I've always been interested in owning a monitor lizard, and of all the species its hard to pick just one. But knowing the requirements of a monitor, and that they are NOT snakes, and cannot be cared for in any similar manner really, I have stayed back as I don't necessarily have all that much time to myself occasionally. Soon though, things will be more organised and I'd like to look into getting a slightly larger lizard again(I had a bearded dragon for a few years a while back) and have recently fallen in love with the Kimberly Rock Monitor. Of course information is scarce at best when it comes to monitors, let alone certain specific species, but probably half of contradicts the other half so its rather difficult for me to pick a way to go about this. I know that Kimberly's aren't Sav's, but I constantly hear monitor care is pretty much a standard throughout, so I thought I would come here with some questions...
Firstly, With the Kimberly Rock monitors being more arboreal, would a 12" substrate be suifficient with enough climbing room? Or do arboreal monitors still like to burrow deep? Either way I gotta put a new retaining wall up in the cage I want to start with, just wondering how high it should be as it starts cutting into the height as the top is already attached. In which case I ditch that enclosure idea all together and start fresh with something else lol. Its a nice 6'Lx2'D'x4'H that I think would suit a young monitor for a little while at least. Or is it better to give them their adult enclosure right off the bat maybe??
Next thing I have questions about is lights and humidity. I can quite easily place a light fixture in the cage, or on top, but I have never really used lights as they dry my enclosures out way too much(Kelowna is on the tip of a desert believe it or not) so personally I can't stand them. Would a radient heat panel and a UV light be sufficient? I suppose all the extra substrate helps keep the humidity up, but I'd feel safer with a heat panel anyway. Then comes substrate heating... how do you heat up 24" of substrate with a UTH of any kind? Or is the burrow meant to be cool? Sorry for all the disorganised questions, thanks for the thread Wayne!
