Savannah Monitor

[el lobo]

Thanks Jeanette. I am just looking to see if anyone knows where I can get some really cheap hissers or lobster roaches to start some cultures.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Hey there, I once brought a savannah back from the brink of death... poor thing was covered in ticks, skinny... weak. I have a few suggestions for you to try.

You can use lean ground meat or turkey, mine seemed to enjoy that as a treat every once in a while and that's what I got her feeding at first on. Have you tried a small live mouse? Like a fuzzy? Sometimes they don't want to eat dead mice, and if it's a baby it seems to entice them a whole lot. Chicken (raw or very lightly boiled) was another favorite. My savannah also ate the occasional piece of fish (leftover from garter feedings of course). But her favorite, and most treasured food of all, was... hard boiled eggs!!! Sometimes, even when she was starving she would refuse all food until i brought out that tasty hardboiled egg. After she had that she would eat anything else, but she demanded that I keep a container of hardboiled eggs in my fridge at all times! She also would eat them if I broke a raw one into a bowl... she would eat the shell first and then drink up the whole egg! So, give eggs a shot... he may surprise you!

Oh you should have seen the look on her face when she would get to that yolk!!! You could tell it was her favorriiteee part!

[anji1971]

Thanks Jeanette. I am just looking to see if anyone knows where I can get some really cheap hissers or lobster roaches to start some cultures.

Talk to Kyle -- "Zephyr" is his forum name! He is THE roach guy around here. He'll have you set up in a jiffy!

[infernalis]

Please do me and your monitor a big favor. Varanid (monitor) husbandry is so much different than snakes.

Here is a couple basics, Savannahs are burrow animals, they need a basking spot that is around 120-130 degrees, they require humidity and a calcium rich diet. A large enough water bowl to swim in and a proper enclosure NEEDS to be at least 8 feet wide, 4 feet deep and 4 feet tall.

On one end, use clay base dirt that will allow burrowing without the tunnel collapsing. On the other end a few flat rocks, (I have the basking lamp over the rocks to get them nice and hot, and "Chomper" lies under and on those rocks for some time each day.

The survival rate for captives is alarmingly low. These critters can live 15 plus years if cared for correctly. Judging by the size of your find, it is still very young, a yearling to 18 months, unless poor husbandry in the past has stunted it's growth.

There are some great books out there...

Crickets are super cheap, and easy to raise. You will need to feed whole rodents at least twice a week or there will not be enough calcium, causing the monitor to suffer from soft bones.

A healthy monitor will consume food every day, they are expensive to keep properly, and have very intelligent brains, with LONG memory ability.

Please NEVER hesitate to ask ANYTHING, if I can be of service, I will be so glad to help out

Kind regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

[drache]

I'd go for Shannons menu suggestions right now
Kyle probably hissers at a reasonable price, and you should definitely start your own colonies, but while they breed readily, they take forever to grow up (it seems), so you'd really need substantial colonies to supply something like a monitor with more than just the occasional snack
perhaps some other large roach species in addition . . . ?
I'd say, roaches as part of a varied diet will be your best bet

[infernalis]

Oh I'm sorry, Shanon's suggestions are all fine as well

"I once brought one back from the brink of death" - WAY TO GO!!

Monitors in general are as rugged as they look, as long as the basic needs are being met, you can have yourself a cool friend for the next decade or more.

Just try and remember that these particular animals are from the Savannahs of Africa, and the closer you can get to their natural environment the better it is for them.

Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey

[el lobo]

Thanks everyone! Thanks Wayne! I have him in a 6 long x 4 wide x 3 high. I plan on upgrading when he gains another 6 inches. he has a heating pad and a ceramic heat lamp. His basking area is around 118 degrees. He has deep coconut husk to burrow in. I tried giving him some hoppers, but he isn't interested. I have several cricket cultures, but I am trying to conserve crickets for my young snakes. I will def. Talk to Kyle. I did some research on hissers, so I am aware of how long it takes for them to gestate and mature. That is why I want to culture some Lobster roaches alongside. They are smaller, but they grow a lot faster! Thanks again for your help everyone!

[adamanteus]

It sounds like you have the whole thing well in hand, Caleb.

[el lobo]

I was also wondering what this stuff is? it looks like a conglomeration of sand, but it doesn't scrape off...I wasn't really worried at first, but now it is starting to take over his ear....

[el lobo]

ok, my picture didn't work.