Reptile & Amphibian Forums

is it a myth that if you keep a monitor in too small a cage it will stunt their growth? Also (off topic) are savannahs always fat if they are fed right to they have a nice porputuanate body like a blackthrout. I would like some info on the to because i cant decide which one i should get.
thanks

If kept even close to correctly they can grow athletic in appearance although they are shorter thicker shaped, reference Daniel Bennetts book on V. Exanthematicus, and the pics of wild Boscs, not the captive pics. Heres an old pic, of my atheletic bosc, my first monitor, he grew up from 6 inches to 4.5ft in the first 2 years.
BTs (V. Albigularis)are a much larger animal, and dont keep them in too small of a cage, or limit their diet to keep them small, it doesnt work (OLD WIVES TALE, this question gets asked on a regular basis, Id like to know where it originates). Cape banded WTs stay smaller than other local forms

this is my sav im pretty sure i fed him right dosent look fat to me
http://img63.exs.cx/img63/404/IMG_186.jpg

If you mean like fish stay small in a smaller aquarium, no. Too small of an enclosure has the ability to do the following to a monitor:

1) The monitor will be cramped and unable to move about freely resulting in a definitely lack of muscle and proper bone development (poor muscle development can lead to bones being malformed). Plus think about being curled up under your desk for a couple days, how stiff and sore are your going to be? After a few months, how useful are your muscles going to be?

2) The monitor will not be able to thermo-regulate properly (get the proper temperatures it needs to digest, rest, de-stress itself, etc). This will result in improper digestion and increased stress which will LIKELY cause the monitor to not eat as well. That means the monitor doesn't get the nutrients it needs to develop good internal organs, bones and muscles. All that added up means a sick monitor who likely will have "stunted" growth and a much shorter lifetime.

Savannahs do get to a nice proportionate size and are a bit smaller than most blackthroats. So the question you need to ask yourself is, which type of monitor can you take care of properly (housing, feeding, etc).

You are talking about two primarily ground dwelling monitors (who both will climb some if given the chance). The enclosure should be at a minimum: Width = Total Adult Length, Length = 2 * Total Adult Length & Height = 2 feet (substrate) Snout to Vent Adult Length.

Keep researching and asking questions before you go out and make a sizeable purchase and committment to a beautiful animal. And try not to be insulted by anything "harsh" people have to say, everyone here will try to help but at very passionate about these animals.
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-Andrew

Bosc monitors (V. Exanthematicus) are the smallest African monitor species, they are found close to the equator south of the desert but north of South Africa, they are found in farmer fields in small burrows with the giant cricket or as they get older in the forested areas. This is a medieum sized monitor averaging 30inches to 4ft or more, and around 10lbs at most, exept when obese. They are a major predator on insects, and a prey item for cobras, African garter snakes etc.
V. Albigularis (whitethroat)is a large species of monitor found from the tip of South Africa to the edge of deserts in some areas, they are a semi arid to arid grassland/ woodland dweller (hence the nick name savannah monitor in Africa, not to mistake it for the American pet trade savannah monitor or V. Exanthematicus). The WT can range in size from the Cape banded WT at 4-4.5ft to most local versions of the WT reaching 6ft, with the BT being able to exceed 7ft and weighing over 35lbs. A very powerful animal that has the best or worst tail whip (depends if your on the recieving end), theyve been known to stun prey with their tails on occaision, there are instances of people being knocked out by an adult albigs tail. They have a vice like grip for crushing giant land snails, turtles, tortoise, are very fond of eating snakes even as hatchlings, are famous by bird watchers to be the biggest predator of nesting birds (lay in wait by a nest of hatchlings or eggs for both parents to return to ambush them before eating the eggs or hatchlings). They need large cages, are semi arboeal, and one of the most powerful species at any size. Their personalities range from calm and friendly to unhandleable, nervous, aggressive in captivity.