Hello

[jessicaleonardy]

Hello, I am new to posting forums and to the website. I bought a baby savannah monitor from a pet shop because the owner said they were easy and very intelligent I've had him for 3 weeks and I've noticed he's having a hard time shedding is there anything I can do to help him? I have a bearded dragon and he sheds easy so I'm not used to having problems with this.

[alessia55]

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[infernalis]

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[infernalis]

Hello, I am new to posting forums and to the website. I bought a baby savannah monitor from a pet shop because the owner said they were easy and very intelligent I've had him for 3 weeks and I've noticed he's having a hard time shedding is there anything I can do to help him? I have a bearded dragon and he sheds easy so I'm not used to having problems with this.

Please read over my web site....

Savannahmonitor.co (http://www.savannahmonitor.co/)

Meanwhile have a look in our monitors forum.. Varanid - sSNAKESs : Reptile Forum (http://ssnakess.com/forums/varanid/)

[BarelyBreathing]

Savannah monitors are some of the most advanced pets you can keep, actually. The pet store attendant couldn't have been farther from the truth in that aspect.

Savannah monitors need:
-A custom built 8x4x4 enclosure made from wood, 100% sealed (no screen, no open vents)
-2 feet of sandy soil. I use and recommend a 60/40 mixture of Eco Earth and children's washed play sand for monitors. Substrate should be moist at depth.
-60% ambient humidity measured several times daily with a DIGITAL hygrometer
-A basking spot of 130F or higher, measured several times daily with an infra red TEMPERATURE GUN
-A cool side of 75F measured several times daily with a DIGITAL thermometer with a PROBE
-Plenty of hides
-A water dish thtat is large enough to soak in
-A diet that mostly consists of invertibrates

[infernalis]

I have a bearded dragon and he sheds easy so I'm not used to having problems with this.


Bearded dragons are from the arid, rocky, semi-desert regions of Australia, Savannah Monitors are from the humid "muggy" grasslands of Africa.

[jessicaleonardy]

Oh, wow. Well I will definitely get to work on that... yikes! No wonder he isn't shedding. Thank you guys so much!

[jessicaleonardy]

I read your website. The monitors don't get tame?

[hellosugaree]

Why they sell Savannah Monitors in pet stores is beyond me... but I guess that's a different topic. Next to crocodiles and anacondas, it's probably the worst thing to sell to window shoppers.

[Jay]

I read your website. The monitors don't get tame?

No reptile "gets tame."

I'm very sorry to hear you got swinled into purchasing such an advances reptile.
Infernials website is now your bible.

[infernalis]

I read your website. The monitors don't get tame?


They will grow to trust you, but you will always have an animal that will be instinctive, monitors are apex predators not puppies. (I do not mean that disrespectfully, People pass them off as "dog tame" constantly.)

Take your time, earn the trust, you may just wind up with a tractable lizard.

[jessicaleonardy]

Ha, that's funny because the petstore owner actually said that he will be as tame and intelligent as a dumb dog. He said I could teach it to come whenever I call and that I could even teach it to count.

[StudentoReptile]

Ha, that's funny because the petstore owner actually said that he will be as tame and intelligent as a dumb dog. He said I could teach it to come whenever I call and that I could even teach it to count.

Hmmm....comparing a social pack-mentality mammalian omnivore that has been domesticated for thousands of years to a solitary reptilian carnivore that has only been kept (not even really bred much) in captivity for only a mere several decades.

Yeah, they're the same! :wacky:

[Mind you, I am mocking the ignorant pet store owner who likely has never kept a monitor for longer than a few months and is only regurgitating false information he has read...not you, Jessica!]

[marvelfreak]

19821 we love to see pictures of your little guy and his set up.:)

[jessicaleonardy]

Yeah the guy told me a lot of stuff, and I believed him... Haha.. And I don't have him completely set up yet. it's going to be a work in progress.

[shaunyboy]

hello and welcome

cheers shaun

[SnakeyJay]

Welcome. :D

[BarelyBreathing]

Don't ever put your savannah monitor and your bearded dragon together again.

[Wildside]

Yeah the guy told me a lot of stuff, and I believed him... Haha.. And I don't have him completely set up yet. it's going to be a work in progress.

As a former shop owner myself I'm advising you never to go there again. That guy is only there to make a sale. He didn't give any consideration to your best interest or the reptile's. OMG that burns me up! :angry: I sacrificed many sales because people wanted to do absolutely ridiculous things like buying a Nile Monitor for their 7 yr old. Most of the time I'd redirect their attention to the wonders of Leopard Geckos. Most of the time it worked but, sometimes they'd retort with "Nah, we want something big... Can you get a gator?" At that point I'd give them a full on rant about why gators are not good pets for 7 year olds or anyone lacking in that much ****ing common sense and that they would need to go make their purchase elsewhere. You can only take so much man! My point is that while I'm not trying to tell you what to do, supporting that guy is a bad idea. It's because of people like him that many reptiles are subject to extreme amounts of neglect and abuse, and that the responsible keepers of the industry are constantly battling hater legislation.

[hellosugaree]

Don't ever put your savannah monitor and your bearded dragon together again.

When issuing commands to people, it helps to explain things to them. Although something may seem painfully obvious to you, it wasn't for the other person or you would not need to say anything in the first place.

[jessicaleonardy]

Why isn't it okay to put them together?

[Wildside]

Why isn't it okay to put them together?

First of all because their husbandry is drastically different, as previously stated.

There are many other reasons but that one right there should be sufficient.

[hellosugaree]

First of all because their husbandry is drastically different, as previously stated.

There are many other reasons but that one right there should be sufficient.

Husbandry alone doesn't preclude a photo encounter. Going to need a better reason than that. I'm not saying one doesn't exist, but it has yet to be said on this thread.

[Wildside]

Husbandry alone doesn't preclude a photo encounter. Going to need a better reason than that. I'm not saying one doesn't exist, but it has yet to be said on this thread.

How 'bout the good probability that if the Sav adjusts to the faux Austrailian climate and and grows like a Sav, she won't have a Bearded Dragon for long?

[jessicaleonardy]

The monitor will eat him?

[Valvaren]

A fight alone is likely enough I would never risk it, just as these animals never get 'tame' they are extremely unpredictable. I've had my dragon for almost 3 years and I still wouldnt put her in any situation were she could harm or be harmed because she could easily do something I wouldnt expect .

[hellosugaree]

How 'bout the good probability that if the Sav adjusts to the faux Austrailian climate and and grows like a Sav, she won't have a Bearded Dragon for long?

That's more like it.

[Wildside]

That's more like it.

That being said... Providing proper husbandry for each animal should be the main priority, correct?

[Valvaren]

For all you guys that are talking about husbandry, do you think she is housing them together? Clearly in the picture she just has them out at the same time, which I don't condone in anyway in general but I doubt husbandry would really factor in when both animals are out of their own enclosures and subject to the general area of her apartment.

Personally since she is not housing them together I don't thing husbandry is the main point we should be making.

I was on my phone before hence my small response. Jessica, though both your dragon and Sav seem tame or calm to you and with each other as stated both these animals are solitary in the wild and Bearded dragons alone have been known to attack and kill other dragons and lizards. Anything at all could cause them to attack the other and for the safety of both your animals I would keep them separate from now on.

I know this might not be what you want to hear, and I know a lot of people who ended up with dead animals because they trusted said animals. I just don't want you losing either of your babies from an avoidable situation.

[Wildside]

For all you guys that are talking about husbandry, do you think she is housing them together? Clearly in the picture she just has them out at the same time, which I don't condone in anyway in general but I doubt husbandry would really factor in when both animals are out of their own enclosures and subject to the general area of her apartment.

Personally since she is not housing them together I don't thing husbandry is the main point we should be making.

I was on my phone before hence my small response. Jessica, though both your dragon and Sav seem tame or calm to you and with each other as stated both these animals are solitary in the wild and Bearded dragons alone have been known to attack and kill other dragons and lizards. Anything at all could cause them to attack the other and for the safety of both your animals I would keep them separate from now on.

I know this might not be what you want to hear, and I know a lot of people who ended up with dead animals because they trusted said animals. I just don't want you losing either of your babies from an avoidable situation.


You're right. I'm not sure how I came to the conclusion that they were being housed together. Not reading carefully enough I suppose. Of course I never saw it as her fault, she's been misinformed from the get-go.

[jessicaleonardy]

Thanks guys I really appreciate all of the input but I think I'm going to have to get rid of the Savannah monitor.. I really don't want to but I'm not nearly experienced enough, and I don't have the time or money for that manner to take care of him properly. Do you guys have any ideas about where I could take him? I can't take him back to the petstore because it was out of state and I don't think I would want to take him back there anyway.

[Gungirl]

What state are you located in? That will make helping you find him a new home easier.

[Wildside]

Thanks guys I really appreciate all of the input but I think I'm going to have to get rid of the Savannah monitor.. I really don't want to but I'm not nearly experienced enough, and I don't have the time or money for that manner to take care of him properly. Do you guys have any ideas about where I could take him? I can't take him back to the petstore because it was out of state and I don't think I would want to take him back there anyway.

I'm so sorry this happened to you, but now you know you should always research potential pet purchases ahead of time :) Pets are not something that should be bought on impulse.

[jessicaleonardy]

I live in Florida. Thanks.