New SavMonitor Soon!

[mr.king]

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Soon to be newest member of the family, 3ft 15-20lbs 5-6years old Savannah. The tank is 3'dx5'lx4'h I'm going to be getting him on Sunday. He's my first monitor but I'm not new to reptiles. I've done a lot of research already but does anyone have any good advice for me?

 

[DaveDragon]

Wear gloves!!! :mrgreen:

 

[lotsareps]

not even Dave!
Savannah monitors are generally not that aggressive. i wouldn't call them tegu-tame but they can get relatively calm. just remember to keep him warm and his humidity up.
for handling, take it slow (like with any other reptile) i don't know if the shirt trick works but you could give it a shot
i have a very young one who was MEAN when i got him but tamed down so much (he's still getting used to being held but loves being pet)
i personally think they're fun to keep and have lots of personality

 

[Gx3]

Savs are great, but definitely be careful with him until you get a feel for his personality. I got bit by an adult sav a few years back...didn't feel to great lol

 

[lotsareps]

oh definitely but they're pretty calm in my opinion

 

[mr.king]

Well this guy says that he is very tame, reallly good with people im very optimistic about it can't wait. Do you think yarn would irritate its skin a lady at my work wants to knit him a sweater lol

 

[lotsareps]

i wouldn't make him wear a sweater. i'm against making animals wear clothes. if my little one bill don't want a leash on i doubt a sweater would go near him

 

[DaveDragon]

He might EAT a sweater!!!

 

[mr.king]

Oh Ya!!! I love it when reptiles were clothing like a security t-shirt would be sick haha. I just don't want him to have some kind of reaction to the sweater.

 

[MMRR - jif]

I, too, have a new Savannah coming on Saturday. It's just a little thing, about 200 grams. His owners took him to an emergency vet clinic earlier this week after he'd been attacked by a cage mate. He has 2 broken legs and a fairly nasty wound on the broken rear leg. He has had initial treatment, is splinted, and on antibiotics and pain medication. The owners chose not to pay for his treatment so they released him to the clinic and the clinic, in turn, called me to see if I would take him in. I'm looking forward to having a little one in the house. I'll post photos after he is settled in.

Good luck with your new monitor. If he truly weighs 15-20 pounds at 3 feet he is grossly overweight. You should try to get some of the excess weight off of the animal. He'll be much healthier in the long run. Keeping a Sav happy and healthy can be a very rewarding endeavor. I suggest that you read Daniel Bennett's monitor book. It's one of the best available right now.

http://www.proexotics.com/store/product.php?productid=16155

 

[mr.king]

I greatly appreciate the advise I'll most definitely post some photos when i get him settled also. My roommate is trying to convince me not to get him but I feel I'm completely ready for the responsibility but I don't know if that's really the reason he doesn't want me to get it. I'm going to have so much fun with this big guy. What do you think about the sweater?

 

[VARNYARD]

I have had many Savs over the years they can get quite tame. Good luck with your new addition.

As for the sweater, sounds like a great thing to hang his nails in, I don't look for it to last long after he starts ripping, lol. :roll: