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Well i'm rescuing a savannah monitor today! I have not owned a monitor before, but have had various lizards/snakes. From all the reading i've been doing, I've learned that you need quite a large enclosure as well as a good amount of substrate for burrowing.
To start i've found somebody with a scummy small reptile glass tank and that will be it's home for about a week while I construct my first attempt at a forever home. I'm planning on 8.3'x3.3'x6.5' I know it's not the largest it could be. But hopefully i'm getting a female, and it will suffice for a few years. I've already gone out and got my lumber, so this afternoon will be a busy one. And i'll post pictures as it comes together.
For substrate I was reading that using 60% eco earth to 40% childs play sand is best mixture. And that is what i'm planning on. The biggest question I have at this point. Is does anybody have advice on lights. Type and placement. I know I need a basking area minimum 130F. Which I plan to achieve with a small cluster of 50w flood lights. Placing various ceramic heat bulbs throughout the tank to keep a temperature of about 85F and then let one side fall to around ambient. I have never worked on a scale this large before. Keeping my snakes environment was fairly easy once you got it set up. But any input on lighting would be phenomenal. Also water. I'd like to have a large dish of water on the basking area, to help keep a higher humidity. Will be a larger "pool" type water. But I was also thinking of keeping another water bowl on the ambient side to have a nice cool water supply. I know that savannahs don't swim/wade much. So thoughts on that? Anyways, it's about time to go pick up the small temporary tank and get that set up to support the baby when it comes home!
Thanks for your time looking through this post and I look forward to your input.
alessia55
01-01-14, 07:00 PM
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kwhitlock
01-01-14, 07:05 PM
The man you want to ask questions about Savannah's is gonna be infernalis. He has the best looking Savannah's I've ever seen!
drumcrush
01-01-14, 09:29 PM
The man you want to ask questions about Savannah's is gonna be infernalis. He has the best looking Savannah's I've ever seen!
^^^ yep, I couldn't agree more! :p
awesome. Thanks for the replies. And thanks for the welcome! As for an update for this morning. Put her into a temporary home, 60 gal glass. Finding it's very hard to maintain humidity with a glass box. Unfortunately I have a screen top at the moment as well.
Current conditions
basking temp 120F
cool ambient 80F
Two water dishes; one on basking side, one on cold.
humidity unknown. Getting a hydrometer tomorrow.
50/50 mix of excavator/eco earth; only about 5 inches deep atm.
Lights:
1 uvb 1.5ft bar
1 ceramic heat on cool side
2 75W basking bulbs on basking side, adding a third today to get up to 130F
at night I have 1 100W infared light that maintains 100F on hot side.
The monitor is only about 8 inches long, ate a pinky/3 crickets yesterday. Seemed very hungry as he took food almost immediately in a new habitat.
I popped 4 more crickets in this morning about 30 mins after I turned basking lights back on before I left for work.
seems very skidish around me still. Going to attempt some handeling today after work. But all in all very active exploring new areas, hasn't attempted to burrow yet, just hiding behind the basking log. Will post pictures today after work.
infernalis
01-02-14, 12:11 PM
well, my question has been answered.....
have a look at Correct Savannah Monitor Care (http://www.savannahmonitor.net)
That's the main article I was going off of, which is why I have 2 smaller bulbs instead of 1 large. I'm getting another today to get basking a little hotter. But some advice as to how to keep humidity up until I finish the larger sealed enclosure would be amazing.
murrindindi
01-02-14, 02:43 PM
Hi, I take it the fishtank has a screen top, so in order to better control the humidity you need to cover that as completely as possible. The easiest (temporary) way is with kitchen foil, cut out tight fitting holes for the heat/light bulbs.
Please do NOT force handle the monitor, you are causing a great deal of stress, just place the food and water. Make sure the area around the food/water is well covered so the animal doesn`t feel exposed. It would also be a good idea to cover the back and sides with something such as cardboard/plywod, taped around the top and bottom edges on the outside, that will offer some "privacy" (it will also raise the temps somewhat so keep an eye on those).
You basically need to know two temps; the lowest ambient @ approx 24c (75f), then the surface at the basking site at between approx 50 to 60c (120 to 140f), this being a hatchling/juvenile it will heat up very quickly.
Can you put up a few photos of the whole enclosure?
infernalis
01-02-14, 03:45 PM
That's the main article I was going off of, which is why I have 2 smaller bulbs instead of 1 large. I'm getting another today to get basking a little hotter. But some advice as to how to keep humidity up until I finish the larger sealed enclosure would be amazing.
http://www.savannahmonitor.co/rigged/cover.jpg
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so there's the set up as I was describing earlier. I'll be making some modifications tomorrow as in wooden top with lighting inside that for no holes. and enclosing the glass with something for a feeling of security. I'll try the enclosing before adding another light, because it was VERY dry when I got home today. Will have to set up a rain system of some kind most likely. Just changing the water she got scared and puffed up as she was burrowed under one. So the handling is still on hold. But it was good to see her dig her way back under after replacement!
murrindindi
01-03-14, 11:42 AM
Hi again, thanks for the photos, it makes it a little easier!
I would suggest you use some soil, mix it with what`s is now, and add a little playsand. It needs to be very well tamped down, moist but not wet and firm enough to hold a burrow. 15 to 20 cm will be useful for now (6 to 8 inches), and should help create some humidity once the top`s been covered.
Even though this setup is very temporary, you need to add much more cover (firmly fixed branches, plastic plants, etc).
Edit: Pinky mice are not very nutritious because the skeleton hasn`t formed and there`s little protein, much better to offer fuzzy mice (cut them in half along the length while still frozen if too big to swallow whole).
thanks for the information. I'm going out to get superworms today. I'll pick up some more substrate and ground cover as well. Are there any live plants that will work to help with high temperatures? think that may help my humidity issue out as well. Started building the top this morning. Will post pictures of completed top soon. Thanks again for all of your help!
murrindindi
01-03-14, 02:29 PM
I`m not sure that live plants will stand up to even a juvenile Savannah monitor unless they`re really sturdy, and in this relatively small enclosure that might be difficult?
I do believe that once the top is covered and more substrate`s added the humidity range will be o.k.
By the way, why are you keeping the nighttime ambient temp at 100f (unless you want to provide 24/7 heat and light, which is fine)?
Edit: Is the monitor 8 inches ToL or SV?
tip of tail to snout. I'll post some pictures this evening of tank modifications. See what the thoughts are at that point. Thanks again for the help!
so first modification is complete. Thought it was a good idea to split it right down the middle and make two halves so I would only ever have to remove half the lid at a time. Bad judgement call on my part. Now I need to find some way to seal the middle up when not removed. Anyways...here are some pictures. Going out to get superworms/substrate now. Will post pictures of that when I figure out how to put it in without stressing her out!
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so, finished up the modifications today. here are pictures of the updated tank. I really pissed her off adding more substrate. Thought she was hiding under basking log. Picked up the hide, and there she was. Covered her back up, and she ran out puffed up, opened her mouth and started looking ferocious. I'm very sad that she hates me so much. But oh well. Here are the photos!
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oh ****...that made a ton of difference in how the lighting effects the aquarium too. Cold side was just 100F. Turned off the ceramic heater. Will turn it on at night. And leave the infrared light off this evening to see how low the temperature drops. Just having the hard top almost knocks you on your *** when you open it. VERY humid inside.
so a few days have past since the encloser modifications. The only interactions I have are during water changes. And that is just a brief reach in grab for bowl and out. I'm still putting food in on a dish, and letting her to to it as she wants. I think in a few weeks time i'm going to start trying to tong feed and see if she takes to that. Until then, just letting her acclimate to the encloser and see what happens. Thanks again for all the help!
murrindindi
01-06-14, 03:12 PM
Hi again, it`s much better now! The easiest way to seal the gap between the two top halves is to put a piece of 2 x 1/2 inch beading on one half so when it`s together it`s sealed (one part slides over the other slightly).
You also need to cover the back and sides to offer more privacy, that will also effect the temps so keep an eye on those.
Is that a mistake when you say the cool side was only 100f?
Edit: Where`s the basking spot?
the basking side is around 140-150 at the moment. I'm sure if I did side covers that would be even higher. But yes, I have a ceramic bulb on the cool side that I turned off because I was reading in the link that I was given earlier that cool side should be under 100F. If I recall right was supposed to be down at 85. I could be mistaken. If so I will turn that back on to keep that side warm. I've stopped basking at night, and temps drift down to about 80F. Other than that I'm letting the sav get comfortable. See her out and about while i'm not home; but once I walk through the door she burrows down.
murrindindi
01-06-14, 05:51 PM
Are the temps you give ambient, if yes, they`re MUCH too high!?
EDIT: Which link were you given?
Edit 2: O.k, I see the problem, Wayne makes no mention that the basking temps he recommends refer only to the SURFACE temp of the basking object, NOT the ambient (air) temp. At those levels you are literally going to cook the animal alive.
You basically need to know two temps; the coolest ambient (air) @ approx 24c (75f), then the SURFACE temp at the basking site/object @ between approx 50 to 60c (120 to 140f). Please let me know you understand exactly what I`m saying, your monitor`s life depends on it (seriously)....
murrindindi
01-06-14, 06:30 PM
Wayne states the following: [QUOTE]; "As a general rule of thumb, basking spots should be a minimum of 130 - 150 degrees Fahrenheit".
That should state clearly those are just SURFACE temps!
Yes, thats what I was measuring. Bought a pyrometer. Which is great for surface temps, not so good at getting ambient temps. For ambient temps I bought a cheapo little round gage that I just place around various parts to get an approximate ambient condition. And thats what I was talking Basking surface is 140-150, and ambient air on the unlighted/unheated side is kept around 85F The ambient air temp around basking is 100F but thats just due to the amount of heat being generated by the lights. I could probably go to smaller wattage bulbs and use a better surface for the basking spot. So use a brick that will retain heat a little better than say a log will. If you think that the 100F ambient is too high around the basking is too high.
also I bought some foam i'm going to throw around the three sides of the aquarium today. So I may try just one light and see how well the basking surface temp is retained, because this will raise the ambient without effecting the basking too much.
murrindindi
01-07-14, 11:36 AM
Yes, thats what I was measuring. Bought a pyrometer. Which is great for surface temps, not so good at getting ambient temps. For ambient temps I bought a cheapo little round gage that I just place around various parts to get an approximate ambient condition. And thats what I was talking Basking surface is 140-150, and ambient air on the unlighted/unheated side is kept around 85F The ambient air temp around basking is 100F but thats just due to the amount of heat being generated by the lights. I could probably go to smaller wattage bulbs and use a better surface for the basking spot. So use a brick that will retain heat a little better than say a log will. If you think that the 100F ambient is too high around the basking is too high.
That`s a relief, you had me worried, it wouldn`t have been the first time a person didn`t know the difference between ambient and surface temps! :)
It`s not a great concern when it comes to the ambient immediately around the basking spot (within reason).
If 85f is the coolest ambient it`s a little too warm, they need to cool right down at times, which is why 24c (75f) or a touch higher is recommended. Unfortunately with the analogue dials you really have no idea what the air temps are because they can be very inaccurate (15%+).
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