Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just purchased a Savannah Monitor. It is 8 inches long and will be housed in a 75 gallon tank (48"x18"x21). I bought a bag of cypress mulch (very cheap). A 150 watt flood light and a 48 inch fluorescent fixture with a reptisun 10.0. One concern I have is the cypress mulch. Will the mulch catch on fire from the flood lamp? It has small strands that look like they would catch on fire easily. and is scaring me a little bit. How long will the monitor last in the 75? What is a suggested diet for a 8 inch monitor? Thanks in advance.

I dont even know where to start read All the other posts, and you do know how big it will get right.
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1.1 jungle carpets
1.1 sumatran bloods
1.1 het albino rtb

Yes I do realize how big it will get. I will start building a new enclosure approximately 6 months from now. This is a temporary situation.

You should probably start construction this weekend. If kept hot enough and fed enoug they grow quickly. Have a good one and do some research. Ian

Hey bones, I just recently bought a baby sav and my best advice to you has already been said read the forums really well and then agian. You will always skip good info the first time through. As far as the growth the rate can be alarming. I dont measure mine often but when he runs aruond to catch crickets I can roughly compare him to the lengths of the cage. I will be building my new enclosure, which I have decided will be 6'x8', within the month. I had the "eventually" plan as well but it ain't gonna work.

Well a 75 gallon tank for a 8 inch lizard should be good for 6 months or so I would assume unless they grow a inch a day or something insane like that. I do plan on upgrading.

starting at square zero-

check out our Savannah Caresheet at the link below, definitely get the Savannah book by Bennett.

cypress will work fine for this initial setup, but the bulbs, fixtures and other stuff you already got may be worthless. typical pet store "starter kit" kind of stuff that is actually not appropriate to a good setup.

the caresheet covers solid basics, the book goes into more detail. best of luck.
Pro Exotics Savannah Caresheet

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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

"cypress will work fine for this initial setup, but the bulbs, fixtures and other stuff you already got may be worthless. typical pet store "starter kit" kind of stuff that is actually not appropriate to a good setup."

Could you explain yourself please. I am experimenting with the basking area. I am simply using spotlight bulbs of different wattage to get the right heat. Is a reptisun 10.0 useless for UV? I would like you to elaborate please. Does UV penetrate glass? I have a glass top that would work great.

check out the monitor FAQ at our site. many of the details are covered there, including bulb selection, cage setup, temps, basking, full spectrum lighting, and much more : )
Pro Exotics FAQ

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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Cypress will work while you are raising up your monitor. Once it is sub-adult sized I would look at providing a more suitable substrate.

If you have it in a 75 gallon aquarium right now I fear that you may also be using a screen top. If that is the case, please cover it up somehow to limit air flow otherwise dehydration becomes an opponent.

If you are concerned about cypress being a fire hazard, either change it to dirt now or use a flat stone, wood, etc to prevent the beam from shining directly on the cypress.

No one here will be able to tell you how long you savannah will be able to last in that tank since size is dependant on how much you feed and how suitable your conditions are. I will tell you that they do grow very fast and will can easily outgrow that tank in a few months.

If I may, I would recommend you get a copy of my book 'The Savannah Monitor Lizard' which will provide a good base for your husbandry.

Cheers,
--Ravi--

The Monitor Spot

Thanks for the help. I am using a glass top currently but I am unsure of the effects it has on my UV bulb.

i had an 'eventually plan' too with my sav and it came way sooner than expected. i built a custom 5x5 enclosure which i am thinking is already too small, and i have had my sav for 8 months, and when i got her she was about 8 inches. so they grow remarkably fast if maintained correctly. mine is on eco earth substrate which is pretty cheap, easy to clean, and not harmful. nor does it catch on fire, and my basking spot is about 140 degrees. i also don't have a top on the enclosure. which everyone else will tell you in this forum that i am an idiot and don't know what i am doing, but for 8 months my sav has been happy and so have i. so it is kind of a 'to each his own deal.' as robin and some others have told me- observe your sav, watch it, and cater to its needs as necassary. and have fun.

balls.

UV rays don't penetrate glass

Quig
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

Learn something every day. I have been reading alot and it seems there is a good amount of people that do not use UVB lights. Is it necessary?

Monitors do not need uv. not to mention that conventional "wisdom" out there says that sunlight through glass windows is useless for uvb rays as the glass filters out all but about 5% of the uvb. Based on that premise how can a bulb that puts out 10% (if your lucky) be much better? I am not going to go into the whole light thing again as everyone ends up thinking I'm a pot-head afterward. But to put it in a nutshell if you're not using hid (I think it's the metal halide that puts out the uv.) lighting you are not producing adequate levels of uv for anything and your monitors don't need it anyway. btw you should not have problems with the cypress and fire if it's hot enough to catch on fire it's definitely too hot for your monitor. Besides what was the meaning of that book title "Fahrenheit 451 anyway?

That's what I have been reading lately. I have seen many responses and enclosures that do not even use fluorescent lights but curly lights instead. These same people have successful breeding monitors so they must be doing something right.