Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am soon to pick up about 2ft savannah monitor. so ecited. I was just looking for general advice especially on diet and housing. I have read so many mixed things on diets and I have a temporary housing for him but i was looking for as many pics and ideas for cage as possible i have alot of room in my basement and am debating on building one might even try to convert the one whole room but just looking for ideas advice and picture would be a great help. Thanx
Tom

How ya doin', TBONE21?
I like that name. I'm a hambone. Really. I've even got an e-mail address that's: imahambone@......

Please don't take offense to what I'm about to say as I'm gonna try to say it as nice as I can. You can find more of the information you're looking for from searching the forums than you can with this lone post. These topics have all been fairly recently discussed. In fact, I'm willing to bet that you can find more than enough valuable information just by reading the three pages found within the thread list, without having to do a search of the forums.

Please, by all means, if after reading previous posts, you still have unanswered Qs or a specific Q, don't hesitate to ask.

Have a good one!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

I have read almost every post on this forum but diet is so controversial would their diet be like feeding a tortoise (not in what they eat) but in the fact that just feed them a variety of everything and he should be getting the correct nutrients. When it comes to the cage i have not really found anything specific. I mean i am ok at building but not a carpenter. especially like what kind of woods is ok to use is like osb board ok or should it be hard wood only or like cabinet grade or something else or are there better options. Defferent types of materials to build to see in like glass acrylic or something else and how thick do they like to climb at all or are they strictly grounders meaning should the cage be tall with like logs and ladders to climb. The very few pics i have been able to see have a mix like some have no rule to climb and some are smaller on the bootom but big logs to climb on? Also i know this was posted on boards but should the would be stained and waterproof and what kind? and one mor question i had that i have not been able to find i have found lots of info on temperture and basking but how much humidity do they like? I don't mean to sound like i dont do any research i do alot of research on all the animals i know and i am always just wanting the best for all my animals. i always want to not just give the bare minimum for my animals i want to give the best i can and that is why i ask.... any additional info would be great. and i have been reading this forum for days before i even posted anything and i wanted to try to get some pics cause tbere arent many i could find still on here.

> > > I have read almost every post on this forum...

Ha! Ha! If you're anything like me you're probably more confused than you were. Ha! Ha! And reading various books will leave you the same way, but I still believe in reading them.

OK, I see where you're at, now, and realize you're not just being lazy, or just didn't think about searching the forum. You're stuck at the crossroads without any recognizable signs of what direction's what. Even though you've got a full tank of gas you don't feel like listenin' to your ol' lady constantly say, "I told you that you should've stopped & asked for directions!"

Drop the ol' lady off there in the middle of the desert, Frank will be by before long & he can give her a lift to the frog breeder's house.

Alright, alright, enough cuttin' up.

I don't think anyone would argue much that a varied diet is good for any animal. Since we're talking savannah monitors here, most discussions I've seen on it have to do with whether or not it's necessary.

The only controversial part of a monitor's diet I've seen is the use of parital prey and not whole prey items (pieces of meat, ground beef, strips of chicken, etc..., versus whole rodents, whole chicks, etc...).

There are some here that have raised monitors on varied diets including invertebrates, rodents, quail, chicks, etc... And there are some here that have raised monitors on crickets until they're big enough to eat rodent pinkies, and pretty much nothing but rodents from there on out. I'm in that last group, but I'm also still a newbie, with just over 1yr of keeping varanids.

Based upon what I've read & seen mention in discussions, either route will get you there, but one route may be harder for one person to take while another can breeze down the path. Can you afford to buy or have time/space to raise, roaches, millipedes, scorpions, chicks, rodents? All of them or just some of them? Only you can answer that one, and I hope I'm leading you in the right direction to make the decisions you need help with.

On caging material, pay close attention to every post within the thread "Monitor Enclosure Advice or Picture" a few threads below this one.

This is where giving advice can come back to bite the one giving it. If I tell you that you should build a sav cage out of 2 x 4's, with cardboard lining, a couple of days later you'll be posting, looking for me, because half of the dirt will be on your living room carpet. Then I'd have to change my username, AGAIN. I'm running out of usernames due to the advice I give. Ha! Ha! Nah, just kidding, but do you see where I'm coming from?

I'll say this much; in my trying to think logically, since monitor cages should hold quite a bit of moisture and if dirt is used, it should be kept humid, I'd try to steer away from types of wood that tend to swell, whether I intended to fiberglass it, polyurethane it, or whatever. Every extra precautionary step you can take should be taken.

With that said, in the thread I mentioned earlier, someone stated that they had fiberglassed (I think that's what they used) particle board in a sav cage and it lasted for at least 7yrs that they know of. That's impressive to me. Even somewhat enticing. I can't argue against it. But that's not to say that someone else's caging conditions (inside & out) would decrease it or improve it. It definitely speaks volumes about fiberglass, though.

All the same, it's hard to argue against the use of metal stock tanks for holding dirt.

If you've read that thread I mentioned then you know about the cage I'm building. I've decided to either install FRP panels or fiberglass the plywood interior walls. That plywood, by the way, is 3/8" B/C grade, plain ol' plywood.

Savs climb trees but don't live in 'em. They live, spend most of their time, in burrows. That's why I feel that length & width is more important than height, within a reasonable degree, that is.

I hope this helps. I know it's not straight-out answers but it should still help.

Catch ya later!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Thank you very much for your input. One question i have is what is FRP panels i see that alot in this forum lol? And i would go with the trough but I am building it in my basement and i would be unable to get the tank down there lol. one more question is i plan on using dirt but i have read should be a dirt to sand mixture how do you know how much of each to use or should i just use dirt?
Thanx again
Tom

FRP - Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic panels OR Fiberglass Reinforced Polyester panels.

Here's a link to an image of the typical panel's surface found in Home Depot & Lowes. The color is actually whiter than shown in this image. Typically found in 4 x 8 x 1/8" (aprox) thick sheets in the panelling section.
www.frpshop.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=GBW4X08&Category_Code=BWPanels
FRP is typically used for shower walls or other areas with a lot of water contact.

If you'd have trouble getting a 6ft(L) x 2ft(W) x 2ft(D) metal stock tank in your basement I beleive I'd be thinkin' twice about haulin' a ton of dirt down there. Woohoo! Makes my skinny lil' arms hurt just thinkin' 'bout it.

Speakin' of dirt; some use a dirt/sand/cypress mulch mix, some use just a dirt/sand mix, some use dirt/cypress mulch mix, and some, like me, are blessed with good dirt in our area that holds a burrow good on it's own. That's the main goal, to fiddle around with it 'till you find the right mix.

Have a good one!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Thank you for all your help... getting dirt down there isnt that bad i have a winter pen down there for my sulcata tortoise so i know lol... It just got one of those retarted wals the level of the floor that makes like a shelf on top of the wall going down the stairs if that makes any sense but bottom line its narrow lol... I will keep trying to come up with ideas and firgure things out and when i get him i will post pics and post pics of an enclosure when ever i get it done... lol
Thanks again
Tom

I wish I could've been more help to you, it's just that I feel that most of the things you asked about aren't really right/wrong, yes/no Q & A.

Let me share one more thing about the cage I'm building. I wish I hadn't ripped the 2 x 4s for the frame, I wish I had left them as 2 x 4s for extra strength to help keep the bottom section from bowing out in the middle due to weight of the dirt. I'm going to add a cross-member (spport/brace) to it, though, to try to help hold it together.

Come on back if/when you've got any other Qs.

Later!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American