Housing


The basic housing setup is still the same, however some modifications have been made. The heat sources had to be moved to the outside of the cage. Nefarious was burning himself trying to escape. He would just reach up and grab the light. A larger fan was placed in the tank to increase the air circulation. And I coated the bottom of the tank with "spar urathane by minwax" I have found that it is extreemly durable. I have also done away with the bedding. I am allergic to the wood and the sand made a hell of a mess. I use a 250 watt heat lamp 9 hours a day to shine on the large rock. I also use a large cobra pad placed at the top of the tank to keep it heated a night. During the day the average temp in the tank is around 90-95 degrees. At night I let it drop down into the 70's. He seems much more active now.

In the last year and a half Nefarious has grown from 6 inches to over 4 feet. It takes alot of time and money to keep his habitat up to a liveable standard. I know that in the next year he will have to have a new home built. Do not think you will be able to buy a 55gal fish tank and keep him in it for several years. He must have room to excercise and move about. All rough surfaces, places that he can get his toes caught, cut off or in any other way harm himself must be avoided. A surface that is easy to clean and accessable. Only time and experiance will teach you how to keep him safe.

Feeding


His appitite is not much different, just much more volume. I feed him about every 4 days now. I went from two to four because of the massive growth rate he was experiancing. Now I feed him either a large rat or differant types of meat. Usually I go to SAMS and buy him a large rump roast aand cut it up to feed him over time. I also feed him chicken, liver, pork, beef, pretty much any meat that is not cooked. Of coarse his favorite is a live rat. Before you buy one of these just remember the cost of food increases dramaticly over time. I would asy I spend anywhere from 10-30 dollars a week feeding him, depending on what I feed him.