I just picked up an 18" male from a local shop. I've always wanted one! Anybody else here have a Savannah or have any experience with them? Of course I'm researching the hell out of them, but I was kind of looking for some personal tips.
Savannah Monitor....anybody have one??
- Thread starter madwhitehat
- Start date
Varanus.net has tons of great info and experts on the forums if you want to check that out. I swear, those guys INVENTED monitors! lol
There's always that, and Varanio here is a walking encyclopedia!
Anyway, I kept one for a while, it didn't end well. 10 year olds and monitors don't mix. That was 6 years ago, and I wouldn't consider them again, because there are so many better choices in monitors. 99.9% of savs are imported, and aside from the fact I don't like the entire process of importation, the animals always end up in pet stores looking like a skeleton waiting for some innocent 10 year old who saw Jurassic Park too many times to 'rescue' it. Usually ends up being the kid AND the lizard who need rescuing....
What are you keeping the sav in? Husbandry makes all the difference!
There's always that, and Varanio here is a walking encyclopedia!
Anyway, I kept one for a while, it didn't end well. 10 year olds and monitors don't mix. That was 6 years ago, and I wouldn't consider them again, because there are so many better choices in monitors. 99.9% of savs are imported, and aside from the fact I don't like the entire process of importation, the animals always end up in pet stores looking like a skeleton waiting for some innocent 10 year old who saw Jurassic Park too many times to 'rescue' it. Usually ends up being the kid AND the lizard who need rescuing....
What are you keeping the sav in? Husbandry makes all the difference!
Used to have one 7-8 yrs ago. Ditto on what Loco said; they're okay if you care for them properly, but most are WC and there several cooler species out available.
Thanks for the links. I will check them out.loconorc;1921856; said:
I know about the WC lizard thing all too well. Luckily, this is not a WC animal and is close to 18", so he's not the usual 5" baby found in most stores. For right now, he is in a 55 with moist coconut substrate, he has plenty of water, a warming pad underneath the tank on one side, a heat lamp, and a UV lamp. I will be building a custom enclosure in the very near future for him.
I loved mine,it was one of my first herps though almost 20 years ago and I didnt know enough about the proper care.That was also back in the hot rock days,his cage wasnt kept warm enough and he relied more on the hot rock.Not good times.He lived though,I traded him back to the store and did fish instead.At that time being that young it was the best move for both of us.He would calm down after you had him out for a bit but he didnt like the initial pick up and would try biting and crapping.Now after all my herp years I would love to do ackies some day but if the room was their I still like savs and would get another.Are they not cb often guys?
There has only been a handful of true US CBB Sav monitor breedings here in the states, I doubt yours was one of them because of the size of the animal and how far the occurences happened, 2003, 1999, 1984....CBB Savs in the states. Your animal is probably a farm bred baby. Thats the history on it 99.99 guaranteed.
Savs make a poor choice for a first monitor due to parasites, more dietary needs (obesity problems). Good luck, though these are easy things to overcome if you give them the proper resources.
Savs make a poor choice for a first monitor due to parasites, more dietary needs (obesity problems). Good luck, though these are easy things to overcome if you give them the proper resources.
Obesity is an issue with any animal. I'm ok dealing with that. About the parasites though, what kind do these commonly get? You're talking about intestinal right? Wouldn't those generally be symptomatic while the animal was still young? This guy is plenty chubby and looks healthy. I also called the store back to verify that he was a previously owned pet, so he may very well have been purchased as a baby from a pet store then returned when he outgrew the aquarium.varanio;1922264; said:
Obesity is a bigger issue with savannah monitors than any other species, trust me Ive seen several hundreds since I have been around, and I can count on one hand the amount that were not obese. Their main diet should be insectovorious while feeding mice 3x a week. Dont use turkey diet, cat or dog food like most idiots use. Give it a basking temp of 135 f hot spot with ambients from the 80's to low 70's .... give it 2 feets worth of dirt sand peat moss mix so it can burrow and thermoregulate. Keep the humidity at around 60% in the high end to 50% low end. Now based on all that, the aquarium wont last very long if you keep it the way suggested. So what do you have planned for it when it reaches 3- 3.5 feet?
I will have my 10'X12' lanai set up for him by then or I may just have a large indoor enclosure. I haven't decided yet, but I am fully aware of his adult size. Thank you for the diet and environmental info. I will adjust my current setup as needed and will do the same for the future enclosure(s).varanio;1923031; said:
madwhitehat;1923119; said:
No prob glad I could be of help, what part of florida are you in? I am in southern Florida and keep some species outdoors, exanths would fit the bill for an outdoor species year round, if youre in the south end.