Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Howdy, I have had a young savannah monitor for shy of a month now and I am willing to do anything necassary for him to be healthy and happy. I was curious if the 'retes stacks' were a good idea for a savannah monitor. I have been checking these forums and you seem like you could give good advivce for most species. I am not going to give you any info because the only other question I have is,how would you keep savannah monitor.

"I am not going to give you any info because the only other question I have is,how would you keep savannah monitor."

Umm, maybe you should have figured out how to keep one before you bought it?

Besides, if you've been reading posts here for a while then you should know you probably aren't gonna get any help if you aren't willing to give any info.

Daniel Bennett has a good book about Savanna monitors and that would be a good start. You can find it by looking at some of the retailers that advertise in the classifieds.

holygouda is a good man. listen to his adivice as well.

i have been reading what frank writes for years. if i know his thoughts well enough, he will tell you to let the monitor tell you what it wants. put the stack in. if he doesn't use it, take it out. and then try something else.

be patient.

all the best,

orinoco

"holygouda is a good man. listen to his adivice as well. "
Thanks for backing me up! I wasn't trying to be mean, just direct.

"if i know his thoughts well enough, he will tell you to let the monitor tell you what it wants. put the stack in. if he doesn't use it, take it out. and then try something else."
I 100% agree.

holygouda your last few post were much more useful and I apologize for being a . I am not very good with computers I just figured out how to post on this forum two weeks ago. I truly thought it was the most direct way to get to someone. I understand the frustration with the same question. I am not sure why i assumed noone would care to know the status of my monitor. He is about a foot long. The ehclosure is 2'x3'(moving in a month and will build a 4'x6' unless advized otherwise) Basking area is 120 with tank grading all the way down to 82, 2 hides in the middle and lower area plus he digs under his basking rock as well as basking. I have never seen him soak I only say he loves it because because every day I come home from work he has left the evidence that he has been there. I geuss loves to soak was the wrong phrase to use. Like I said I am new but this guy is a huge part of my life so I am only looking for info. Eveyone starts somewhere.

Edited on February 17, 2008 at 13:45:38 by PHGinger.

If your Sav is soaking or using the water bowl daily or to deficate(crap) then that indicates its being dehydrated. The most common cause is a screen lid on a tank.

Is this true? Cheers

No the enclosure doesn't have a screen top. Its all made of plexi-glass. The top is just hinged will holes drilled around the edges. I really appreciate the input on htydration thta helps alot.

I appreciate the info from both DMD and orinoco. I truly dont doubt that holygouda is knowledgable but actual information would have been better than what was posted. I welcome stern citizism but with no information it is useless. Like I said i do appreciate the advice in the constructive way y'all have given it.

I would say try it if it works theres your answer.honestly holygouda is prolly just tired of everyday when someone pops in asking how to take care of there nile/water/sav that they bought not knowing anything about it. if you did months of research you wouldnt have had to ask either questions........
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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

"I would say try it if it works theres your answer.honestly holygouda is prolly just tired of everyday when someone pops in asking how to take care of there nile/water/sav that they bought not knowing anything about it. if you did months of research you wouldnt have had to ask either questions........"

I just thought it was funny that he/she wanted help but wasn't willing to provide any info. And what you said!

At least some of us appreciate your input and don't start BAW-ing over your honesty?

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1.1 Ornate Uromastyx [Re and Wadjet]
1.0 Savannah Monitor [Zephyrus]
1.0 Quince Monitor [Poe]
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles [Zoink and Abel]
1.0 Sulcata Tortoise [Littlefoot]
0.1 Pink-Toe Tarantula [Athena]
1.1 Argus Monitors [Kharnak and Mudd]
1.0 Eastern Kingsnake [Duke]
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python [Whistler]
0.0.1 Helmeted Terrapin [Station/Terror]

...And more rats than I can count anymore.

{Hi, I'm Harmony, and I'm a Varanophile...}

That did not need any other husbandry info. Are retes boards good or suitable for savs. So I answered that.

If more is needed, then of course more information is needed.

And yes, we all get on the wrong side of these type questions. It really depends on what mood everyone is in. hahahahahahaha both the poster and the person thinking about answering the post. heck, we are not all that different then the monitors. Some days we should not be disturbed. hahahahahahahahaha

And yes, if it appears I am in a exceptionally good mood, your guess as to why may be accurate, I "may" be experiencing some quality copulation as of late. hahahahahahahahahahahaha Cheers

I definitely got the feeling you were in an exceptionally good mood! Glad your are experiencing some quality copulation.

Oops! Sorry about that last post...

"holygouda your last few post were much more useful and I apologize for being a ."
Surprisingly, I wasn't try to be one either. I may be a little bitter because I lost all of the monitors I had last year in a car accident. I learned a ton of info about them from this and other forums(and of course just observing the monitors themselves) and I would have given anything for those little guys! I am waiting until I am again in a position to keep them and it frustrates me when people come here knowing nothing about the monitor they just bought when they are keeping it in a 20 gallon cage because I would never ever do that to one now that I know how much time, money and passion it takes to keep them.
(Sorry for the rant)

"I am not very good with computers I just figured out how to post on this forum two weeks ago. I truly thought it was the most direct way to get to someone."
This forum is really really really outdated. I wish they would work on it a bit and make it more user friendly.

"I understand the frustration with the same question. I am not sure why i assumed noone would care to know the status of my monitor."
We are all here to talk about monitors, share experiences, opinions and try to help each other. After all, its about the monitors.

"He is about a foot long. The ehclosure is 2'x3'(moving in a month and will build a 4'x6' unless advized otherwise)"
I'm glad you have plans to build something larger...I hope it happens. I would try to give them as much space as possible, but keep in mind...whats in the cage(and how useful to the monitor it is) is more important than just space. If the space isn't useful it's basically wasted.

"Basking area is 120 with tank grading all the way down to 82, 2 hides in the middle and lower area plus he digs under his basking rock as well as basking."
I would try to get the lower side of the tank temps into the mid 70's but I realize its hard to do in a small cage.

"I have never seen him soak I only say he loves it because because every day I come home from work he has left the evidence that he has been there. I guess loves to soak was the wrong phrase to use. Like I said I am new but this guy is a huge part of my life so I am only looking for info."
Once I got my first monitor, I was hooked. They are so incredibly fascinating its easy to let them consume all of your time and money. Of all reptiles, they are my favorite. And make sure your cage is humid enough! Thats one of the biggest problems that people just starting out have because they overlook or underestimate the monitors needs.

"Eveyone starts somewhere."
I totally agree. Just don't lose the passion that brought you here or your monitor will suffer.

My best advice is to keep trying different things(different hides, substrates, heat sources..etc) and see how your monitor reacts to each one. Thats the best way to know what is good and what isn't good. Give your Savannah options. Monitors are very intelligent and will use things when they need them. And make sure your hides are snug. The monitors I had all loved to hide in the tightest spaces to find. They like to feel secure.

Best of luck to you.

Edited on February 17, 2008 at 13:49:13 by PHGinger.

thank you.

They would be OK for hatchlings, but not so good for larger Savs. Savs are not designed to be crevice dwellers. Which means, they will rub their backbone and cause abrasions, squeezing into tight places. Savs are designed for burrows.

But with that said, they(retes boards) are not useless is used correctly for you individual monitor.

About the rest of your husbandry. I find it best to limit air exchange, that causes longterm dehydration and becomes a problem sooner or later.

Also, only you can measure your husbandry. You do that by the progress of your monitor. If its growing well(2 to 5 inches a month) Then it becomes about your goals. If its not, and its a young monitor, then you may want to rethink how your keeping it.

Again, you have to gauge your monitors progress and that tells you if you need help.

So if you have further questions or concerns, please ask, thanks

I do like my results my roomates and all my friends agree that he is growing at a stunning rate. I will start paying closer attention to the humidity of the area. Like I said before anything to make him happy. Again thanks.