have any issues with your mock rocks. I'd love to pick your brain. Would you mid if I send a few PMs when it comes time for me to make it?


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## redbellybite (Oct 10, 2010)

excellent monitor enclosures....my little ones are in a temp tank set up at the moment ,I have 2.5 acres so after christmas ,my hubby and I will be building an outdoor setup ,big pond ,sandpit,rocks and plants try and keep it natural as can be for a setup ..these are mertens so if anyone has some good tips for outdoors ,would love to read them ...


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## Boney (Oct 10, 2010)

crocdoc, how deep should the sand be in your opinion for egg laying and general use , digging ect for Ackies ?


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## crocdoc (Oct 10, 2010)

anouc said:


> And here I was thinking that I'd just carve one out of polystyrene.


haha not on your life (with monitors, anyway). PM me and I'll give you my email address, but I'll tell you right now that you'll probably want to do it differently than I did unless you have too much spare time on your hands!


Boney said:


> crocdoc, how deep should the sand be in your opinion for egg laying and general use , digging ect for Ackies ?


 For general digging (mainly so they can hide under things like rocks and logs) it doesn't need to be too deep, but for nesting you'll want 25cm or more.


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## Boney (Oct 10, 2010)

o.k thanks mate .. ill fill my sand pit up in the cage and ill give them a container 25cm deep to lay in .. get some good hollow logs few branches and i think im done .


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## myteam (Oct 11, 2010)

Does anyone else have some pics of their enclosures?


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## lloydy (Oct 12, 2010)

less talk more pics 


Some amazing enclosures i must say!


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## Karly (Oct 13, 2010)

These are my 2
1st one we built for our sandy
2nd one is for our Mertens, we didn't build this one it came with the lizard


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## jbowers (Oct 13, 2010)

Does the sandie mind climbing up all that way to the basking spot?


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## fish_boy (Aug 1, 2011)

HI everybody, 
this is my first go at diy, and my first enclosure,
its 2.4x2x1.4 indoor lacie enclousure,
complete with 2x 160 watt mercury vapour aussie sun bulbs from brian at herp trader
fibre glass rock wall,
all the build materials are second hand,
and its in a rental house,
enjoy,
like to thank crocdoc for his advice and encouragement.
happy herping people


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## GeneticProject (Aug 1, 2011)

Just a quick one knocked up in a couple of days for my mertens.

Cheers Barf


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## vampstorso (Aug 1, 2011)

...how the hell do you guys get these enclosures through doors!

some of these are insannne!


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## fish_boy (Aug 1, 2011)

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## chickensnake (Aug 1, 2011)

vampstorso said:


> ...how the hell do you guys get these enclosures through doors!
> 
> some of these are insannne!



Take them apart..move all materiels into the desired room then put it all back together


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## GeneticProject (Aug 1, 2011)

As said above, build them in the room and never take them out haha.
Cheers barf


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## vampstorso (Aug 1, 2011)

I thought that'd be the answer ;P


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## metalboy (Aug 1, 2011)

this thread makes me want to pick up my ackie now not the weekend lol


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## Stath (Aug 18, 2011)

Something i put together for my Lacie hatchling, already started on something bigger.
The whole backdrop gives him enough cover to get from one side to the other, Asmo seems pleased for now 





Misjudged how much substrate i would need, going to raise the floor a couple inches almost up to glass level when I can get back to bunnings.


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## fish_boy (Jan 26, 2012)

looks awesome strath, bet he froths out on all that wood


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## ajandj (Jan 27, 2012)

Crocdoc - Fabulous!!! How long does it take to heat?


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## MonitorMayhem (Jan 7, 2013)

Just a little bump would love to see some more indoor enclosures


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## Aussie_monitors (Jul 19, 2017)

Bump. Any new pics people want to share?


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## Nero Egernia (Jul 21, 2017)

They're crummy phone photos, but here's the set up to my adult tristis monitors. In the corner beneath the basking site is an assortment of hollow branches that they like to sleep/shelter in. The live plants are recent additions. Not sure if the plants will thrive, or if the monitors will flatten them. At any rate, the plants provide decent cover. Before I added the live plants it was plant cuttings.










Can anyone spot the second monitor?


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## imported-varanus (Jul 21, 2017)

tristis, gilleni,


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## LizardLad (Apr 15, 2018)

imported-varanus said:


> tristis, gilleni,



These look awesome, so natural. May I know what size they are. Best regards


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## Ghillies (Apr 24, 2018)

Hey guys,

I’ve got room available for either a 6x2x3 or a 6x3x3 enclosure and am after recommendations for a pair or trio of small-med monitors that I could keep.

Besides ackies and recommended species? I live in QLD and would like something not commonly kept that ideally could be kept in a enclosure like that comfortably.


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## Sheldoncooper (Apr 29, 2018)

Not finished yet. The top enclosure will be home for a group of 5 pellewnsis.








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## Nero Egernia (Apr 29, 2018)

Sheldoncooper said:


> Not finished yet. The top enclosure will be home for a group of 5 pellewnsis.



What did you use for the background?


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## Sheldoncooper (Apr 29, 2018)

Its bark screen fencing from bunnings 3m x 1m. $36. I thought it was a steal for that.

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## Houdini-The-Bluey (Apr 29, 2018)

Ghillies said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I’ve got room available for either a 6x2x3 or a 6x3x3 enclosure and am after recommendations for a pair or trio of small-med monitors that I could keep.
> 
> Besides ackies andrecommended species? I livein QLD and would likesomething not commonlykept that ideally could be keptin a enclosure like that comfortably.


Sounds like that could fit a pair or trio of black headed monitors, they are similar to the ridge tail but more slim as well as as stated in the name, blacken as they get older.
This is my 10 month old girl, Opal.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YmqwRSraqPxTDr5p1
And to go with the topic here, this is my current 4 x 2 x 2.5f set up for my black head. She also has a 6 footer waiting in storage for her to get bigger and for me to move into my new place haha.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tLtz1gZY98qa2Npq2


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## Sheldoncooper (May 7, 2018)

Slowly getting there, just got to add 4 or 5 cork bark tubes for hides and a metal halide for uv.












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Pellewnsis in I'll set up a metal halide tomorrow. I've got a group of 5 in there

















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## baker (May 27, 2018)

Here a new enclosure I set up for my young little scalaris over the weekend. I haven't put him in there yet, but know once he is I'm not going to see the little bugger for quite some time. 

Cheers, Cameron


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## jasonicBlast (Jun 7, 2018)

Hi Guys,

I'm new to the forums, so hello there! Heres my newly setup juvenile Ackie cage. 6 to 10" of substrate, hot spot 145, 82 at the cool end. Basking light on 24/7, Strip light on a 12hr cycle. He seems to be sleeping more or less by the strip light cycle. Its a 36"x18"x18" exoterra, with most of the screen top blocked with plastic, so it hold temps and humidity well. Ill be building a larger enclosure when he grows out of this one. Lastly, substrate is Soil/Sand mix, and I'm finding its holding burrows well.





Contemplating adding a cleanup crew of Springtails and small isopods, etc. Anyone else trying/doing this for tank maintenance? Would love to here more from others who've taken a shot at it.

Super glad to be here, looking forward to contributing to the community!

Jasonic
[doublepost=1528325933,1527531384][/doublepost]Wanted to add a few fun factoids of my setup for those who are interested..

Light setup and temps in greater detail:

- Day:
- 160 Watt MV.. recorded basking temps: 159 degF at the hottest spot, 110 degF in the furthest area down the cork bark hide, 100 on the slate to the right (he has a burrow under here, as well as other spots around the enclosure).
- T8 UVB 5.0 florescent strip on top for ambient lighting (only partially exposed, most of the light is shining thru a cloudy translucent a plastic..acts kind of like a diffuser..had the strip from a previous reptile so figured why not).
- ambient air temps around 85 degF.

- Night:

- 50 Watt Zilla Halogen Mini-Dome Red night light adjacent to the daylight bulb. Basking area hits over 150, cool end might drop to 78, avg ambient temps ~82.


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