Shingleback Setup Pics please

[MattFab]

Hi guys!

Very happy to have a pair of baby Shinglebacks on the way, I currently have a blotched and eastern blue tongue, was hoping you might be able to share your setups for Shinglebacks so I can frame it similarly to you guys.

Thanks
Matt.

[Richard.C]

matt,hello by the way

how have u set up your blotchy and eastern,im also from melb and set up all 3 in a similar fashion,i like to give all 3 an enclosure with a ton of ventilation,especially blotchies as i dont want whole cage to heat up,and stumpies as i dont want humidity to build up ,plus i love offering a big temp gradient,when i bred stumpies,i used to set tthe babies up in either a fish tank with a wire lid or an open topped glass fronted wooden enclosure,wire top again.ventilation for stumpies is very important,plus i think offering a big temp gradient benefits them to,offers them choices,i only heat during the day and turn it all off at night,the baby stumpies didnt slow down even with low ambient temps,they stayed active year round the first year,after that they got added to the adult cage,a 7 x 2 x 2 open topped wooden box and got cooled down over winter like the adults,for 4 to 6 weeks,theu usually slow down before and after brumation anyways as ambients were low enough to cause that to happen

[MattFab]

Thanks Richard, so I will have a 4 x 2 x 2 melamine enclosure, there will be a solid temp gradient as there is 2 heat lamps down the left and none on the right, obviously uvb tube. I have also raised the substrate level on the left to get them higher to heat lamp and also increase the temp difference from left to right.

I have read about only having a small water bowl in the tank 3-4 days a week to reduce the humidity, how does this sound? Thanks for all your info and reply.

[NickBrahz]

I think you only offer them water once or twice a week, i could be wrong though somebody should be able to say if thats true or not.

[acanthurus]

Here are some pics of the set up I use to raise shingles. A single heat lamp at one end is fine. Don't worry about the uv light, using a supplement is more reliable. Keep them as clean as possible and make sure the enclosure is well ventilated but not drafty. With water I let them drink once a week but remove the water after a couple of minutes when they are finished.

[MattFab]

Thank you for adding the photos, you have some goldfields there are they? I will use a UVB tube but I supplement as well just to be sure. Ok good tips on the water everyhting I have read really focuses on making sure that is out of there which I didnt know since I leave the water in my blotched blue tongue enclosure.

Will add a photo of the set up when they arrive, really excited to get a pair, no idea of the sex at this point, only time will tell

[alichamp]

Am excited for you Matt. Hope they arrive soon. Make sure you post some pics when they do!

[MattFab]

Definitely, should be just after easter am just waiting for my license to arrive so I can pick them up its taking ages. Will post up my blotchy setup also.

[Richard.C]

my caging is similar to acanthurus,s,though far less pretty,lol

my heats up one end like that to offer a big temp gradient,and my cages dont have a roof but there are a couple of smaller cages sitting on top the rest is ventilated

uninsulated tin shed,so find that works best for me,especially if and when melb gets some heat,lol

i usuallu offer water a couple of times a week,sometimes i leave it in there for them for a couple of days,good ventilation means excess humidity doesnt stick around and spillages dry out pretty quick

[NickBrahz]

So are shinglebacks the only ones safe to have live together indoors?
I read that in the wild they hang out at mating time for a awhile and live together and each year they meet up again and that for the first year the babies stay in the mothers kind of territory which i found assassinating they seem to be a whole different thing to other Bluies behavior wise.

[MattFab]

Thanks Richard, as I dont have many animals I tend to go a bit all in on the setups so will post the tank when its done, appreciate t he feedback guys, I have read all the guides and caresheets but feedback from owners I always find to be a little more helpful personally.

Nick, I think this definitely seems to be the case unless of course you get 2 males and they dont get along, since sexing is apparently nearly impossible with shinglebacks you kind of have to take a bit of a punt on it but I checked with a few local store owners, read online and asked here and every single person has said it will be fine. When you read bluey material as you undoubtedly have that pretty much says never with bluetongues, especially eastern as they can be rather territorial and both animals can stress out. Crappy pet stores always say its ok because I feel like they just want to sell animals but every single thing I have read online says pretty much never unless breeding. I will keep everyone updated with how mine go

[Richard.C]

shingles can do fine together,even multi males,but there are some that wont want a bar of it,most bluey species during mating period will hang around each other,not just a stumpy thing,the males pick up the females phermones when shes cycling and dont really let up unless something more dominant joins the party

i think all species can do ok together,but its not as simple as just throwing them together and expecting everything to be hunky dory
in nature as well as captivity all species have a pecking order,familiar animals follow that pecking order,unfamiliars its often on for young and old,sometimes even familiars can break pecking order and its on for young and old

in essence keeping seperated cuts all chance of that happening ,hence its often said to house them seperatly

ive been experimenting for a few years with this kind of thing,some still dont play ball,but i only have 5 northerns that are housed seperatly because of fiestiness to others,everything else is in at least prs right through to a decent sized group including 32 other northerns