Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im going to be getting a baby savannah soon and ive got a few questions about housing. first question is, i plan on keeping it in a 55g glass tank at first while i work on building a more permanent enclosure, i know they can shred wire mesh very easily so im wondering what people use as tops while they are still small enough to keep in glass aquariums. My next question is, is it possible to build an all malamine/particle board enclosure? I dont really like the way the stock tub enclosures look, im guessing my boards would have to be at least 3/4" thick. if anyone has enclosure made of all wood, i would really love to see what they look like so i can start getting some ideas going, if you dont want to post them here you can e-mail them to me at matthewkellyrocks@hotmail.com. Lastly will a sub adult or adult savannah climb if given the chance? Ive got unlimited amount of space for the enclosure and i recently watched that Lizard King special on monitor lizards where it showed previously thought to be ground dwellers climbing trees. i would like to add a height element to my final enclosure with some large branches for it to climb on but dont want to spend the money and time to do this if it will not be used, ive read that young savannahs do like to climb but not sure about older ones. thanks!

im new to this site trying to learn just like you but I do know that the top has to be covered to hold in humidity. Just be careful of your light. You would be doing your self a favor to read some care sheets. Pro exotics has some really good ones. After that go back and read a lot of the old posts on this forum. Most of your basic questions can be answered just by taking the time to look through them. There are a lot of knowledgable people here. And from what I've read they answer a lot of the same beginner questions that you would find out if you spent the time to go through them. I hope this helped.

I know is seems like a good option at first but, melamine sucks for building monitor cages. It will be a rotted out mess in no time. The stock tank approach is great for a waterproof base like Pro Exotics uses or build a wood cage and line the inside with FRP or coat it in marine grade epoxy. As mentioned above look into a few care sheets and pick up Daniel Bennet and Ravi's Savannah book. It is a valuable resource. I would say build the cage tall and add shelves to maximize space.

Cheers
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Steve

"im wondering what people use as tops while they are still small enough to keep in glass aquariums."..................Just make a plexiglass or plywood top to cover the tank.

"is it possible to build an all malamine/particle board enclosure?"...................Yes but melamine sux and rots out quick.

" Lastly will a sub adult or adult savannah climb if given the chance?"...................... Yes.

Here are some pics of my Sav and his enclosure.

Be really careful if you use plexiglass or wood for the tank top. While you do need humidity if you dont allow for air flow humidity will cause mold. I would use a wire top. You could either buy the real ones or use chicken wire. im sure they could shred it but if you dont give them a way to the top of the tank they cant climb the glass to get to it. If you do chose to use plexiglass or wood just drill a good amount of holes in it. mist cage daily for humidity, do not make it where the humidity simply cannot get out.

I would actually say the opposite of that. Most reptile cages are far over ventilated. Combine that with heat lights and you have a chronically dehydrated lizard. I limit the ventilation in my cages as much as possible and have no problems with mold. A screen/wire lid will lead to health problems. Vents ideally should go on the cool side of the cage and it is a good idea to make them adjustable so you can increase or decrease the venting if needed.

cheers
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Steve

You cant put vents on the side of an aquarium. So therefore you have to have vents on the top. It only leads to dehydration if the owner is to lazy for daily maintenance. If you keep it constantly to moist and no way to dry out a little your reptile will be living in fungus and bacteria. I do agree that cross ventilation is better if possible. I also keep chams that have an entirely screen cage and I can still keep the humidity up easily.

Like I said i have never had problems with mold. A screen top with a light on it is a recipe for a dehydrated monitor even with daily spraying. The hot air rises and takes the humidity with it, in effect creating conditions similar to a food dehydrator. You can spray all you want but, you are fighting to break eaven at best. i would not compare chams to monitors, they have very different strateges for survival. You are right thou in an aquarium you must vent at the top. A few holes in a piece of plexi over the cool side will do just fine. You also have to use some common sense, if the cage is collecting condensation then it might be too wet for a sav.

cheers
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Steve

I would have to agree with Steve here, it doesn't make any sense to start on the side of most people that lose the battle. Start solid and ventilate as needed, which for most species should be minimal, my Ackies get extremely limited ventilation and I only pour a gallon a month in my 4ft troughs. My hatchlings get solid top melamine on 20gal longs, with a couple 1 inch vents. There is a HUGE difference between moist and humidity, the two should not be used synonymously, my monitors don’t want to get sprayed with moisture or water every day, hell they would never talk to me again if I did that, they want a steady environment that is primarily on the dry side, but offers options, which is what a solid top gives you.

With monitors we aim for a variety of levels of humidity, usually very high in burrows, mediocre in other parts of the cage and minimal near hot areas. Again you can have what appears to be a very dry cage, and have very good conditions, or what appears to be a very dry cage is a very dry cage.

Cheers,
Mike.

My older brother and I kept to Exanthies when we lived in Cocoa Beach florida, in a walk-in closet converted into an enclosure. We had multiple horizontal perches and they were almost always on them. Personally, I believe that all Monitor species are very intelligent and will make the best of whatever environment they're given... Whether or not they have the opportunity to burrow or climb or swim, or all three they will take complete advantage of this. So, if you do have enough space, allow for all of these in it's environment.