Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I plan on buying a Savannah monitor in the near future, ive been doing alot of research to know what im getting myself into but theres still some things I need to clear up and this seemes like the place!

Firstly, im building it a 8x4x4' cage, im pretty sure it will be enough but I just want to make sure. So is it?

Ive also read alot of different things about substrate. Im aiming for a sandy dirt, that could somewhat simulate their natural environment, but am not sure what dirt I should use. Would topsoil you buy at home depot be ok or would the dirt I have in my backyard be better?(I live outside of DC if that helps at all, and not sure if dirt has any pesticides in it.)Whatever one I get I will mix it with sand.

Feeding, again ive read alot of different things but my general understanding is they need to be fed every day while there young, once they get older then 2 times a week will do. If anything is wrong with that please point it out, I dotn want to starve my lizard or overfeed.

Heating: Again alot of confusion and different things being said, so could someone please clear up the heating needs of these lizards? What should I aim for in the basking side, what should I aim for in his cool side? Is humidity an important factor in keeping them, if so what humidity should be maintained? If anyone has any lighting/heating products they would like to reccomend, id love to hear it. Also how important is UVB with them? Ive had my troubles with UVB and MBD in the past and will not repeat them.

That about covers it for now, if anyone has any questions for me ill be glad to answer them, if anyone has ANYTHING to add, please do!

Your cage size should be just fine for your new sav. A basking site ranging from 120 - 130 degrees would be good with an ambient air temp of around 70 - 80 degrees. Humidity should be good around 40 - 55%. It is very hard to over-feed juveniles and once your sav is an adult just monitor his/her overall health. Savannahs have a stocky frame to them, which is normal, just don't let it become obese and you should be fine. Best of luck to you!

Well i tell you what happend to me. I had that cyper stuff in mines cage and she loved to rub her face, well she got it in her eye so i put her in sand and of course she got sand all in her eyes and i end up taking her to the vet of a bad eye infectiong couldnt et it out myself.
But just know using dirt make her more likly to get parasite and things lik that some peep will arguee about this and say thats good and others will say its realy bad. Just becareful and watch the savs reactioms. They love rocks to rub on and hinding boxes GOOD LUCK

Thanks both of you, I was planning on filling the cage with rocks, to build basking areas and hiding spots, so hopefully that will give her/him somethign to rub her face on instead of the ground. I decided I will start off with sand, if that causes problems then I guess ill move on to something else. Again thanks both of you for help and advice!

wow, you never know who's an "expert" anymore. if that advice sounds good, you have a long way to go.

40% humidity will leave you in a permanent state of dehydration. not great. there are no good humidity gauges out there anyway, so forget a number. if the animal thrives, you are doing well. if it doesn't, you are doing poorly. if it sheds well, you are doing well, if it doesn't, you probably need more moisture, among other things.

the "advice" by jammiesreptiles speaks for itself, in that it is the worst advice i have seen in some time.

check out our caresheet on Savs. buy the Savannah Monitor book by Ravi and Dan Bennett, available at our site, or on the classifieds here at ks.com. it has the most current monitor husbandry in print, it is very good, and will provide the basis of knowledge that you are looking for.

as for soil, check out the soil FAQ at our site, particularly the Home Depot mix. store bought topsoil alone works poorly. your backyard, or neighborhood, dirt, might work great, but there is no simple answer, it is something you have to discover for yourself and your particular circumstance.

best of luck.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Robyn, I have always been quite the fan of yours and of ProExotics. Please excuse me if I gave you the impression that I considered myself, or presented myself in a way that showed that I felt I was an "expert". That was not my intention. Just trying to lend a hand. My apologies ~ Varanusjoe

your suggested temps and stuff were very good, i just think the humidity suggestion was low, and using a device to measure humidity to the percentile is futile.

my reply was really focused more on the other post of advice, which was all over the place, and bad.

you don't have to be an expert, but do keep in mind the great need for context, base and direction when giving advice to a new keeper. they usually lack the context and experience to catch of lot of the subtlety and assumption that other keepers throw at them : )
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles