So I may be getting a free savannah monitor....heres the story a friend from work told me that her sister could no longer care for here monitor and want to know we( me and my girlfriend) would want it for free sooo I said sure ill think about it.... i still havnt seen it yet sooo I want to check the health on it but im not to worried about that cause I know ally (friend) well and I can tell that her sister has a love for animals... the problem is I dont know much about savannah monitors and was wondering if anyone here owns one and could give me some info on them, also I would like to know if anyone as extra tanks, lamps, an other gear they may want to give away or sell for cheap to help care for the monitor since right know im kinda short on cash heh... my girlfriend has paypal if that helps heh...
thanks for the help

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"Look down at me and you see a fool;
look up at me and you see a god;
look straight at me and you see yourself”

charles manson

its just a baby soo I figure I could keep him in a tank for a short period of time till he gets bigger

__________________
"Look down at me and you see a fool;
look up at me and you see a god;
look straight at me and you see yourself”

charles manson

DO NOT put it in a glass tank. If you must, then it should be 55 gal. or more and you should close off the top completely leaving just enough space for a basking lamp. I recommend you make a wooden enclosure with a plexiglass door It will cost about 90 to 100 bucks. Alright measurements would probably be 4ft width, 5ft length, and 3ft hieght. Depending on the size of the monitor presently you'lle have to make it bigger. The measurments I stated above will last for at least 3-4 months if the sav is still a foot or smaller. An adult size sav will need at least a 6x8x7. Same order as above. Have a basking spot of 100 to 130 degrees and for substate, a few feet of dirt should do good. I use 3 65 watt floods for my argus' basking spot. Its about 110. Its not a sav but I know a little bit about all kinds of varanids. Setting up a good enclosure will not cost a lot of money. All of the money spent will be because of electricity and food. My argus eats 4 mice daily and is nearly 3ft. A sav will eat just as much when it hits that size. As a hatching, offer it small crickets, roaches, various feeder worms, pinkie mice and other insects. Do not feed cat food or other canned foods. It has a large amount of fat content and will cause obesity. Anymore questions just type it out and I'll try to remember to check this post.

well I was wondering if I could set up a enclosure for him but is like a open enclosure so he can leave it when he wants and live through out the partment????? i would wait till hes bigger so he doesnt get lost or stuck in something....ive seen people letting their monitors live in the house like you would with a dog, free to go anywhere he wants....i know hes under a foot big but ill try to get pictures this weekend if I can.....also the enclosure size he needs it 7 feet tall??? i can understand the 6 by 8....do they climb often or something??? maybe you could post some pictures of your enclosure so I can get a basic idea and what not....i need all the info now soo I can decide if I can take him in first... i dont want to take him and not beable to give him what he needs you know...

__________________
"Look down at me and you see a fool;
look up at me and you see a god;
look straight at me and you see yourself”

charles manson

A wandering monitor is not a good idea. Occasionally is fine. Unless it's quite hot and humid in your house.
Really don't need 7 feet high, but it does make for a great enclosure.
Think of 7 feet high outside. Would you call something you saw at that height arboreal? I think not.
Ideally an adult enclosure would be quite large though.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

hmmm well then looks like im going to have to build something hmmmm.....anyone got any blueprints for me haha...what about basic care for them anyone????

__________________
"Look down at me and you see a fool;
look up at me and you see a god;
look straight at me and you see yourself”

charles manson

There are quite a few reliable caresheets for them online, try looking up a few, and searching through the savvanah monitor threads here. These guys get pretty big, granted nothing like a nile, or a water monitor, but still big enough, And cost quite a bit to care for. Between the enclosure, heating the enclosure, and food, these guys get pricey. Before getting this one, make sure you really want him, and are not just taking him cause he's free, they are relativly inexpensive lizards to buy, (going from $20-$60 depending on size) but will cost you quite a bit in the long run to provide for.

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"Nobody can do Everything, but Everybody can do Something."

Totally agree with Ryan. I've been into monitors for about 5 yrs now. But I stick with the Dwarf species. I would love to get a Sav but am not ready to make that commitment yet.
I highly suggest the book on Savs (which you'll find me commonly recommending) written by Daniel Bennett and Ravi Thakoordyal. It's the best you'll find and written by noted authors.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

7 ft tall not for arboreal reasons but a walkin enclosure will make things easier. Like changing water, shoveling dirt, adding misc. items(rocks, logs), etc. Some people do let their monitors walk around freely but only if the monitors are completely trusting of thier environment and don't stress out with human contact. I personally wouldn't recommend anyone to do that though.

You also have to ask yourself a question.
Am I getting this because its something that I am truly interested in and capable of caring for for many years, or is it just something I can get because it is free.
If you were going to have to pay for it, would you still get it?
And to be fair to both the animal and yourself, be honest.
No one but you is going to know the answer.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!