# Bosc Monitor Help



## MrBosc (Sep 30, 2012)

Hello Everyone!

I finally got my new Bosc monitor yesterday and he is absolutely brilliant =] however on my journey to getting one I am starting to feel more and more mislead :/ 

My Bosc is is a 4ft Vivarium with an arcadian UV at 12%, ceramic 200w bulb, caged protector (that goes around the ceramic bulb) dual thermometer for hot and cold end readings, and wood chippings (not sure if that's the correct name). 

However after reading various posts and care sheets I am getting different information all the time, for example just after reading a post on this forum I have read topsoil and play sand at a mixture rate of 70 to 30 is best :S yet the reptile shop said this was the good stuff =O what's your views on this?

Also on this same forum I am seing 8ft+ vivariums are better, I was told 4 ft was fine for now untill a good 18months down the line? he is only 8 weeks or so now at around 1ft long if that. What's your views on the Vivarium size and setup?

Humidity again is something I come across on this forum, I have not been told once by a reptile shop about this, neither is humidity mentioned on care sheets. How do I control and monitor the humidity in his viv?

Also my little Bosc come out today when I opened up his viv to pop some band crickets in, a few hours later I noticed he keeps pushing his head against the glass as though he's trying to get out, is this a general thing they do only I was just getting worried in case the temperatures are wrong and he's trying to get out? I must stress I do monitor his temperature all the time, every half hour to an hour or so and his hot end is kept at around 32 - 37 degree's Celsius as stated on my care sheet. But to be on the safe side I wanted to add this into this post in case anyone picks up on something. 

Also the man at the reptile shop mounted the UV tube in the middle of the vivarium (well middle way up) my bosc is always trying to climb onto the mounts of the UV tube, I don't think they are hot enough to bother the Bosc but is this normal? it started to make me think maybe he needs something in his vivarium to climb up like a branch up to a hammock? 

Sorry for the long post, but I have the best intentions for my Bosc and after hearing and reading so many different opinions I figured this would be the best place to get all the Correct information :2thumb:


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

Ahh goodness very mixed messages!

Please move your lamp back up to the top of the viv! Hanging lamps half way down a viv presents the biggest danger to reptile vision that I know of. Any lit source, not just UV lamps fitted at an angle where the light is in the animals eye line can cause irritation on the eye, this can then lead to infections like PKC.

By using the right reflector you double the safe fitting distance between lamp and animal.

The only reason that keepers used to hang lamps lower is because they aren't very powerful! Now that we have good reflectors and High Output T5s we can now offer more UV power than ever before and as such fit the lamps in a much safer way.

You certainly will need a bigger viv eventually, quite quickly I feel :-( but it will be ok for now I guess.

Please have a read around our site, every feature I have ever written is available to view for free including loads about lighting large enclosures properly and boscs!! Arcadia Reptile

Please feel free to ask questions if required


All the best

John


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## bigd_1 (May 31, 2011)

have a look here http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizard-care-sheets/839624-monitor-faq.html so good info :2thumb:


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

Have a look on this site > Savannah Monitor Care Sheet

Pet shops often keep their boscs on wood chips as it's easier for them, they have lack of space and a high turnover of baby boscs. A mix of soil and sand is essential for your bosc. It allows them to thermoregulate efficiently and keep hydrated as well as providing security for the animal.

You'll need a much bigger viv quite soon, boscs have an extremely high growth rate! The reason for such a big viv is not only their large size when fully grown but also, again, to thermoregulate. They need a very hot basking spot, being in a small viv means that they cannot thermoregulate properly and cool down - leading to dehydration. 

Have a look at that site and it should answer all your questions.


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## anothernoob (Feb 7, 2010)

bigd_1 said:


> have a look here http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizard-care-sheets/839624-monitor-faq.html so good info :2thumb:





vgorst said:


> Have a look on this site > Savannah Monitor Care Sheet
> 
> Pet shops often keep their boscs on wood chips as it's easier for them, they have lack of space and a high turnover of baby boscs. A mix of soil and sand is essential for your bosc. It allows them to thermoregulate efficiently and keep hydrated as well as providing security for the animal.
> 
> ...


Some fantastic advice here and I couldn't give enough praise for those links! All the info you need! Have a look on the monitor & tegu thread on here they are some great guys and you can ask any silly question you like! Also there guys now building vivs etc so you can get an idea of what you might want to do as he will grow....and he will grow ridiculously fast!!


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## mitsi (Feb 1, 2012)

cant really add more than others have already except does he have a basking spot with a proper spot light, if not he defiantly needs one of these as well, a uv bulb and a ceramic will not give the heat he needs to help digest his food.


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## MrBosc (Sep 30, 2012)

Arcadiajohn said:


> Ahh goodness very mixed messages!
> 
> Please move your lamp back up to the top of the viv! Hanging lamps half way down a viv presents the biggest danger to reptile vision that I know of. Any lit source, not just UV lamps fitted at an angle where the light is in the animals eye line can cause irritation on the eye, this can then lead to infections like PKC.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your response! it's becoming quite unbelievable just how peoples knowledge differentiates with other peoples. I actually had this vivarium set up by a reptile specialist with 25 years experience, yet my UV Tube was installed mid way up :O but I will most definitely pop that UV Tube back up towards the top, and it may also be the reason why my cold end of the vivarium is a few degree's Celsius above what it is supposed to be because of the additional heat the UV Tube generates being that low.


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## Noofy (Oct 22, 2009)

I would definately recommend reading through savannahmonitor.net

take an especially good look at savannahmonitor.net/gout


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