Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been reading the posts here and it seems like there are a lot of fights about how to take care of Savs. So, could you guys just tell me how you take care of yours and then I can decide whos care to go by?

first, i no longer keep savs.

with that said you can either read it or move on to the next post.

i keep all of my monitors similarly however to how a sav should be kept.

all of my cages except one have everything in common (the other is a test cage).

i give them high basking temps (130ish)

i give them deep substrate (12 inches plus)

they have either front opening plexi glass or top plexi glass to retain moisture (screen dries monitors out).

they have choices in where to be in the cage (toward the top, at the very bottom, everywhere in between.

they have a diet that supports growth and breeding (ruffage, fats, vitamins, calcium, etc).

they have the ability to retain moisture.

how i would take care of an adult sav:

i would buy a six foot horse trough. i would go to home depot and have them cut a six by 2 foot piece of plexi in half (either horizontally or vertically). i would buy a piano hinge for it. i would cut a hole for a vent and place it there on the cool end. splice two bulbs into it. then i would dig up enough dirt to fill it 12 inches deep. put a water bowl in the middle. place boards on the ground for hides, bell piping, etc. you can be very creative in that area. for the basking under the lights i would make a stack of boards for a high temp gradient.

cages are not important, it is what is inside them that is.

i would feed it adult mice and chicks.

just me,

andrew

Thanks man. It sounds like you know what you're talking about and that care seems right. I WAS going to use astroturf like Stanp said but not anymore since I know they need to burrow.

By the way, what monitors do you keep?

The Astroturf is ok for babies but as you should have seen on my web site, I also have used orchid bark chips and other types. The benefits/problems with each are discussed.

Again, burrowing is not a factor for a Sav's "health". They get the same security from hide log or hide box. "Moisture retention" is not an issue for a Sav kept in a climate controlled home. The monitor doesn't care if its hiding in a box/log or burrow, it just wants a place to feel secure. Using a household substrate (WalMart sells large bags of retile Litter in their pet dept) is of no consequence to the Sav and allows easier care and handling which WILL keep the Sav healthier and less stressed.

Minimum cage size has always been 2x snout to vent length, 1-1.5x snout to vent depth, 1.5-2x snout to vent height. The bigger the better but that is the minumum guideline. One person who used to post in here had a Nile with an entire room in his apartment. Nice if you have that space available but most would not.

Stan's Savs

some savs get bigger than others (male, female, other reasons). a big sav (4 feet) would need a wider and deeper cage.

hope you find what you need here.

andrew

This is still me "Reptilerancher" I just had to get a new user name because I was having problems.

Thanks again.