screen top or wooden enclosure?

[nickinbaby]

I just recently got a baby bluey and I purchased a wooden enclosure but I've been reading that screen tops are the best option. Does anyone else keep there's in a wooden enclosure? I just want to keep my lil guy healthy and give him the best home. The humidity inside the enclosure is about at 35-40 and his basking temperature is around 98-100 degrees.

[mb606587]

I use front opening wooden enclosures for most of mine. I don't necessarily think one is better than the other as long as you're able to provide the appropriate care. Wooden enclosures have been said to retain heat and humidity better than glass enclosures with screen tops (most cover the screen top to retain humidity for tropical species) and many people use custom wood enclosures for all sorts of reptiles so you're not alone. Your basking spot temperature is good. If you have a Northern Blue Tongue Skink, your humidity is perfect, if you have an Indonesian BTS, 35-40% is too low. The only drawback I can personally think of in wooden enclosures is that if the wood is not properly sealed, it tends to rot over time, especially in higher humidity. Also make sure you have some ventilation where clean air can enter and stagnant air can be filtered out, otherwise you may have issues with molding.

*Edit: I see now from your other thread that you have an Irian Jaya. You're going to want to bump that humidity level up to at least 50%. 60% would be ideal. A screen top would not make that job any easier for you. Your choice of substrate is imperative to retaining proper humidity levels. For my IJ, I use organic potting soil mixed with ALOT of spaghnum moss and Eco Earth and I mist it daily. You can also use cypress mulch (ZooMed Forest Floor in pet stores). I think I remember seeing ReptiBark from your picture. Personally I'm not a huge fan of that for the purpose of retaining humidity. Try adding some moss to it and if you still have trouble, then try the ones I recommended. If you happen to be using Aspen, get rid of it. Aspen is definitely not suitable for tropical reptiles, and from what I hear from others, some even discourage its use for Northerns as well.

[kingofnobbys]

Timber tank for an adult with sliding glass or swing open Perspex front doors is BY FAR the BEST solution for any pet lizard. I'd go for sliding glass or Perspex front doors and solid timber top.

Advantages :
>> best thermal efficiency
>> no mesh under UV lights
>> good solid structure on which to hang flight fittings for UV , basking and CHE (if you need it)
>> much easier to set up a good thermal gradient (the warmed air is forced to circulate in the tank , whereas in open topped fishtank style tanks the warmed air is immediately lost ==> this means in open topped tanks you need much more wattage to maintain the warm zone, and cool zone and the basking spot temperature at the right temperatures
>> easier to maintain correct tank humidity
>> if the skink is skittish , a front opening tank is much better as you are not forced to hover overtop and reach down to pick up the skittish skink ( predators generally come from above so this will terrify a new very skittish skink , where as with a front opening tank , you can stay at "eye-level" and it's easier to place your hand where the skink to come to take food bribes off it and you are less likely to appear threatening / scary to the skink
>> cat proof
>> easier to stack tanks ontop each other

If the lizard needs higher humidity, DON"T get one that is made from laminated MDF or laminated particle board (as often sold as flatpacks / self assemble kits) as constant exposure to high humidity and dampness will destroy it over time , go for solid timber or timber panels fixed to CONNECTIT system frame or plywood construction.

Cons :
>> there are none other than perhaps being harder to find and more expensive.

For a baby bluetongue I highly recommend 120L to 150L clear sided clickclak topped rearing tubs . Dead easy to convert a tub to a rearing tank will be very easy to keep warm and at the right humidity.
I set up rearing tubs : ( not allowed to link to my posts at other boards - removed my link, if you want to see it , feel free to PM me ).
I think a 120L to 149L tub will be find for a bluetongue until it's about 12 months old , by which time it will have outgrown it and will be needing a 4ft x 2ft at least tank for it's forever home.
I currently have an adult Australian Eastern Water Skink living in one of my 120L rearing tubs , is perfect size for her and she's thriving in it and has been since I moved her from the hospital tub to it about 10 months ago (she's a rescue who was injured in a lawn mowing accident and was brought to me near dead).
If you have more than one lizard , these are easily stacked.
If you have only one lizard, it's easy to convert a big tub to a front opening rearing tank , simply turn it on it's side , and fix timber frame to the new front with either sliding glass or sliding Perspex or swing open Perspex doors and a light weight timber sheet fastened to the new top (was old side) - would only need 4 to 6 self tapping wood screws through the timber sheet - to support light fittings.



I start off all my baby / juvenile skinks and hatchling / juvenlle dragons in rearing tubs for their first 12 months , the smaller tub floor area makes it easier for them to keep track of their live feeder insects (ie crickets).

[Y33T]

I use tanks with a screen top but soon I’m moving my blueys go wooden vivariums.
Honestly tanks are just annoying and time consuming to get into. Taking off the light fixtures and removing the lid itself. Not to mention back pain when taking stuff out of the tank. It’s probably just me. But I just personally hate tanks for that reason.
Wood vivariums as others said hold heat and humidity better and has much easier access. Also you can leave the lights on when you get in so you can actually see what you’re doing when you clean or redecorate.

[mb606587]

They do have glass aquariums that are front opening to solve that problem. I believe Exo Terra is a big manufacturer of them. I think a majority of BTS keepers use glass aquariums with good results so my pointing out that I don't think one is better than the other IF proper husbandry is provided is mainly towards those majority, so they don't think that they HAVE to ditch glass for a wooden enclosure. Now if you ask what I prefer personally, then definitely wooden enclosures, hence my use of them for almost all of my reptiles. For species that have more demanding humidity and heat requirements, custom wooden enclosures can be easier to provide those, simply because you can design the enclosure specifically for your reptile's needs. But as I said, these enclosures will sometimes require routine maintenance over the years. Kingofnobbys is correct in saying that the cheaper wood panels (mdf, particle board, etc.), usually aren't the best options. If you want to do it right, you must be willing to spend the money! But I think its fairly simple to provide the proper care for most Tiliqua, even in glass.

[splashy07]

I switched over to all pvc. Holds heat and humidty if required and a 25 watt bulb heats a four foot enclosure.

[Susann]

SO beautiful splashy!!

[mb606587]

Yeah if I had the money to switch over to PVC, you'd better believe I'd do it. My rack is built from melamine paneling. I can usually build each enclosure for about $50 at this point (42" x 24"). I personally prefer the building aspect of it. I thoroughly enjoy just drawing up designs and being able to customize on the fly. Maybe should have studied to be an architect! Recently added a pvc misting system that can simultaneously mist all of my enclosures from one humidifier. I'll try to post pictures at some point. But yeah, have only heard great things about pvc from the ones who use it. I'm assuming you get yours from Animal Plastics? I know some say that PVC has the potential to release harmful gasses when heated. I'm personally not aware of any concrete evidence that they are unsafe to use though.

[Susann]

I use Showcase cages, they use different, supposedly safer(?), plastic.

IMG_3689.JPG

[mb606587]

Very nice for both of those! That's 5 star living right there! Since we're all sharing...an example of one of my wooden enclosures where a custom design is necessary for a more sensitive species (Not BTS). Humidifier on top to provide humidity of at least 70%.

enclosure.jpg

[kingofnobbys]

Yeah if I had the money to switch over to PVC, you'd better believe I'd do it. My rack is built from melamine paneling. I can usually build each enclosure for about $50 at this point (42" x 24"). I personally prefer the building aspect of it. I thoroughly enjoy just drawing up designs and being able to customize on the fly. Maybe should have studied to be an architect! Recently added a pvc misting system that can simultaneously mist all of my enclosures from one humidifier. I'll try to post pictures at some point. But yeah, have only heard great things about pvc from the ones who use it. I'm assuming you get yours from Animal Plastics? I know some say that PVC has the potential to release harmful gasses when heated. I'm personally not aware of any concrete evidence that they are unsafe to use though.

I'm highly dubious about the long term safety of PVC tanks , PVC tends to outgas some very nasty fumes and gases over time (here I am talking as both a retired professional analytical chemist (my first career) and as a retired chemical process engineer (my final career) , bare in mind the viv is for your lizard it's home and is a confined space.

Confined spaces are hazardous because gases and fumes tend to build up and pool in them (restricted free air flow in and out).

I think the manufacturers of these PVC tanks tend not to be knowledgeable about the safety hazards inherent in PVC paneling (that's going to be heated by close proximity to very hot ceramic light fittings and basking globes and CHEs and down play the hazards). All you need to do is look up the Material Safety Sheet for PVC and have some knowledge of organic chemistry . We had a similar discussion about the pros and cons of using PVC in vivs a while ago at another board . If you want to read it , PM me and I'll provide a link to it.

I think acrylic sheeting is a better option.

[kingofnobbys]

I use Showcase cages, they use different, supposedly safer(?), plastic.

IMG_3689.JPG

I just took a look at Showcage's site , very nice gear , and I think a very well engineered too .
I think from an engineering and materials viewpoint that their choice of plastic = High-Density Polyethylene is superior (at least to PVC used by others).

[mb606587]

And my melamine racks. Conveniently rigged with piping along the side to keep a constant humidity of 70% for all, as you can tell by the fog.

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[Susann]

.I think from an engineering and materials viewpoint that their choice of plastic = High-Density Polyethylene is superior (at least to PVC used by others).

That's really awesome to know, thank you!

[splashy07]

I have one Showcase cage (had to buy one just to see what they were all about) housing two of my Shinglebacks. The cage is functional, but I have to say overpriced for the quality. The top of the cage is uneven, therefore placing another on top was difficult. Thankfully, I work in auto parts so some assorted size shock bushings did the trick. I also had to cover the underneath of the track (fastening the glass tracks) because of protruding screw heads. Other than that, it is a beautiful piece of furniture, but having to do alterations on a $700+ cage (shipped) did not make me very happy. API cages are very nice but if you want certain ones you've got to wait. I now use a builder recommended by a friend who owns an exotic reptile specialty shop who will make a cage to your specifications and you have it in a week.