My monitor

[Tempest]

Ok, since my savannah was a baby it has eaten its insects with the white powder stuff on them and pretty much everything that is white he thinks is food lol

But I did not think about this when I decided to put calcium sand into his tank...which is white

If he eats it i heard that it can potentially be good for him

But is it really if he eats it randomly and not by accident?

[V.hb]

Calci sand is pure garbage man!! it causes alot of problems. get yourself some dirt from outside that holds a good burrow!! But definatly, ditch the sand. Good luck!

[B-Rep]

Yikes! As V.hb said, get rid of that crap! It does more harm than good.

If you do decide to get dirt from outside, be sure to go to somewhere "healthy." Somewhere distant from the city.

[Tempest]

Oh wow...wow...yeah umm thats bad lol

Ok anything other than dirt? thanx...because I cant go anywhere and my parents wont take me...would fertilizer work? just thought of that..maybe it could work

[asphyxia]

would fertilizer work?
Only for about 5 minutes...then your monitor will be dead.

Go by some organic black earth untill you can get some alkaline dirt...about $2.00 a bag.

Tell me what kind of heat and enclosure do you have set up.

B

[Jeff_Favelle]

Fertilizer? Ummm....that would be a big NO!

[Tempest]

Ok well I have a water dish that is big enough for him to submerge in - I have a 50 watt heat light and a UV Light ESU reptile or something like that

- I have a rock and a log in there as well...he is a little more than a foot maybe 1'3" or 4"...his cage is 3 foot long and 1 foot wide...

He is a little more than a year old 2
and i didnt think the fertilzer would work either lol

[JeffT]

The reason fertilizer wont work is that its POISON. Im no expert on varanids, but get some dirt from a store, then your sav can dig and burrow. How big is your sav?

[Tempest]

He is about 1'2" - 1"6" , I havent measured him in about a month so thats where the variation comes from

[B-Rep]

Some people can be so ignorant and disrespectfull...

Tempest;

I would try and upgrade the cage soon as well as getting some good dirt in there...Try a 4 X 2 X 2 made of melamie or ply wood...something cheap if you don't have the money...

Feel free to PM or E-mail me should you have any more questions. Best of luck!:)

[ReptiZone]

B-Rep If a person is gona buy a herp all this stuff should be basic knowlege. come on sand for a monitor who filed his head with that. Then he comes here and asked if fertalizer is any better when he was specificly told that good old fascion dirt is the best way to go. Come on now. dont come here and start disrespecting somme of the ppl that have forgot more things about herps then almost anybody on this site could learn if they tryed.

they gave the advice who cares how it's given take it and learn we are not gona suger coat every thing for you ppl.

[RachelS.]

okay first off before everyone gets all jumpy and such I just wanna add that this is, in fact, the internet... I don't think B-Rep realized the tone of voice used in the previous posts and therefore thought they were rude instead of helpful. I just want to point out that everyone did they're part and I don't think anyone really meant to be disrespectful or mean to Tempest. He's probably a first time monitor owner and needs some guidance, so dont spoil everything for him, just let him know what he needs to change and accept the fact that he might need a little help here and there. Just my input, thanks

[tHeGiNo]

Also, I highly doubt that a 50 watt is giving him the temperature that he requires.

[V.hb]

Anyways, Tempest.. Get yourself a good thermometer. make sure his basking spot is about 130 degrees. You dont need that UV bulb, but it really wont hurt. The rest of the enclosure should be 80 degrees. If you cant get to far for dirt just go into your back yard, you should be able to find a nice clean spot to dig up. Then use the black earth you purchased to fill the hole so your parents dont kill ya!! good luck.

By the way, i didnt see where anyone, including tempest was rude..

[Linds]

Originally posted by Tempest

If he eats it i heard that it can potentially be good for him


Calci-Sand is one of the worst substrates for any animal to be housed on. It acts like Tums (it is 100% the exact same ingredient), neutralizes the enzymes/acids in the gut, hindering proper digestion and absorption of anything (you know how on the Tums bottle is says not to take within 1-2 hours of any medication?). This can lead to impaction as well. Just another pet store pushed product to get more money :(

[B-Rep]

Rachel;

Nice post, that was a good few points to get accross.

The one constant problem with the internet is that sometimes people's comments can be percieved differently by individuals...

However, all I truly care about are the Varanids, so get that dirt moving, get a new cage, and get a 24 hour heat source in there.:)

[Tempest]

Thank you guys...i really didnt think the ferilizer would work but at the time of thinking about it i was worried so it wasnt like i was just saying hey fertilizer...sounds good lets use it without asking anybody

Nothing to get upset over .

Anyways thanx alot...it is my first monitor so I believe i was not properly informed from my pet store...and ic how you guys think of pet stores when it comes to varanids lol....they told me pretty much that u get a heat lamp and uv light and some sand and a small water dish and you are good...pretty pathetic i think now

and they cage their huge monitors that are like 3-7 foot in tiny 4 by 4s and cages that arent even twice as long as the lizard is...its really sad cause they look sad..

Oh and what watt lightbulb would you suggest?

[Jeff_Favelle]

It doesn't matter what wattage we suggest. The whole purpose of setting up a cage before you get your animal is so that you can calibrate your temps and such for the animal in question. Every house, room, cage, etc etc is different, and thus the wattages will change drastically. You KNOW the desired temperature ranges, so YOU find out what light bulb gives you that in YOUR cage. Only then, will you start to keep your monitor successfully.

And don't experiment with wattages with the monitor in the cage. Calibration of a monitor hotspot can be done in a matter of hours if you have multiple light bulbs to try and don't have to make a trip to the hardware store.

[maiden_canada]

dirt would be the best, clean dirt, but you could also use astro-turf or something like that, playsand is also good, not quite as white as calci-sand (unless you have the brown kind) but its not harmful if they swallow it i think because its used in sandboxes and stuff, its like $5 for a huge bag that weighs like 50lbs. but anyways if u want something that looks clean and everything playsand would be good.

i have a savannah monitor and thats what i use for him but hes still young so if you have an ackie or something i might be wrong.