Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm new! Hi! I was recommended this site so I'm here for advice. So I bought my boyfriend a sav monitor because he had been wanting one for a very long time. I saw an opportunity and took it. I figured I could get him a tiny one so I can teach him how to raise a healthy monitor and tame him without being overwhelmed off the bat with a huge lizard.

Now I do have lots of reptile experience. Had iguanas and tortoises in the past and currently own 2 basic corn snakes and a beautiful panther chameleon. If you can raise a healthy panther chameleon you can pretty much conquer the world I swear.

On a humbling note: I have no monitor experience. I did my research ahead of time and have no problem raising the monitor myself if he gets over it.

When I got him (on CL) he came with a tiny 10 gallon tank (free) and was living on a paper towel with 3 crickets. YIKES! so pretty much, any new habitat will be better than this.

Currently he is living in the dinky 10 gallon with this reptile litter on the bottom and on one side and this mulch that came in a brick form (its 3 inches deep). It's supposed to hold in a little humidity so it's not super dry. I got him a 75 watt (which was too hot for this tank so I gave him my snakes 60 watt) and the cut out log. Also have calcium so I can dust the crickets and I know how to gutload.

I put the heat lamp on the water side(yes not supposed to really) but the log was so close to the heat lamp that it was making it over 100 on the basking spot.

my question is what else should I add on there? Is this an ok temporary situation? I think he is pretty happy, he enjoyed swimming and ate his crickets. Even dug a burrow. Also he is around 6 inches. Pretty tiny. Is he too small to eat some frozen pinkies? I am prepared for him to get huge but what should I expect with growth?

Thank you SO much for reading my novel. Tips would be amazing.

Hate to say this but you have a very long road ahead of you, and a lot of learning to do.

First thing is first, get a bigger tank. It would be really difficult, in my opinion to keep such a small tank with adequate temperature gradients.

After you get your bigger tank, get a temp gun and set up your basking temp. That should be all you need providing the enclosure is in a room temperature environment.

Cover the top of the enclosure, meaning get rid of the screen top. You may save a little area of screen for ventilation.

Fill with dirt, a lot of dirt(a sufficient amount to dig and burrow).

That is just a very, very, loose description of what you need to do asap. Think of it as an outline.

I have never raised anything that small. I always got my stuff as sub-adult rescues, so I am not 100% on what to feed a hatchling. By that I mean, not sure about rodents yet. I do know one thing, it should eat daily, a lot of food.

I may be out of place even responding, since I myself am relatively new to monitors, but these last couple months have taught me these important things.

Click on the link to pro-exotics and read till the pages blur, then save it to your favorites and read it all again.

Don't let your pride or feelings get in the way when 20 people pop on here and scold you. (I did at first)

Sort through the information and you will find common denominators that will make sense.

Monitors are individuals just like people, and even though there is a lady on utube who sleeps with hers in her bed, don't just expect your sav will have the same personality as hers.

another very important thing, Savs like a lot of privacy as they grow, and will spend a lot of time in the burrows.

Never dig them out of the burrow to hold it, the psychological impact can cause your monitor to just shut down. After all if it cannot feel safe and secure while in it's burrow the poor animal will spend it's abbreviated life in fear.

We started ours out on crickets, superworms and small cubes of turkey. Skewer the turkey onto a toothpick, and jiggle it in front of your sav, it's entertaining and fun.

Good luck and I hope your monitor lives a long healthy life.

Kind regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

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1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garter - Princess
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER"
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

Thank you I appreciate it. I'll get the hang of it soon. Its just a little different than spraying a tree with water everyday for a chameleon. He is burrowing right now actually, I made it easier for him to get under his water dish without me having to have a heartattack about his burrow collapsing. I just got him like hours before I posted too so I've got a ways. I think I'll get another tank now. I did research and holy cow do they grow fast.

BTW i saw that video with the savs in her bed. That was nuts!
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Ambanja Panther Chameleon (Yoshi)
2 corn snakes (isis and apep)
Female cockatiel (Lola)
2 Ragdoll cats (Boo radley and unnamed)
Shiba inu puppy (mean pete)
Sav Monitor (Joanna)

First definatly change it to a dirt sand mixture so he can dig it takes some experimenting. Next at 6'' he should be able to eat a small mouse pinky. Next you said you were worried that the basking spot was like 100 degrees but for a savannah monitor the basking spot should be at least 135 degrees. and i would definately get a bigger cage. deginately do some more research no offense but you need to do it soon or your going to have an unhealthy monitor on your hands you could learn alot from these guys and i know have a 3 foot savy that eats like a pig and is always causeing trouble lol hes great.
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Tom
1.2.0 Leopard Gecko (dot, spot, leo)
0.0.1 California King Snake (booboo)
0.1.0 Sulcata Tortoise (tank)
0.0.2 Russian Tortoise (tito and lulu)
0.0.2 Red Ear Sliders (bernie and ernie)
0.0.3 Painted Turtles (larry, curly and moe)
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (marshmellow)
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor (beef)
1.0.0 Peachfront Conure (kermit)
0.1.0 Australian Shepheard (layla)
2.1.0 Crazy Cats (babe, sabastian, tinkerbell)
0.1.0 Lion Head Rabbit (daisy)
0.1.0 Ferret (jordan)
0.2.0 Guinea Pigs (lilly and petunia)
0.0.1 White Tree Frog (dumpy jr.)
0.0.2 Fire Belly Newts (spork and blaze)
0.0.1 Fire Belly Toad (ferdinan)
0.0.1 Red Spotted Newt ( red)
0.0.2 Bull Frogs (goliath and tubby)
0.0.1 Rainbow Ameive (jack)
0.0.1 Spectacled caiman (wilbert)
0.0.3 Green Anoles
1.0.0 Bahama Anole
0.0.1 Long Tail Grass Lizard
Lots Of Fish

Saying they eat like a pig is an understatement. If you don't breed rats, mice or alot of crickets then the odds are a Sav will cost you as much to feed it for a month as it did for you to buy it.

these are all fine suggestions. for the best possible start, get a copy of the Sav book by Bennett, available here on the classifieds, or at our site. it is all of $13, and covers all your husbandry and setup needs in a simple, well thought out book.

check out our caresheets and FAQ as well.

best of luck!
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles