New sav, going to put in 6 - 10 inches of dirt today BUT

[VaranidLover]

Hey guys

well i just got my sav today! :D Hes in a 75 gallon tank, sitting at 115F basking spot (i know, i gotta get it up, im sure it will rise when i put in 10 inches of dirtwhich will make the basking spot closer to the lights)

50 - 60% Humidity, and cool side of 85 - 88F

I was wondering though... can i just take dirt from my garden (no fertilizer is in it, its just natural soil) and just put it straight into his enclosure?

Or do i have to bake it like you would with sand?

And should i do a mix of sand and soil? And if so do i have to bake the sand before i mix it into the soil and put it into his enclosure?

Thanks, any and all help is appreciated.

[infernalis]

I'm in a bit of a hurry, but there is no need to bake your dirt.

If it is free of fertilizers and contaminants (like pollution contaminants) there is no reason to bake it. (not that baking would remove pollution anyhow)

I just shovel up dirt from my creek bank.

[Jenn_06]

outside dirt is ok and yes mix it up with sand.

[VaranidLover]

I'm in a bit of a hurry, but there is no need to bake your dirt.

If it is free of fertilizers and contaminants (like pollution contaminants) there is no reason to bake it. (not that baking would remove pollution anyhow)

I just shovel up dirt from my creek bank.

Im not too convinced that there isnt any fertilizer or contaminants in the garden. Even though pesticides are illegal i still hear of people finding them and using them and i know they can float with the wind and end up in soil for a long time

Would 5 - 10 inches of aspen be okay? I can pick up two huge bags today and go with that. I heard it holds burrows well and it would let him dig too.

What do you think of aspen? I would love to go with dirt but i dont feel confident that my lawn or the garden that i planned on taking the dirt out of, is clean.

I also cant find anywhere near me that sells dirt without fertilizer :l

I called three plant shops, home depot, and walmart and all of their dirt has fertilizer in it

[infernalis]

then I would suggest the following product..

http://www.deerfernfarms.com/images/Web-Supplies-Excavator_Soil.jpg

you will never change it, so it's a one time investment.

once you set up the cage, leave it alone and simply pick out the poop.

[VaranidLover]

then I would suggest the following product..

http://www.deerfernfarms.com/images/Web-Supplies-Excavator_Soil.jpg

you will never change it, so it's a one time investment.

once you set up the cage, leave it alone and simply pick out the poop.

Thanks! Ill pick that stuff up if i can find it for sure!

Thanks! ill get some pics up as soon as possible :)

EDIT:

Wewt found it.

Well, itll last until christmas, then i am building him a 7 x 3 x 4 (hes really small, i think hes only going to be MAX 3 - 3 and a half feet)

hes like 1 and a half feet long at two years of age so i dont think hes going to get to be 4 foot.

Anyway, so yeah this clay will be used until christmas when i build his new home, then ill buy more and use the clay from his current aquarium. so that works out :)

[Ch^4]

then I would suggest the following product..

http://www.deerfernfarms.com/images/Web-Supplies-Excavator_Soil.jpg

you will never change it, so it's a one time investment.

once you set up the cage, leave it alone and simply pick out the poop.

This is likely an ignorant and naive question, but why won't you ever have to change this stuff? Is it different for lizards and snakes? Because, over the years, I've found that spot cleaning should only be done for a couple months. After that, change out the substrate, clean all contents, and add fresh substrate. Sorry for the digression, but this "one time investment" substrate sparked my curiosity.

[VaranidLover]

This is likely an ignorant and naive question, but why won't you ever have to change this stuff? Is it different for lizards and snakes? Because, over the years, I've found that spot cleaning should only be done for a couple months. After that, change out the substrate, clean all contents, and add fresh substrate. Sorry for the digression, but this "one time investment" substrate sparked my curiosity.

I think its because when you spot clean with clay you can get ALL of the waste, unlike aspen or something where some pee will always make it to the bottom or whatever

I have no clue though, thats just a random thought LOL

[infernalis]

Firstly, Your Savannah will get really stressed out if you tear down his home (changing it will destroy the burrows)

secondly, essential bacteria form in there that will be stripped away with a changeover.

Savannah's have better memory capacity than snakes, so once they get acclimated to a certain environment, changing that will cause stress.

[Freebody]

Grats on the sav, they are so cool :)

[VaranidLover]

Grats on the sav, they are so cool :)

Thanks! Yeah i love him to pieces already :yes:

[Ch^4]

Firstly, Your Savannah will get really stressed out if you tear down his home (changing it will destroy the burrows)

secondly, essential bacteria form in there that will be stripped away with a changeover.

Savannah's have better memory capacity than snakes, so once they get acclimated to a certain environment, changing that will cause stress.

Thanks infernalis! And thanks for trying VaranidLover!

This is an excellent place to learn new things and everyone is very friendly....everyday, I leave the forum with a new bit of knowledge. Thanks again everyone.

[VaranidLover]

Hey guys

well, it turns out they only have 10 pound bags and id need to buy a lot of bags to fill the 75 gallon tank up even 6 inches

So instead i am going to go with dirt from my garden. nobody has used fertilizer in it and i dont really think it is contaminated.

Or, if possible i was wondering if i could use Pine or Aspen? It would be easy to go to the tore and buy 2 huge bags for 30 bucks and that will give me 6 - 10 inches of substrate and it will let him dig

What do you guys think? garden soil or aspen/pine?

[infernalis]

garden soil. Aspen is a waste of time and money.

plus your monitor will slosh his water bowl constantly.

aspen gets mouldy.

[Damion930]

Pines an aromatic wood in short its toxic it won't kill ur rep right out but will cause health probs in the future

[VaranidLover]

garden soil. Aspen is a waste of time and money.

plus your monitor will slosh his water bowl constantly.

aspen gets mouldy.

Thanks!

I put soem dirt in there last night, gonna add more today

Question though... I have two heat lights running and its only holding the basking spot at 100 - 115F (one bulb im assuming is 200 watts, the other is 100 watts)

How can i bump it up?

I am thinking about replacing the 200 watt with a 200 watt CHE. Could it be that the bulb is so old that its not giving out its max heat?

What do you guys think? will replacing the old 200 watt with a brand new CHE bump it up to 120 - 130F or should i just buy a new dome and light altogether?

Thanks

[VaranidLover]

Also, heres some pics :)

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/7885/img0264ca.jpg (http://img9.imageshack.us/i/img0264ca.jpg/)

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/9341/img0262ql.jpg (http://img337.imageshack.us/i/img0262ql.jpg/)

http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/5971/img0263r.jpg (http://img813.imageshack.us/i/img0263r.jpg/)

[Timmy87]

Thanks!

I put soem dirt in there last night, gonna add more today

Question though... I have two heat lights running and its only holding the basking spot at 100 - 115F (one bulb im assuming is 200 watts, the other is 100 watts)

How can i bump it up?

I am thinking about replacing the 200 watt with a 200 watt CHE. Could it be that the bulb is so old that its not giving out its max heat?

What do you guys think? will replacing the old 200 watt with a brand new CHE bump it up to 120 - 130F or should i just buy a new dome and light altogether?

Thanks

I am using a 75 watt flood light and it puts the temp up around 120 degrees. Try going to your local home depot/lowes and buy one and try it out.

[Aaron_S]

He looks ok. Seems to be healthy from those shots so good luck! I look forward to more pictures.

I would go with the flood lights as suggested above. Should solve the problem.

May I ask what his diet currently is?

[infernalis]

One of the best investments you can make for your Monitor is to buy a roach colony, big meaty roaches are awesome food items for any insectivore lizard.

Dubia (Orange spotted) roaches are cheap, produce a lot of new roaches fast and are a breeze to keep.

You will be quite happy with the amount of really cheap food you will get.

http://www.reptard.info/photo/roach.jpg

http://www.reptard.info/photo/roach1.jpg

http://www.reptard.info/photo/roach2.jpg

[Lankyrob]

Am loking for a colony at the moment - their tank is basically ready but nowhere in the uk will ship them while it is so cold outside (we have snow at the moment)

[VaranidLover]

He looks ok. Seems to be healthy from those shots so good luck! I look forward to more pictures.

I would go with the flood lights as suggested above. Should solve the problem.

May I ask what his diet currently is?


I am currently feeding him very lightly. He is a little chubby but not too fat so I just want him to lose a little weight.

I am feeding him one mouse every 2 weeks. One boiled egg every two weeks and 20 - 40 meal worms (the HUGE mealworms, the ones that dont pupate) 2x a week

[VaranidLover]

Will this bulb work?

Philips - 65W BR30 Flood Light Natural - 162404 - Home Depot Canada (http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=901837&Ntt=901837&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber)

Thanks

[infernalis]

Yes it will work fine, 65 watt will not put out enough heat alone in an enclosure large enough for a Savannah, but two of them together will.

That also gives you a little backup, if one bulb burns out, the cage will not go cold.

I also keep a couple spare bulbs in the house so I can change the burned out bulb quickly.

[VaranidLover]

Yes it will work fine, 65 watt will not put out enough heat alone in an enclosure large enough for a Savannah, but two of them together will.

That also gives you a little backup, if one bulb burns out, the cage will not go cold.

I also keep a couple spare bulbs in the house so I can change the burned out bulb quickly.

Great, I have a 100 watt lamp and a 200 watt lamp.

Do you think a 6 inch dome will be able to handle that 65 watt flood light? Its a tiny dome

I plan on getting two of those bulbs, one for my huge dome (the big one can hold a 200 W bulb) and one for my small dome

I just want to make sure its safe to use that flood light in the smaller dome

[infernalis]

Look on the side of the socket, usually they have it marked "max wattage"

I have a tiny dome rated for 250 watts with a porcelain socket and a huge dome rated for 100 watts with a plastic socket.

the size is unimportant, it's the socket rating that is.

[mo9e64]

have you guys ever considered smaller wattage bulbs(25-50w) inside their enclosure.They are safer,more economical,heats smaller area so you have more control over humidity. Moe

[VaranidLover]

Look on the side of the socket, usually they have it marked "max wattage"

I have a tiny dome rated for 250 watts with a porcelain socket and a huge dome rated for 100 watts with a plastic socket.

the size is unimportant, it's the socket rating that is.

:no: hey

Unfortunately.. My sav just sneezed.

He has been digging like crazy and sticking his face in the dirt, could it be that he was clearing his nostrils and not a RI?

Theres no bubbling of mucus around his nose or whatever.

Should I be worried?

[infernalis]

how hot is the basking spot?

[VaranidLover]

how hot is the basking spot?

120 - 130F

Maybe even higher because im using a thermometer with a probe so it may be hotter by 5 degrees or so (but my non contact digital thermometer says its 120 - 130 aswell so maybe the thermometer is correct?)

[Freebody]

120 - 130 is fine, when hes small best to go with 120, when hes full grown you want a spot that is 150, mine i use the morter style, cinder block, the ones wih holes in them, so ontop its 120 and inside its around 105 or so, its best to give him a few hotspots so he can pick what heat he wants to be at, i recomend building yourself a bigger cage sooner than later. eventually you need 8'x4'x4' so may as well build it now and use it while he grows :) he looks great by the way, about the same size as mine. i dought he has ri if your temps are on, most likely just digging and had stuff in them :P

[VaranidLover]

120 - 130 is fine, when hes small best to go with 120, when hes full grown you want a spot that is 150, mine i use the morter style, cinder block, the ones wih holes in them, so ontop its 120 and inside its around 105 or so, its best to give him a few hotspots so he can pick what heat he wants to be at, i recomend building yourself a bigger cage sooner than later. eventually you need 8'x4'x4' so may as well build it now and use it while he grows :) he looks great by the way, about the same size as mine. i dought he has ri if your temps are on, most likely just digging and had stuff in them :P

great ill drop it down to 120f

We are building a 7 x 4 x 3, hes two years old so I dont think he has much growing to do.

I can only see him getting to maybe 3 feet. so the cage we are building will be perfect.

We plan on making it a triangle shape, so it fits in the corner. its still going to be HUGE though. Much bigger than hes ever going to need I think :)

We also plan on making like little ramps up to higher levels (like for example closer to the basking bulbs) so it adds even more floor space.

We are also making a "sand box" inside this new enclosure so we dont have to fill the entire enclosure with dirt, but at the same time he can dig a lot if he wants to :)

below the ramp up to the basking spot we are going to put in a 3 foot long sterilite tub filled with water incase he wants to take a bath :)


All in all im spending about 200 - 400 bucks on this new enclosure.


Im sure he will love it, hes already too big for his aquarium. so rather than building this new enclosure at christmas we are going to start to build it saturday :)


ill post pics of it and him in it when we are done :D

[Freebody]

this is a great link IMO, to sav care, if its already 2 years old keep the 130, read this site and do this, your sav will love you for it. its exactly how im going to do my cage :) my little guy is not as big as yours then, the pic looked small, my sav is just a few months old, about 9" head to tip of his tailm but he has doubled in size since i got him last month so i must be doing somthing right :) GL and keep the pics coming , i just love savs, scaly puppy dogs, well mine hate me unless i have food for him then hes my best friend LOL i open the cage he hisses and tail whips and gets into defensive stance, i pull out the container full of dubia roaches and he jumps off his hotspot run over no fear and eats his fill, sniffing my hands for more, when hes realizes their no more, he hisses gives a little tail flick and a dirtly look and walks back to his heat lamp LOL so personable :P ah sorry the link no longer works :( give your little fello a heat spot of 150. 130. 120 and 100, you can do this buy building a rack out of wood stacked under the heat lamp, or aranging cement blocks or rock so its stacked up in a way that they get closer to the light for more heat,.. im sure you know the rest :) the link was great, im mad its no longer working because i wanted to copy his picks and stuff he had posted and links he had n the site for more info...