New Savannah Monitor

toker · #1 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 03:23 PM

Ok, I finally done it, after 5 snakes I let the wife talk me into a lizard!

After much reading, searching and reading some more I found one very important fact... there are a lot of people out there that really don't know squat!

Temp ranges from 75f to 150f... one other site said to use pine bedding! Other sites tell me to use UVA and B yet another says not needed.

And last but not least, one site tells me to feed crix, mice, and meal worms while another site tells me to only feed rodents.

Fooey!

So, here I am. How about some info from people that actually keep them?

Temp Ranges? Hot, Cool and basking.

UV or no UV

What to feed and how often?

Sorry for the direct questions but this is driving me nuts. Right now I feel the need to average all the temps, slap around the site that said use pine bedding and try to figure out what to feed him/her.

I am putting in a rodent pro order today and need to know what to tack on for the guy. I figured he would just eat the baby rats I got for my baby Ball Pythons

Any help would be great. Thanks!

NicoleRussell · #2 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 04:13 PM

This is just my personal opinion:
Temps ranges on basking site from 100-120 (I would stay at the higher end)
UVB: loaded issue.
After talking to just about everyone I find it's a 50/50 split among culturalists and a higher percentage that leans towards UVR exposure among the scientific community. Everyone agrees that hot day cycles are best--but some believe monitors need no uvb.
I see it this way....if your spending the cash each month on running a 150 watt bulb or CHE--whether it has UVB or not ----why not stay on the safe side and offer a MVB with the same heat and UVB that they would recieve in the wild?
If you get a quality MVB--most of them have warranties for a year (stay away from PS"s)so this expense will only be about once a year (if you had a different lizard I would suggest twice a year but for monitors I would say once a year is adequet).
I feel that if an animal basks in the sun in the wild then they MUST benefit from ultra violet radiation. Some will disagree but to me it's all common sense.
You can throw in all the little bits of info and the "so and so's lizard does great without it" but if your gonna do it right---give them sunlight....or a great heat/uvr source indoors.
I feel if more studies are done on overall monior health and UVR we would start to see how much more an animal can thrive with it verses without it.

NicoleRussell · #3 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 04:15 PM

for temp range I would go with Robyn's caresheet at PE's...

toker · #4 (**permalink**) 08-23-2004, 04:19 PM

Great info!!

How about feeding?

I dont know the age, but he is 1.75, just under 2ft long.

NicoleRussell · #5 (**permalink**) 08-25-2004, 02:03 PM

What I'm seeing more and more are various lizards with different degrees of caging size (or out time) being fed the same amount of food because some caresheet says so. What you have to adjust is the amount food verses the amount of activity for most species. A tegu or cyclura for example, that is in a small cage being fed the same exact diet as an animal who is in a huge outdoor habitat will look and feel different. When my tegus are being let out alot I feed them alot---when (like when I was gone) they are being kept caged I feed them less.
This all being said---when they were little and growing (and in a nice amount of space) they were fed according to that.
The cyclura cornuta cornuta at my local zoo is being fed 3 times per week---and is in the same visual condition that the cyclura being fed each day down in GC. The cage is much too small.....god knows what the real health of the animal is---but visually---weight wise he looks to be the same.
If he were fed the way the animals elsewhere are he would be overweight...he has no roaming space.
You might begin to see a change in your monitor as he adjusts to a proper cage size---with great temps and diet. Make adjustments as you see changes

NickRulesAll · #6 (**permalink**) 08-25-2004, 02:44 PM

Substrate - Even cage carpet is fine

toker · #7 (**permalink**) 08-25-2004, 02:52 PM

Sorry about the delay, but here are some pictures...

This poor guy has had a really rough life, you can see in the first picture here that he is missing all, if not part of all toes save one.

He is missing one claw from the back feet.

NicoleRussell · #8 (**permalink**) 08-25-2004, 06:19 PM

I disagree, I think monitors should have moist substrate.

Abby · #9 (**permalink**) 06-17-2005, 03:36 PM

OH MY GOSH!!

My savanna will grow to four feet!?!
Where am I gonna keep him!?!

buck2003 · #10 (**permalink**) 06-17-2005, 04:45 PM

how big did you think he'd grow

toker · #11 (**permalink**) 06-17-2005, 07:13 PM

Blast from the past!

Well while I am here Might as well give an update

he is still doing great and has put on a little weight.

Abby: That is why we always try to stress that you find out as much as possible before you bring your critter home. Good luck with him!

DeadIrishD · #12 (**permalink**) 06-17-2005, 07:28 PM

Please do me a favor, and find out stuff about any animal before you bring the thing home, you mention how it had a rough life right, well by you not doing your research your gonna make its life just that much worse, as for feeding it, I'd say its main diet should be insects, crickets, roaches.... and yeah you get the idea.

since you already messed up with getting something you know squat about, please do me a favor and don't end up dumping this poor guy/girl like alot of people tend to do because you decided to be a retard and get something without knowing j.s about it.

I am not trying to be mean, but I do care alot for animals and hope you can see where I am coming from.

DeadIrishD · #13 (**permalink**) 06-17-2005, 07:32 PM

an occasional mouse or two is alright, but the reason you don't want to feed rodents to them often, is because savannah monitors tend to become obesse easily which can cause health problems.

pathfinder36 · #14 (**permalink**) 06-17-2005, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeadIrishD

Please do me a favor, and find out stuff about any animal before you bring the thing home, you mention how it had a rough life right, well by you not doing your research your gonna make its life just that much worse, as for feeding it, I'd say its main diet should be insects, crickets, roaches.... and yeah you get the idea.

since you already messed up with getting something you know squat about, please do me a favor and don't end up dumping this poor guy/girl like alot of people tend to do because you decided to be a retard and get something without knowing j.s about it.

I am not trying to be mean, but I do care alot for animals and hope you can see where I am coming from.

Are you talking to Toker or Abby?

DeadIrishD · #15 (**permalink**) 06-18-2005, 04:51 AM

Abby, my bad Toker was the one who said his reptile had a bad life, and Abby was the one who did not do there research, I thought it was the same person. I guess I am an idiot too.