My Reptile Area is Complete

[dakski]

Short answer: No. You really expect us to believe THAT!? Give me a break...

In the current setup (keyword, current ), there is room for one more 4X2' on top of that corner tower. However, with Feliz here, and with everything I've been doing to try to get Yafe better, I am feeling pretty full up and satisfied.

I love the collection and all my animals and want to spend time with everyone. I am beginning to push that. Before Solana and Yafe, I said that, and it was more of an intellectual thing. "I have a lot of reptiles. I want to spend time with each one. If I get too many, it will be diminishing returns and I won't enjoy each one as much or as often."

Now, it's more of a feeling. When done with all the maintenance, handling, etc. I feel satisfied and proud and accomplished. However, I also feel, that was enough. I didn't use to feel that.

This could be, just could be, it. However, I understand your perspective and we will see what the future brings!

[dakski]

Okay, almost there!

The new tanks for Figment, Feliz, and Yafe, came today. They are all 4X2' Boaphiles, with Yafe's being an arboreal tank with PVC pipes to climb and 17.5 inches tall. The other 2 tanks are 11.5 inches tall.

Figment and Feliz will move this weekend, and Carra will move out of her current tank with Kayla and into Figment's old tank (a 3X2'). Yafe is still being evaluated, and on quarantine, and is not being moved anytime soon.

At the moment, I am outgassing the RHP in all the tanks.

As it stands now, everyone has there own tank and a "life tank." There is one change coming to the reptile area and one spot open.

The one change is that at the moment, Ezzy (Leachie) and Ferry (Chewie) are in Katie's office and my office, respectively. We decided to give them more space and better temp and humidity control and have Jeff Ronne build them each arboreal Boaphile tanks as well. They are each going to have 2X1.5X2' (2 feet wide, 1.5 feet deep, and 2 feet tall) cages with a slot for PVC pipe to run across the tank of various sizes (just like Yafe's tank - I can swap the sizes whenever I want). Additionally, these will have side opening doors, so I can put their food and water on the doors. We are going to stack them, one on the other, and have a spare tank on the bottom of the same size, to use as a stand and for storage. Each of their tanks will have an RHP and a thermostat which I will set to 77F in the summer and 71F in the winter. Right now, it's 67F upstairs and, frankly, it's kind of difficult taking care of reptiles in 3 different locations. Also, Ferry eats insects 1X a week, and they are downstairs for the leopard geckos who eat them 3X a week, etc. This way everyone is one place and properly cared for enclosure wise and it will make my life easier caring for them as well.

Ferry and Ezzy's tanks will go where Feliz is now in the small vision tank in the pictures below. They will be about as wide as that tank, but not as wide as the stand that tank is on. However, they will go almost to the ceiling height wise.

Of course, the one spot. There is room for one more 4X2' on top of the new tower. Not sure anything will ever go there, but it does give the option for one more reptile, if I ever choose to go that route.

Here are pictures from today of the current setup. I will post when I have cleaned up a bit where the new tower is and when Ferry and Ezzy's tower goes in about 6 weeks from now (i just ordered it).

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[EL-Ziggy]

Very nice setup Dave. Your critters are livin' the good life!

[dakski]

Figment and Feliz moved into their Boaphile 4X2' forever homes yesterday. They seem very happy.

Carra (Leopard Gecko - not pictured) moved into Figment's old 3X2' and is ecstatic, as is Kayla. No more sharing digs. Both gobbled down Dubai Roaches last night without having to argue with each other over who gets which one!

Figment

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Feliz

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[Dianne]

Very nice! I really like how you have the cages arranged for display and access.

I’m slowly revamping my reptile room to get rid of the 8’ cages and replace with 3’ or 4’ Reptile Basics cages depending on critters. The 8’ cages are 30” deep and the back is hard for me to clean...arms just aren’t that long. I don’t imagine that will get any easier as I age.

[dakski]

Well, Feliz and Figment seem happy as can be in their new homes.

Figment appeared to be in his normal routine by the day after the move and Feliz was happily doing his half in hide half out of hide Boa move by day two.

Feliz was due to eat last night (2 days after move), and of course, 2 hours before, pees and urates all over! I quickly removed him, cleaned up, and put him back. I wasn't sure he would eat. HE DID NOT HESITATE! Slammed the mouse!

They both seem happy and are eating like pigs!

Additionally, Yafe gets moved into his 4X2' arboreal tonight. More on that later and in his thread.

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[dakski]

Well, in addition to moving Yafe into his new digs. I moved Ezzy and Ferry down. It's just so much easier having everyone in one place. Plus, it gives me (and Katie) a good idea of what the reptile area will look like with Ferry and Ezzy's Boaphile tanks when they get here in 4-5 weeks.

Ezzy's tank is on the bottom and is a 20X20X20" and Ferry's in on top and is a 16X16X20". The new tanks are 24" (wide)X18" (deep)X24" (high) and side opening (just like these tanks). However, they will have RHP's for better temp control (even though I will never keep it over 77F - summer and 70F or so winter - it will allow for control where as now, it's room temp, except for small UTH's stuck to the back walls and set to 74F).

So, the new tanks will be 2 inches less far into the room, but 2 inches wider on each side (about the size of the base - maybe an inch smaller on each side), and about as tall as the tanks with Ezzy and Ferry's "holding containers" on top.

However, the "stand" I will be using is an empty tank the same size/footprint as their tanks are. So I will use it for storage.

Yafe is in a hide so not sure how he's doing yet. Ezzy and Ferry seem fine and don't seem to care that they are in a different room. I asked Ezzy how she felt about the move. She said, "Same tank, different room (STDR)!"



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[dakski]

I didn't like Ferry and Ezzy's tanks in between the two towers like that. It seemed cramped and felt more so. When I had to clean the tanks closest to the wall, it was tight.

So, today, I rearranged things a bit. I moved the 4X2' tower into the room about 2 1/4 feet. I put Ferry and Ezzy's current tanks to the left of that tower (closest to the wall) and thus created, essentially, two 6FT long towers of reptile cages on either side of the "Reptile Area."

When Ferry and Ezzy's new Boaphiles come in a month or so, they will fit right in the space their tanks and stand are in now.

Everyone seems happy; animals, me, and Katie.

Pictures below.

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[FollowTheSun]

That's amazing!!!

[dakski]

As of Monday, we will almost be at the finish line. Weather pending, Ezzy and Ferry's new Boaphile's are arriving.

They will be 24" high, 18" deep, and 24" wide. Currently, they are in 20X20X20" for Ezzy and 16X16X20" for Ferry. These will be plenty roomy, but also, have small RHP and flex watt not the bottom on one (I'll explain in a second) and I will be able to keep it 68-74F in the winter (depending on where they are in the tank) and 73-77F in the summer. They like mid 70's, with a drop in the winter. The top tank, Ferry's, will have a little heat on the bottom from Ezzy's RHP below, so I had Jeff install a small flex watt under her tank to keep everything consistent.

For those that do now know, Rhacodactylus do not like high heat but love high humidity. They should be misted to keep humidity in the 60's-low 80% humidity range, but allowed to drop a little during the day. I spray in the morning and get it to 80% and let it drop to 60% or so before spraying again the next day or two. There should be a cycle. Also, over 85F and you have a fried Rhacodactylus. It's never more than 74F in that room, a finished basement, so a little heat won't hurt, but a lot can. Both these tanks, like all my others, will have dual/redundant thermostats.

Then, in a few weeks, Toref's final home, a 4X2X1.5', like Yafe's, will be arriving for the top of that tower. It will have UVB lighting and a basking lamp, etc. as well as Flexwatt and a RHP. It will be decked out. He won't move in there for a while as he's still tiny and FAST. However, hopefully within 3 months.