savanna lizard???

[BallPython13]

I went to my local pet shop today and saw what was called a savanna lizard.Are these ok for captivity?What do they eat?Are they venimous,and do they like to be handled?ALso how big do they get???:rolleyes:

[asphyxia]

May I suggest thet you learn how to look after your Ball Python before getting any thing else.

Brian

[BallPython13]

I know how to care for them.I have had one live for 7 years in my care but I gave it a better home.So now you know I know how to take care of them.Im sure you know how to take care of your animals but you have the ocasinal question...

[hudson]

If what what your talking about is a savanna monitor, then yeah they do fine in captivity, chances are good that it is wild caught though bacause most are, so you would have to watch for internal parasites.
They are carniverous, no they are not venomous
If you get them young enough or handle them frequently, then they can be quite handleable.
They can grow anywhere from 3 to 5 feet long, and they are NOT a beginner herp, they can give a nasty bite if not handled properly, and do require quite a large enclosure.

[BallPython13]

so I take it they have sharp teeth...Im a 13 year old kid with a mom and if she found out he bit me she would get rid of him.THat is if the bite was realy bad.The on eat hte pet shop is about 7 inches long and is priced at 24.99 is this a good price???

[ReptiZone]

lets just put it this way keep reserching your ball python and leave the big boys to the experianced herpers your time will come where you will keep large reptiles untill then do your self a big favor and do all the reserch you can find and in due time you will be able to put it all to good works. You are lucky I had to do my reserch till I moved out then I got my first ball at 17.

[hudson]

At 13, I really think you are to young for a savanna. Financially are you capable of providing a large enclosure (over 6 feet in length), paying for vet bills for internal parasites, and medical bills for stitches and antibiotics for yourself when he bites you (not just big teeth, but very powerful jaws). I would wait till you have a little more experience, and old enough to get a job to provide all the necessities.

[yankeefoxtrot]

Again i agree with asphyxia!!!! take it easy till you learn a little bit more about herps. We all get a little carried away when we first get into the hobby. Take care of what you have and in a year or so expand your collection. I had my red tail for 5 years before i got another herp.

Lucas out

[Dom]

all great points made by everyone.. 7 years with your provious ball... You started pretty young.

Savana's are EXTREMELY rewardig animals to keep if u keep em properly. They are one of the toughest reptiles on earth .. being cared for under inproper husbandry, they will still survive and manage to go on for a few motnh to a few years.. BUT...

Theres more to more to it then keeping it alive.. you have to make it thrive..

[BallPython13]

What do they eat?

[ReptiZone]

crikets meal worms pinkys bats the ocasional finger if it is too clost to the food item in question. LOL

[BallPython13]

do you recomend any other common large long lived reptiles?See my other topic.

[Tim and Julie B]

If you have never owned a lizard let alone a larger lizard then don't even consider a Sav. They get extremely big and extremely strong. Even if you do get it young and semi tame it down. This lizard will get over three feet (with proper care) before you turn 15. I don't care if you are the biggest 15 year old in N. America that lizard is going to be incredably stong and with no experiance handling any type of large reptile you are asking for trouble. I have heard our white throat (close to a Sav.) crush a rats skull with a loud crunch, think about if it ever bit your hand. Get experiance first then get into the larger stuff. Maybe set it as a goal down the road but until then maybe get something a little bit more of a beginner species. Everyone here is experianced and we are all giving you the same advice. So please take it.

To answer your question they eat quite a large variaty of things. They are mainly insectivorious. When they are older they eat a lot of rodents. There is a lot of other things you can feed them as well. A balanced diet is an important part of keeping any reptile. If you really want to learn about them try researching it on the net. Savannah monitor. Hope this all is going to help.

[BallPython13]

Im not getting one!Im short for my age so the lizard will be even bigger to me...

[ReptiZone]

Ok I am gona be verry straight foward I am sure that ppl here will agree with me on this.

now look at the factors you are 13 now are you seriouse about this hobby I dont know but in due time we will all get to know you better.

I am warning you in advance that what you are about to read is no realy somting you wana hear.

Now if you wana a lagre reptile to be cool or just the be able to say you have it well forget what other ppl here tell you get a baby burm and sell it after 6 monts to a year cause that is what most kids your age do anyway. YES you get experiance, man a burm is a verry good start for geting larg constrictor experiance.
but that kind of experiance is not respected in the real world.

you say that you are 13 and your mom would get rid of the animal if it bit you well right there scrach off all large animals cause we all know that the baby form of all large animals are pron to bite alot.

you say you are 13 and a full grown savana monitor is to big for you right there forget about owning any large animals caus to my knowleg the sav is one of the smalest large animal.

now if you wana moderate size animal to gain respected experiance and you wana be able to share it with you kids in the future get a new born baby BCI yes the good old fasion boa constrictor they get big but dont get to big at one time and have a rather good temperment but even at that you can still get biten just cause I say they dont bite dosen't mean they have no teeth.

anyway you are young but what ever decision you make now will stay with you for the rest of your life wether the animals stay with you and you are respected for it or you sell a animal because you were to hard headed to take good advice when it was given.

let's just put it this way I saw a lot of your topics and you are LUCKY alot of big names on this site took the time to reply to your post if you waste there typing time by not taking there advice these ppl will over look what ever you have to say in the future cause they tryed to help in the past and you disrespected there knowleg and trew it in there face.

anyway do what you feal like doing but be ready for the rest of your life cause that is a long term comitement it is just like having a baby.

[BallPython13]

I kno what you mean,this lizard is not at ALL for showing off or anything like that.I just want a lizard that will be more of a challenge,something very large and long lived,and also something that eats live prey.As a kid im pretty lucky to have what I have,im am VERY VERY expirienced with all types of animals and im very dedicated.This could help you understand me,in my room alone I have1 29 gallon tank with 4 year old red ear sliders,10 gallon with ball pyhton,10 gallon with 3 hermit crabs,10 gallon rasing baby angelfish,ans 4 gallon 1 greed tree frog(2 years old),im telling you this so you will know how dedicated I am to animals .I just want a challenge,can someone sugest anything?

[BallPython13]

also in my house I have 3 cats and 1 dog.

[Aaron_S]

I see that you have quite a bit in your room and I don't think you can properly house anything that attains a large size. You also don't seem to be properly caring for your animals. You have iadequate cages for some of your animals,unless they are all being stunted with other bad husbandry practices.

A 4 year old red ear slider would need more room then a 29 gal. THey need quite a bit of room so I would say just for one I would be putting it in a 50 gal.

Your green tree frog should be in something taller then a 4 gal. It isn't called a TREEfrog for nothing.

If you want a challenge and be able to conquer that challenge why don't you get a pet rock,some friendly dirt and maybe a few nice sticks and keep them.

[BallPython13]

its ok I forgive you for being increibly rude but let me tail you this.my 2 red ear sliders are 4 years old and 5 inches long and doing great.My tree frog is in a temmperary enclousure,my angels are not even an ich long yet,my ball python is on ly 15 inches.So a pet rock is to easy for me.Can someone realy help me?

[ReptiZone]

Why would you want to feed live prey it is not worth the head acks.


[QUOTE]im am VERY VERY expirienced with all types of animals and im very dedicated.This could help you understand me,in my room alone I have1 29 gallon tank with 4 year old red ear sliders,10 gallon with ball pyhton,10 gallon with 3 hermit crabs,10 gallon rasing baby angelfish,ans 4 gallon 1 greed tree frog(2 years old)[QUOTE]

Ok I see your dedication but nothing there can get you ready for a giant reptile (fish,frogs and turtels) are nothing compared
large lizards and snakes.

I will tell you what I have worked with ok.

Anacondas, Burms, Retic's, Boas all large and small version of the animals.

small and large crocodilans, monitor's and asorted tortises.

and I will be the firs to say I know nothing and have no experiance cause I learn every day I am still waiting till I have 20 years under the belt B4 I can say I am a experienced herper.

you at 13 know barly the basic's for what you have and that is ok cause we all start someware and at one point we all knew nothing.

just take my advice and stick with smaller things and make then thrive and then you will be ready for a bigger animal in a few years. It is all worth the wait.

It is better to do your reserch now so when you have it you will know what to do and wont be stuck asking questions to every one.

[BallPython13]

My petshop says this,"you can buy the lizard now and when it gets to big for you we will buy it from you".How long does it take for one of them to get full grown?The one at the petshop is 7-8 inches...

[Aaron_S]

Originally posted by BallPython13
imy 2 red ear sliders are 4 years old and 5 inches long and doing great.

Ok red ear slider should be BIGGER then 5 inches at 4 years old. You most likely don't have a hot spot for them,which you do need or else your just slowing their metbolism and pretty much keeping them in brumation all their lives.

Savannahs can grow pretty quickly if cared for properly but if you have dedication why would oyu buy something and just get rid of it when it's too big?

Your just contradicting yourself.

P.S. If a pet rock is too easy how about you get a colony of them or try your hand a subspecies of stones or pebbles. Or try your hand at keeping the ever tricky and elusive sand.

[BallPython13]

Ok what is your dill?You are being VERY rude or am I taking it rude?Ive already stated im not getting any new animals.My turtles have a basking spot and they are being fed very well.The lady at the petshop had them in a 10 gallon and I mean there had to be over a hundred of them in there!Could this be why they are growing slow?Like were they alreay stunned when I got them?Bare with me people,im not very expirienced with reptiles but I know a little more that the basics...Ill become an expert with this forum...

[Aaron_S]

Originally posted by BallPython13
Bare with me people,im not very expirienced with reptiles but I know a little more that the basics...Ill become an expert with this forum...


Alright let me address this quote first. You state right above in the quote you DON"T have experience but yet at the top of this page you say you have VERY VERY much experience with animals and you are very dedicated to animals. As I said in another post you contradict yourself and you keep doing it. So stop lieing to us,you won't gain respect that way.

Now just because a pet shop keeps their animals a certain way doesn't mean you should keep yours in a inadequate sized enclosure. Pet stores bring in a large amount of animals and keep them in smaller enclosures becuase they have a high traffic rate so the animals won't be in that small cage for very long. And no your turtles weren't stunted before you got them.It takes more then a few days to do that. So it is your care that has somehow kept them smaller then they should be. Find someone with 4 year old red ears that are kept properly and you will see yours are very small.

Also a forum doesn't make you experienced,you may gain knowledge from one so you can keep your animals correctly but it won't make you an expert. You have to research and keep on researching and then go out and buy an animal and you will gain experience that way.

P.S. How is that sand comming? is it doing well? all sandy and is it colour nice and brown. If you feel you have sand down pat try adding some cork bark or better yet maybe just maybe your ready for a fake plant.

[BallPython13]

What is the p.s.?Im very expirienced with my animals but I know the basics on reptiles.Will you please stop trying to get something started,I want to make friends not enimies.And yes I can become an expert from this forum,if you learn you get more and more expirienced.

[Zoe]

My petshop says this,"you can buy the lizard now and when it gets to big for you we will buy it from you".How long does it take for one of them to get full grown?The one at the petshop is 7-8 inches...

>( Hearing this type of thing makes me very angry. You can't just buy a lizard when its small and cute, raise it half-assed and then expect a petstore to take a huge, sick savannah monitor off your hands. It doesn't work that way. If it did, there wouldn't be so many sick, neglected savs out there.

Just because a petstore keeps something a certain way, doesn't mean that's okay. There has been a 7ft+ BCI in a 50gallon tank at a petstore I know for months.

Definition of experience: Active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skill.

Note ACTIVE PARTICIPATION. Yes, you can research and read and take part in discussions, and that's great! But it doesn't by any stretch of the imagination give you experience or make you an expert. To be and expert you need to work your way up, working with different herps (only those you can handle!) and in years, then you can consider yourself an expert with the animals you've been working with - THEN you can move on to more advanced herps.

No one is trying to start anything, but trying to make sure that you don't go ahead and buy a cute little savannah monitor that will end up being a huge, sick, malnourished, neglected monitor in an undersized cage that is never cleaned because the sav. bites.

Zoe

[JD@reptiles]

you dont get experience from reading. experience is from doing.

[BallPython13]

I know what you mean and I thought about it,I thought if I dont want him not many people would either.Im going to stick with my ball python,ive had him for a few days hes great!Ill wait till im older to go with harger lizards...

[BallPython13]

sorry if I made any of you mad....

[Katatonic]

What a pointless pi$$ing match of "know-it-all-ism".
Another shining example of how this site has gone down-hill.

[ReptiZone]

whate the heck do you mean down hill it took a few ppl to show this new herper that he was making a big mistake considering that animal in question yes we all had to pull out the big guns on this thread but the mesege was sent and recived I am happy that he chooses not to get the lizard yet in time he will be ready but not now.

you try teaching such a thing to some one that is passionate and determined to get the animal he wants just by saying nice things and saing that it will be ok and stuff like that I did what I needed to do to get my point across.

[BallPython13]

And you go your point across to me,and I thank you very much.You saved me fron alot of trouble!!!

[ReptiZone]

no prob we are all in this together if I make a huge scrue up it will afect you in the long run like if i break the law with a reptile and a ban is place then you will suffer too if you need to go to where the ban was placed and so and so

[Zoe]

Good to hear BP! You'll be very happy in the future :) But actually if you are looking into monitors, I'd suggest you research black tree monitors or maybe peach throats and save some $$. They are stunning creatures and if you care for them correctly they will live long, healthy lives.

Katatonic - I'm not sure why you'd say that. No one is claiming to "know it all" in fact we're saying we don't, and what it would take to. I really don't see how you could classify convincing a herper not to get in over his head just because he saw a cute sav. at the store as a "pissing contest" and saying the site is going downhill. In fact, this is a rather positive outcome!

Zoe

[ReptiZone]

Hey Zoe I think you and me both have seen a bunch of cute baby burm threads and teen herpers full of intusiasum but not know where to chanel there reserch.

I think this is the only one that turned out on a positive note
LOL.

[NewLineReptile]

Good advice chondro python we no how it is having big reptile's
so ballpython13 i am glad you understand now what you would be in for i have 4 Burm's from 14 feet to 8 feet also some big Monitor's as well as a Savannah baby

here is a pic of a 5 foot Nile Monitor so you get the idea of what you would of been in for
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/502/1639nile_2.jpg
and here is a baby savannah
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/502/1639baby_savanna.jpg

[ReptiZone]

sweet pic's man stop showing me pic's of that baby sav I almost baught this weekend for 40$ LOL J/K it just hachted on top of that but I hade no cage for a lizard yet so I got a Ball python for the lady of the house.

[BallPython13]

how is your ball python doing???

[Colonel SB]

Damn that one sweet lookin nile.

[eyespy]

Originally posted by BallPython13
its ok I forgive you for being increibly rude but let me tail you this.my 2 red ear sliders are 4 years old and 5 inches long and doing great.My tree frog is in a temmperary enclousure,my angels are not even an ich long yet,my ball python is on ly 15 inches.So a pet rock is to easy for me.Can someone realy help me?

It's nearly impossible to detect developing liver or kidney disease in reptiles until the disease hits the critical point where they go downhill very fast. Your frog and turtle may seem to be doing fine but they are not getting enough fresh air exchange or clean water in enclosures of that size.

Red-eared sliders are very prone to kidney infections and stones when kept in tanks with too little fresh clean water and excellent filtration. Bare minimum requirements for sliders include much larger tanks than yours for 1 animal and I notice you have 2!! You need a 20 gallon tank for one freshly-hatched RES.

How many filters are you running? Do you have a cannister filter? Most of the filters you see in petshops for tanks under 75 gallons are nowhere near powerful enough to deal with all of the wastes sliders produce.

You might think they are doing fine but you've already signifcantly shortened their lifespan by forcing their kidneys to filter out too many toxins.

Please do not get another animal until you have remedied the housing of the ones you already have.

[V.hb]

Zoe, what do you know about black tree monitors or peachthroat monitors? If you live by this like you stated above.. "Definition of experience: Active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skill." I Dont think you're taking your own advice here.. Both species have steep requirements also, and cost considerably more then savannahs. Plus have way worse dispositions and require a significant amount of time to calm them down. (not so much black trees, they tend to be nicer) Their humidity and caging is just as difficult as a savannah.. I dont recommend posting advice on something you know nothing about. No offence, but seriously think about it.

Black trees and most peachthroats come with internal parasites and all sorts of fun. Not a problem for experienced keepers, but ballpython is obviously a younger herper; So, by telling him to purchase one of these species, he would most likely end up with a WC animal. (judging by his frequent pet store mentions) I mean come on now, hes keeping sliders in a small tank and thinks a 4 year old slider is healthy at 5 inches? What makes you think that hes going to know how to care for a sick wild caught skittish animal. No offence to Ball Python here, you're asking questions and thats fair enough.. Improve on your current collection before you even consider anything else, none the less a monitor of any type.

Iam not gonna knock a kid over this, knock his parents. Not too many new herpers start off as experts, they need some guidence not harrassment. Some good advice was offered to him here, but there was alot of unnessecary garbage too.

On another note, I too started very young with herps. I had NILE monitors as one of my very first reptiles. However, I had the help from my parents and my father who is quite good at constructing enclosures, and at the time researching the lizards for me before purchase. I don't really feel age is a factor here, its more so the guidence involved. Any new herper young or old needs help from somewhere.

[JeffT]

All I saw from this thread is yet ANOTHER reason why young people into reptiles are getting such a bad name. Chondro you had a lot of good points, believe me! but you really generalized us ( meaning young people ) a lot, but really I dont blame you. Too many thigns like this have been happening and people are starting to look down on us. Im 15 next month, have a job , and I ONLY buy an animal when I know I can support it financial needs and can provide best possible housing. However there are just too many people who dont take these same precautions.

Jeff Terborg

[Colonel SB]

I must say Jeff I've been working in the pet indusrty for 7 years now and young ppl like yourself are the exception not the rule, you have no idea hoy many teenagers I've said no to because they've wanted a big constrictor...Just a point if 3 grown men can barley handle a full grown reitc or burm then what makes you think a 13 year can do it by himself? I don't think anyone under the age of 18 should owen a Burm Retic or Afrock. Thats jsut my 2 cents.

[JeffT]

Thanks :)

[Zoe]

V - actually, I researched them quite extensively when I was looking getting one. I never ended up doing so as I got into boids instead. Yes, of course they have strict requirements that must be met, hence "...if you care for them correctly...". ANY monitor requires correct care to survive, and if he's going to get into monitors he'd be better off with something smaller than a huge savannah. By "save some $$$" I meant save it up, as opposed to save some money on the purchase. I am aware of the higher costs of black tree or peachies.

[geckoguy157]

you have to be kiding me please dont get a lizard if you dont even know if its venemous(there are olny two lizards in the world that are venemous) or not it shows how much you realy read about it before you thought about getting it

[V.hb]

Zoe, you make no sense. A savannah (Singular) would require a terrestrial cage, something around 6x3x3. plus heating, dirt etc. Quite easy to do. So being said, the savannah would run him 20$ in the US. Savannahs come with parasites, but most do fine. They are usually quite tame as well.

Now, a peachthroat, or a black tree (ive kept both) Would require an aboreal cage of the same dimensions! Except 6 high. Now you would have to supply adequate humidity, lots of climbing space, TONS Of hides and alot of patience to handle them. 99.9% come parasite riddled and wont last more then a year if not kept properly. The intitial cost of a WC monitor of this type would be easily 3x the amount of a WC savannah. Going that route, he would be better off spending even more for a CB animal. (which is still WAY more then a sav considering not many have bred either species V.Jobiensis, V. Beccari)

Iam narrowing this down to experience. Savs are an easy species to keep providing you give them lots of dirt, high temps and keep them well fed. For a beginner with time, money and dedication they are much easier to begin with then ANY aboreal Varanid species.


On a further note, Sav's arent HUGE. there are many varanids that are catagorized as HUGE and have much nastier tempers. every savannah I have or have HAD has just been nasty in food response, which is completely normal and healthy. You'll be lucky if your peachie will even take food from you, none the less show a sign of sickness before it dies. And we all know signs of sickness aren't the easiest things to find when you are a newcomer to the herp world.

[V.hb]

Basically all I'am saying is, If you want a PET monitor the closest thing to one will be a savannah. Iam very much against the improper care most people practise with their reptiles, and Savannahs unfortunatly are hit with this all too often. Keep them right and feed them properly, and you wont have any extra expenses involved. Even with most WC specimens, like said above very much UNLIKE the two species you suggested.
Thanks

[garterguy]

look ball you keep asking about what herp you should get and you came up with the idea of opening a pet store.now your asking if you should get a moniter!and saying you want a challenge means you dont have enough experiance and no one at the age of thirteen including me who has enough experiance to care for a moniter!and you keep coming up with stuff like your mature for age and you are very very experienced well it doesnt show through on your posts and the stuff you ask.if you are mature for your age you should know that opening a pet store is insane and that you are acting VERY imature with all these crazy ideas.im not attacking you im telling you to be more mature in your posts.