Minimum enclosure size question

[Scotts1au]

Kat's question of course is what do you base your opinion about the size of the enclosure on? I assume she is talking about what do you see as the relative pros and cons.

[Nae]

I can't agree with removing water dishes to save space. It is my view that any animal should have potable water supplied ad libitum. This is supported by the fact I have seen my blotchies come out from their hides after all lamps have been turned off for several hours, have a drink and return immediately to the hide. Dehydration of any animal is a potentially life-threatening situation.

In case this is in response to my post, allow me to clarify

I wasn't so much saying that water bowls have to be removed to save space, but more that the space for an adequately sized water bowl as well as room to maneuver around the bowl has to be taken into account. What I have gathered from asking questions here is that shingles and centralians do not need, and in fact its better if they dont have, water bowls 24/7. And so its just something I would figure could very well be taken into account when deciding on what size enclosure you are going to use.

[critterguy]

Nae: Pretty sure that was a response to my post below yours.

El Lobo: I had my eyebrows raised when I first read of it but at least one large US breeder reports doing so. So long as the animal is healthy and given more than adequate time to drink it shouldn't be a problem. I myself haven't seen a need to do this.

Their is the neat idea of a waterbowl/hide combination described in the caresheet that also prevents kicking shavings into bowl or digging under it and flooding the nearby substrate. My guy is actually pretty good about not dumping substrate into his waterbowl and never tries to burrow under it-plus humidity is not that high here so any spills dry up rapidly-so that is a non issue for me.

What hides do you use that allow only their heads to show? Do you think having something hard above/around them adds to security?

Scott brings up an excellent point about goals. Some people's goal is to simply maintain healthy animals. Others want to be able to observe/allow the animals to exhibit a wider range of natural behavior. So long as the animals care requirements are met I am not against either.

[Katrina]

Kat's question of course is what do you base your opinion about the size of the enclosure on? I assume she is talking about what do you see as the relative pros and cons.

Exactly. I wasn't trying to find out what size enclosures I should buy, rather I was wondering why people feel their enclosures are adequate. What do you base your opinion on? Why is a certain footprint the minimum you would use?

Thanks for all the responses!

[El Lobo]

I saw two references to regulating when and how water is supplied so I merely put forward my view on the matter. Mine is a guarded position having experienced a (non-reptile) pet become dehydrated. It was not caused because water was not made available but rather from the fact he had ingested matter which was causing a blockage and had consumed all available water in an attempt to flush through the obstruction. This could also be a possibility with a BTS unable to effectively regurgitate.

A hide doesn't need to be store bought to be good. My original hides were cardboard boxes sealed all round and one end cut out which worked well; as they grew I could keep changing the boxes at no cost for the next size up. I like the idea many have opted for with the slate tile on legs so the bluey can access the lower space. The only thing I would look to do is make sure it was sitting down into substrate so the the back and sides weren't fully exposed. The probability though is that once kept in an enclosure for a reasonable amount of time the bluey will realise there is no threat of predators and not seek a more classical approach to needing a defensible hide.

I covered my reasons for the choice I have made in enclosures sizes in my first post.

[Scotts1au]

In reality for most T.rugosa placing a water container once a week for a few hours is probably enough. Blotched are heavy drinkers and wee-ers which is probably why they are only found in relatively moist habitats and Easterns (scincoides sp and ssp) somewhere in between. But given the need for some humidity for the latter species this is achieved partially by leaving a water dish in the enclosure.

The bigger the enclosure the greater risks associated with temperature fluctuation.. If you are in a cold climate it could be that your cold end gets too cold. Your blueys is not going to wake up and move itself, so there is a practical component to keeping your precious tropical species alive. Hence justification for having a design that suits your heating setup.

[critterguy]

The bigger the enclosure the greater risks associated with temperature fluctuation.. If you are in a cold climate it could be that your cold end gets too cold. Your blueys is not going to wake up and move itself, so there is a practical component to keeping your precious tropical species alive. Hence justification for having a design that suits your heating setup.

Thermal inertia suggests that bigger cages(wooden and plastic in particular) should have milder temperature changes. Unless what you are talking of is a thermal gradient that is too steep or a large enclosure that is inadequately heated.

[Fatal_S]

I was wondering about that too, it confused me.

[Scotts1au]

The change (diurnal/nocturnal fluctuation) in the thermal gradient will be greater with the distance from the heat source, particularly if ambient night temperatures drop.

Temperature drop even in a wooden or plastic container is rapid. IF you are using a small heat source such as a low wattage che you are more likely to be able to keep a safe temperature in a small enclosure than a large one as the bluey will be closer to the heat source.

[reaperreptiles]

I keep my northerns in there own 40 gallon breeder tanks and I have a 20 gallon setup for my new arrival tomorrow from james I personally think they are too small but with living arrangements the way they are I can't really upgrade until I move out. I would like to purchase some large beardie cages from boamaster.com and stack them. Would give my blueys double the space and save me a lot of space as well. But until I move my blueys are content in there 40's. If I can find some nice stacking cages at the next show, I especially like the ones with fixtures mounted inside, then I might get some. Does anybody know of a good company that sells decently priced cages. Bc so far boamaster is the cheapest and its only like 2 hours from my house so no shipping is necessary.

[swilson707]

Is a 60inch x 18inch x 18inch suitable for a blue tounged skink

[mb606587]

Is a 60inch x 18inch x 18inch suitable for a blue tounged skink

Yes that size will work.

[Janella]

Both my guys are in a 4 by 2 by 2. They are doing well and see happy enough.