Please help me out... if you can.

savannahs · 06-17-13, 12:06 AM

Hello. I accumulated a lot of information on how to care for a Savannah Monitor over a three month period. I need the experts here to let me know if the information is correct. Please keep in mind that my future Sav will be kept in my garage since it's the only place big enough for its large enclosure. Temperatures in the garage can vary a lot. What can I do about that? Also, will humidity be difficult to manage in the garage? I live in California, to give you an idea of what the temperature and humidity may be like.

Heating / Lighting
- I'm confused about the temperatures. What should the basking area, warm side, and cool side be? Can the temperatures drop at night?
- I need a Temp Gun.
- I need to use multiple heat lights to heat the enclosure instead of one.
- I need a UVB light on for 12 hours each day.
- Do I need a large branch for it to bask on or just a large piece of tile? Or would both be good?

Humidity
- Humidity should be 60% on the cool side (how can I make sure it gets this humid?).
- Humidity should be 85-100% in the burrow (how can I make sure it gets this humid?).
- I need a Hygrometer.

Hiding Places
- I need to provide a burrow.
- How do I make a burrow?
- Should I put sphagnum moss in the burrow?

- How big should the burrow be for a baby / adult?
- How do I make hides that are big enough for baby/adult savs?

Diet / Water
- Dubia roaches, crickets, superworms, frozen mice, frozen rats, and organic boiled/scrambled eggs are healthy or so I've read.
- What should I dust the insects with? Rep-Cal? Repashy (what kind)?
- How often should I feed each prey item to the Sav?
- How large should the insects be for a baby/adult Sav?
- How large should the mice/rats be for a baby/adult Sav?
- I need a large water dish and it needs to be changed daily.
- How large should the water dish be?

Enclosure
- I am going to make a 8 ft x 4 ft x 4 ft enclosure for it (is this too small for a full grown Sav? If it is, the largest enclosure I could make would be 10 ft x 6 ft x 6 ft).
- Is it alright to make the enclosure out of redwood?
- What should the windows be made out of? I don't want to use glass. I just really don't like glass.
- Can I house a baby Sav in the huge enclosure? If I can't, then is a 40 gallon tank large enough for a baby Sav? It's the largest size I can get. If it's too small, my only option would be the huge enclosure.

Substrate
- What should the substrate be? I've read "soil" is a good substrate, but I need to know what type and where I can purchase it.
- How in the world would I change the substrate? I know they need burrows, so I'm assuming it will need to be deep. Would I have to shovel it out to change it?

Training
- What are some good techniques to make it trust me?
- What do I need to teach it? (Main thing I really need to know). I know to never take it out of the cage and just let it come out by itself.
- How do I make it know my fingers aren't food?
- Is hand feeding frowned upon?
- How do I make sure the Sav doesn't bite me?
- Can I walk it in my backyard on a leash? I saw someone on YouTube do it though I know YouTube is a very unreliable source sometimes.
- How should I exercise it?

I think that's everything I know. Just so you know, I'm 13 years old. I know I'm young, but I'm very responsible. I know that it can bite my finger off if isn't "tamed". And that is why I will spend all day with it on the weekend and 4 hours with it on weekdays to train it and care for it. I know it can get 2-4 feet long. I know it eats a lot. I am prepared for the HUGE resposibility. Please throw things I don't know at me though, because I NEED to know what I'm getting into. Thanks.

Lankyrob · 06-17-13, 02:45 AM

Personally i would check out Wayne's (infernalis on here) web site and follow all his advice, and kudos for researching before buying.

Personally i would offer the largest possible enclosure from birth

franks · 06-17-13, 06:00 AM

What Rob said:
Savannahmonitor.co is the address to Wayne's page. He answers all of these questions there.

infernalis · 06-17-13, 06:55 AM

If I forget anything, just tell me.

Heating/Lighting - All you really need is a few 45-60 watt outdoor flood light bulbs to create a hot basking spot of 120-150 degrees (F) and the rest of the cage temps will follow.

UVB is not required, but it is not harmful either, so why not use it?

Humidity - If you keep a deep layer of soil in the bottom of the cage, and the cage is well sealed, then humidity should be self maintaining, with just an occasional soil watering.

I would build the cage with double walls and insulation in the walls, that way the temperature fluctuations in the garage will not matter.

You can start a burrow with your hand, just make a shallow hole, and the lizard will start digging it out bigger to suit his/her needs.

Diet - Mice, baby rats, baby bunnies, earth worms (jumbo night crawlers), chicks, beetles, roaches, snails, crayfish, slugs, shrimp (organic chemical free) and minnows are acceptable prey.

Soil - once you have the enclosure filled with soil, you will not need to change it, you want to include natural bacteria and insects from outside, to do this simply use natural dirt dug up from a forest or creek bed area. This will make your enclosure bio-active and poop will dissolve naturally like it does in the wild.

I know this works, I have not cleaned Littlefoot and Cera's cage in well over a year. The piles of poo vanish in a day.

Windows, You will want to use glass, plexi will warp from the heat, and it scratches easily, so toenails will scar it up quickly. I chose to use safety glass, Just obtain a shower door or a house window.

Build trust by tong feeding, never hand feed without tongs, they have a very strong bite. I know.

Leashes are not something I would try on a well heated lizard, their behavior is so much different when kept warm, they are very fast and could slip a leash in a moment and go up a tree or down a hole, and you would never get it back. (I know someone on this very forum that this happened to)

If you provide a lot of space, and a lot of dirt, the lizard will exercise itself by digging a lot.

savannahs · 06-17-13, 11:19 AM

Thank you so much for the replies. I just forgot one question: Should I take my future Sav to the vet for check ups? Thanks again.

infernalis · 06-17-13, 11:37 AM

I would not take it to the vet for "check ups" it's stressful.

Prevention is the best medicine. Keep it healthy and you will never need a vet.

murrindindi · 06-17-13, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savannahs

Thank you so much for the replies. I just forgot one question: Should I take my future Sav to the vet for check ups? Thanks again.

Hi, yes, it never hurts to have them checked out periodically (even if it`s just a faecal check), which obviously doesn't require the monitor and vet to meet, so no stress at all!......

Just to add to Wayne`s excellent post; providing you can achieve all the necessary conditions in an "adult-sized" enclosure, build once rather than several times (cheaper for you, less stressful for the monitor because it won`t need several "house" moves). A hatchling WILL find the heat, cool, light and dark, and if it means the animal has to search/chase after it`s food that`s good too, exercise is great for them!

savannahs · 06-17-13, 01:18 PM

Alright, thank you again for all of the help! I really appreciate it.

infernalis · 06-18-13, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi, yes, it never hurts to have them checked out periodically (even if it`s just a faecal check), which obviously doesn't require the monitor and vet to meet, so no stress at all!......

Just to add to Wayne`s excellent post; providing you can achieve all the necessary conditions in an "adult-sized" enclosure, build once rather than several times (cheaper for you, less stressful for the monitor because it won`t need several "house" moves). A hatchling WILL find the heat, cool, light and dark, and if it means the animal has to search/chase after it`s food that`s good too, exercise is great for them!

"Like"

I raised mine up directly in a 8x4x4 "adult" size enclosure, and they grew up just fine. The most interesting time I spent with them so far was watching them grow up in that large box. They used the room to run and move around a lot.

It's incredible fun seeing the young lizards zip about in a cage with some space in it.

savannahs · 06-18-13, 12:31 PM

I found this: Earthgro 1 cu. ft. Topsoil-71151180 at The Home Depot

Is that safe to use as a substrate? I don't have any forests and such around me, so I'm going to have to buy it from a store. But I'm sure this will defeat the whole purpose of the natural process... won't it?

Also (sorry for so many questions!), the regular cost of a Savannah would greatly be reduced if I bred all of the feeders, right?

savannahs · 06-18-13, 05:27 PM

I have another question. xP I'm sorry for so many questions (again)! I just can't seem to find a lot of information on websites. Is this a good way to exercise them? It looks relaxing for them, but I'm no expert: My Savannah Monitors swimming - YouTube

thomas1123 · 06-22-13, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

If I forget anything, just tell me.

Heating/Lighting - All you really need is a few 45-60 watt outdoor flood light bulbs to create a hot basking spot of 120-150 degrees (F) and the rest of the cage temps will follow.

UVB is not required, but it is not harmful either, so why not use it?

Humidity - If you keep a deep layer of soil in the bottom of the cage, and the cage is well sealed, then humidity should be self maintaining, with just an occasional soil watering.

I would build the cage with double walls and insulation in the walls, that way the temperature fluctuations in the garage will not matter.

You can start a burrow with your hand, just make a shallow hole, and the lizard will start digging it out bigger to suit his/her needs.

Diet - Mice, baby rats, baby bunnies, earth worms (jumbo night crawlers), chicks, beetles, roaches, snails, crayfish, slugs, shrimp (organic chemical free) and minnows are acceptable prey.

Soil - once you have the enclosure filled with soil, you will not need to change it, you want to include natural bacteria and insects from outside, to do this simply use natural dirt dug up from a forest or creek bed area. This will make your enclosure bio-active and poop will dissolve naturally like it does in the wild.

I know this works, I have not cleaned Littlefoot and Cera's cage in well over a year. The piles of poo vanish in a day.

Windows, You will want to use glass, plexi will warp from the heat, and it scratches easily, so toenails will scar it up quickly. I chose to use safety glass, Just obtain a shower door or a house window.

Build trust by tong feeding, never hand feed without tongs, they have a very strong bite. I know.

Leashes are not something I would try on a well heated lizard, their behavior is so much different when kept warm, they are very fast and could slip a leash in a moment and go up a tree or down a hole, and you would never get it back. (I know someone on this very forum that this happened to)

If you provide a lot of space, and a lot of dirt, the lizard will exercise itself by digging a lot.

Hey sorry if this is slightly off topic but could I use this for an ackie monitor also?

smy_749 · 06-22-13, 09:10 PM

All of it listed here is the same for ackies as for as I know, with the exception of the prey items which are too large for ackies to consume.

Pirarucu · 06-23-13, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savannahs

I have another question. xP I'm sorry for so many questions (again)! I just can't seem to find a lot of information on websites. Is this a good way to exercise them? It looks relaxing for them, but I'm no expert: My Savannah Monitors swimming - YouTube

Those Savs look half dead..

Pirarucu · 06-23-13, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savannahs

I found this: Earthgro 1 cu. ft. Topsoil-71151180 at The Home Depot

Is that safe to use as a substrate? I don't have any forests and such around me, so I'm going to have to buy it from a store. But I'm sure this will defeat the whole purpose of the natural process... won't it?

Also (sorry for so many questions!), the regular cost of a Savannah would greatly be reduced if I bred all of the feeders, right?

I have looked into this brand, it was not good monitor dirt. It was peat and stuff like that if I remember right, and didn't come close to holding a burrow.