Long post, call me thorough.

I've always liked monitors nut was a little reluctant topurchase one due to price and temperment problems. But I work in a pet shop, stop booing, and recently we got in three baby savanna's, about two and a half inches in length. I figured I've never really handled one, except for the incredibly tame adult who comes in all the time, so I opened up the cage and started slowly petting them to see what each one was like. One puffed and hissed, moved right along, next one ran like the dickens, kept moving, the third was rather easy going. He didn't seem to mind to much. So I slowly picked him up and he didn't seem to mind too much.

So pay day rolls around and I decide to see if I can find him in the cage again. Sure enough, one puffed, one ran, the other didn't seem to mind to much. So I got everything I figured I'd need, bought him, took him home and set him up in my spare 15 gallon.

So right now hes on about twenty pounds of t-rex claci sand, our resident herp expert and iguana rescuer told confirmed what I read in a book about the smaller sands, like the repti sand we have ( exoterra maybe?), had a tendancy to get packed in their scales and stick around their eyes and nostrils.

He had just two rock hide aways, one under the basking light and one on the other end. a small water dish, flat, about five inches long, two inches wide, and half an inch deep, I was worried about drowning.

Since then I've picked up a cricket rock, opens up and you put in crickets and you can dust em and all that good stuff. Giving the crickets their own place to hide and a food source other then my monitor, (working at a pet store I've seen quite a few small lizards eaten by large crickets).

I also decided to get bigger bowl, now about two inches deep and takes up the cool side's corner. He seems to enjoy the **** out of it, even though he makes a mess of it.

When I first got him he settled in quite quickly and was eating the crickets in no time. I gave him a pinky two days later and he loved it. I've kept a steady amount of crickets in there with him since then and an occassional pinky.

At first when I'd reach in he was fine with it, a little skittish, but he would let me pick him up. Two days ago I was cleaning the cage and then picked him up, he got real skittish and I put him back down before he could jump onto the floor and when I tried to touch him he puffed up, hissed, and tried to whip me with his tail. I know at this young age I need to handle him at least every day to keep him friendly. But with him acting like this it worries me. I mean he was so laid back and all of a sudden he's not.

I sure as **** dont want a big mean savanna.

So any tips on handling, caging, anything really. What about humidity? I've been reading that they are prone to dehydration.

Thanks for takin the time to read this and possibly answer a question or two.

They are prone to dehydraton, so do keep the humidity up to around 70%,and just make sure to soak him every couple of daysif you dont see him in the water bowl. As for handeling and not getting bit at this age..youre out of luck, he will calm down soon tho, give him a couple of weeks and the biting should stop or slow down at the least. As for diet feed him crix and mealies mainly, a pink once a week or once every 2 weeks. Ill be getting my Savannah monitors at the beginning of April, so Im pretty excited lol, good luck with yours and congrats on your new addition!

Jaded,

Welcome to Herp Center!

Im no expert, but I would venture to say that he's testing the waters (so to speak) and if he knows that he can rattle you, he will then have the upper hand.
I would just keep holding him (Careful for the bite) and show him that you are the Master, not him. Good Luck!

Steve

How about holding him with a thick glove for now so to avoid being bitten, then when he's ok to be held, use bare hand.

Waitin for payday to get a pair of gloves. I'm gonna get some eco-earth and mix it in with my calci sand to help with the humidity. I came home today and he was sleeping in water bowl. I thought he had drowned cause I swear his nostrils were under the water. Luckily he wasn't dead. He seems a little lethargic so I'm gonna get him a little container to soak in for a while.

Either that, or hes just really full from the crickets and the superworms.

If you have it in an aquarium, that means you probably have a screen top. Combine that with a basking light and your little monitor will dehydrate - which is why it is sleeping in the water dish.

A 15 gallon tank is too small to have a hot enough basking bulb for the sort of surface basking temperatures it will need, so chances are the temps are too low - which is why it's lethargic.

You can't make a monitor tamer by dominating it, so holding it tightly every day until it gives up isn't really the way to go. You want to gain the monitor's trust, which takes time and patience. At the moment it is terrified of everything because at its size and age in the wild it would be food for everything. As it grows it will become less frightened and defensive.

Ambient temp in the tank is about 90 right now, so I think temperature's fine, especially since today is the first day I've seen him act like that. As soon as I can afford it I'm gonna buy him a 55 gallon, maybe a 75 cause that'll last longer.

When I've held him before I hold him just tight enough so that he can't just jump out of my hands. I think my cats might have something to with it. The're havin a balst tryin to figure out what the **** is goin on in that cage. I think I might have to start covering it up.

Thank you guys for all the information. I really want him to do well. Even though I haven't been able to handle him too much I'm still very pleased with my purchase and look forward to raisin him up.

cingrats on your new addition and hopefully all goes well with taming any pics?