I will include the large, custom enclosure with the purchase of the monitor to an experienced keeper. This is the perfect sized enclosure for this size monitor. I am looking to provide her with a good home and an experienced keeper that knows proper monitor husbandry. No shipping unfortunately. Looking for a local buyer/keeper
I am looking to sell my 2.5 year old CBB female Argus monitor (Varanus panoptes) , her large custom enclosure and a custom melamine holding cage and a glass screen top tank.
First about the Argus Monitor. She is a 2.5 year old from Justin "Krusty" Burokas. She is about 3 feet head to tail and in full health. She is eating 5 large mice every other day and is a voracious feeder. She regularly burrows to lay eggs although I have never mated her. I don't handle her, but she is very inquisitive and will come right up to me when I am changing her water.
For her enclosure. This enclosure is the culmination of 7 years of learning and testing things out to get the best result. The enclosure is made of wood with a metal horse trough for the substrate. The enclosure was custom made to fit in my reptile shed outside, so it has a steepled roof. It is 8 feet wide, 4 feet tall at the ends, 5 feet tall at the middle and 3 feet deep. I have it on cinder blocks to get it off of the ground.
The base again is a 8'x3'x2' metal horse trough with a wood frame around it. The trough is filled all 2' with substrate that consists of 70% regular dirt and 30% sand. It holds a burrow and moisture very well. The trough has a drain tube drilled in the bottom so excess water does not sit in the bottom. There is a 2” bed of coarse gravel in the bottom to keep the drainage water out of the dirt. There is also a hole drilled in the end side of the trough so PVC plumbing can be run out for the water bowl
The top half of the enclosure is made out of wood and plywood, painted on the inside with “ReptiShield”. Reptishield protects the wood from moisture and I haven’t seen any rot in 7 years of operation. The top half of the enclosure is made up of 6 separate panels. A back piece, two side pieces, a front piece and two roof pieces. This makes the enclosure easier to break down, fix and assemble. They are designed to fit together with no gaps to seal in moisture. They are assembled with screws and metal brackets for support. The front/access piece is just 2x4s with acrylic windows for a total viewing experience of the monitor and environment. There are two sliding glass doors that move within a plastic U-channel.
The “furniture” inside the enclosure includes a large, long pine tree trunk that allows the monitor to get from the substrate to the lighting. The perch allows for the entire lizard to get heat from the lighting head to tail. There are other branches that allow the monitor to get exercise as well as get from high to low to thermo-regulate. There is a triangle-shaped shelf on the hot side that is a piece of plywood attached to a branch that allows for hiding and warming up in seclusion or a “hot hide”. This could also be a great place for a nesting box. I have multiple “Retes stacks” on the shelf that allows for more options for the monitor. On the cool side, there is a plywood board that extends all the way across the cage and is secured under the front and back panels for stability. This is where the water bowl sits and I currently use a plastic concrete mixing tub. There is plumbing that allows the water bowl to be emptied out of the end of the cage using a ball valve. This also allows for a hide on the cool side where the monitor can dig and cool off.
For Heating, there are multiple basking areas in the cage. There are two lighting fixtures that have two bulbs each. I use 40 W halogen flood lights for basking. This gets the temperature on the basking perch to 120 degrees no problem. Spacing out the light fixtures allows for the entire lizard to be covered in light/heat. There is also a radiant heat panel that is mounted under the hot side “shelf” that heats the substrate on the hot side as well as the platform that is mounted under it. This will get from 100 degrees on the platform to 80 degrees ambient and on the substrate. The RHP is on a rheostat and can be dialed up or down as needed.
Humidity is maintained by the airtight construction of the cage, with weather stripping between the panels as well as a tube that runs to a water spigot with 4 sprinkler heads (2 90 degree and 2 180 degree) inside of the cage. Running this for 10-20 seconds raises and maintains humidity at the desired 70%.
This enclosure really is my pride and joy and I have been told it is “show quality” or “better than at the zoo”.
For the custom melamine “holding” enclosure, it is 40"x24"x24". It is all melamine with a pine door frame and acrylic front window. Has cutouts with screen on top for a UV Light as well as a heat lamp. Holds moisture and 4" of substrate. Has a vent at the top of the back panel for ventilation as well as a slide to limit the air leaving the enclosure.
I am looking for an experienced monitor keeper who either has a male for breeding or is looking to make this their only monitor in the enclosure.
I also have a 3' wide, 3 shelf rack that can hold all your supplies and smaller cages, like the Screen Top Glass Tank below.
I am looking for:
$200 for the monitor (or Best Offer)
$500 for the large custom enclosure (or Best Offer)(Included for free with purchase of monitor!)
$75 for the custom holding cage. (or Best Offer)
Screen Top Glass Tank and 3 Shelf Rack for Best Offer
I'm open to any offer. Just ask!
Many pictures below of everything.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Jeff 310-598-0700,
jharding08@gmail.com
Female Argus Monitor - Great Personality!
Female Argus at 2.5 Years Old
Dimension Draft of Large Enclosure
8'x3'x2' Metal Stock Trough - Indestructible
Metal Stock Trough in Wood Frame with some dirt.
Side Panel of Top Section of Large Enclosure - Sealed with ReptiShield.
Full Cage Shot
Drainage for Water Tub
Cool Side of the Enclosure
Full Tank Shot with Foliage
Holding Enclosure
Glass Tank, fits on shelf in rack
Linear Mode
