new savanna monitor

[piercedsilence18]

ok i just traded my tree frogs for a 16" savanna. hes pretty nice right now. nice and fat but he had a pretty crappy shed thats still on him. he hasnt had much aggression towards me yet be ive only had him one night. hes a really pretty green with blue spots so i want to keep him. what is the best way to keep him tame or to tame him when he gets settled?
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[Shadrach]

OK first off I think you maybe refering to his shed as being crappy because it's comming off in pieces, and some is still on him. But this is a natural way they shed. It depend's on the lizard but usally they only do a couple body part's at the time maybe the head and front leg's then the tail and back leg's.. As far as trying to tame him down lot's of handling will do the trick handle him every day at least twice a day up to adult then at least once a day when adult should keep him tame!
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[piercedsilence18]

yeah i guess your right about the shed thing now that i think about it. but i was also wondering baout how do i sex him. because a friend of mine has another svanna about the same size and i would like to sex them to see if i can put them together. so far hes being extrememly tame. hes only hissed once and he takes crickets and he took a mouse outta my hand tonight. but im confused as #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& about the sex. he has two large buldges under neath the cloaca. but he has no femoral or preanal pores. im not sure if these guys really even get them. but i cant fine much onfo of any kind like that. so all you guys can tell me would be awesome
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	Cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, urinary, and (usually) genital tracts of certain animal species.All birds, reptiles, and amphibians possess this orifice, from which they excrete both urine and feces

[Dragonfly]

From what I understand it is very difficult to sex the savannas. I have had 6 over the years, and have never noticed and physical difference.
Maybe someone else can help a little better...
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[faze]

as far as i know both shad and dragonfly are correct in these and another ? why did you trade your tree frogs for a savannah??????? savannahs are like 20 bucks pet shop price????\
on the other hand with really good handling and feeding in seperate containers they can be VERY docile animals but they are also garbage disposals and will eat anything you put infront of them
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[geckokid]

well, Dont Forget that not all pet stores have the same prices. I see savannah moniters everyday and as a matter of fact i own one. I love these exotic animals and think they are fasinating. I agree, they are very hard to sex and i perfer, because of the amount of the time I have, To bring them to a trustworthy pet-store and get them sexed. If i am planning on breeding them however i do it myself. I trust myself more than anyone else when it matters most. Congrats on the new moniter and i wish you luck.

P.S. I (as you can tell) am new here. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

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[morti]

Hi Robby!

Welcome to Redtailboa.net! It is always good to have new names around here. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

-Your Sick Uncle Morti.
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[washerth11]

umm i have studied reptiles since i was about 3 and savhannah monitors get 6 to 7 feet long so ya u might just wanna give it its own room

[spike06]

yea...not 6-7 ft...more like 4

[mrcota]

Originally Posted by faze

on the other hand with really good handling and feeding in seperate containers they can be VERY docile animals but they are also garbage disposals and will eat anything you put infront of them
[addsig]

That particular species is generally docile in comparison to other species of monitors. I disagree on handling them. If you leave them alone initially, let them learn that you are not a threat by leaving them alone and just normal interaction (cage maintenance, tong feeding, etc.), you can build a relation with them. Initial handling, especially forced handling more often results in future defensive reactions towards a keeper rather than a monitor that you can work with.

Originally Posted by washerth11

umm i have studied reptiles since i was about 3 and savhannah monitors get 6 to 7 feet long so ya u might just wanna give it its own room

Hmm, there has never been a savanah monitor (Varanus exanthematicus) that has attained a length of 6 to 7 feet, unless you are referring to the species that was broken off from it 20 years ago (Varanus albigularis) in the following reference: Böhme, W. 1988. Zur Genitalmorphologie der Sauria. Bonner Zool. Monogr. 27: 1-176.
100cm total length (39 inches) is already long, with 130cm, being exceptional and only found in one locality.
.
For care, I would suggest that you get The Savannah Monitor Lizard - The truth about Varanus exanthematicus by Daniel Bennett and Ravi Thakoordyal, which is available on Daniel Bennett's website (where along with getting a book, the profits go to monitor conservation and research). For the monitor's sake, I would suggest getting it as soon as possible.
.
Cheers,
Michael

[morti]

This thread is ancient. Prior to yesterday, the last post was 2002