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#2271005
9D_OE
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Thinking of getting a savannah monitor 
Im thinking of getting a savannah monitor. I have owned an iguana before but got way to big for the 6x4x4 i had him in so i gave him to a friend with a larger pen. I have a uromastyx very healthy active and quite easy to handle. So im sorta experinced with reptiles. I still have the 6x4x4 which is what im going to house the sav in. But i want to have opinions from owners who can tell me why they are a good choice for a pet. Ive just always wanted a friendly lizard that i can handle withaffection or "puppy trained". And i always thought savs were vicious killers till a neighbor moved in with one and i saw how docile they truely can be. Hes always hand fed it and never once gave it live food and has had it since a hatchling and claims hes never had a day where hes been hissed ot whipped at. Is this possibly achieved with every sav? Or did he just get lucky? I would love a sav like that. So should i get a sav and why? I know they are some what of a commitment and trust me im very willing to make it. And sorry for the misspelling im on my ipad
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06/23/12 11:35pm
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#2271007
9D_OE
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271005
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
And whats the best safest "healthiest" (reffering to the sav) and cheapest website to buy savs from? Im checking out backwaterreptiles.com and reptmart.com but i cant seem to find any others
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06/23/12 11:56pm
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#2271010
Norf
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271005
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Your neighbor probably feeds his sav a high fat diet consisting of primarily rodents, ground meats and chunks of meat and eggs, does that sound close?
Temps in the savs enclosure might be a bit low as well.
That’s the only way I know is a "sure-fire" way of making any monitor "puppy tame".
That lizard won’t make it past 5yrs.
The 6x4x4 you have will only last a year or so. You’ll need a larger enclosure in the end considering the activity levels of HEALTHY monitors. Plus a couple hundred pounds of dirt. Enough to fill, AT LEAST, an 8x4x4 enclosure with 2+ feet of dirt/sand.
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06/24/12 12:03am
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#2271012
Norf
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271007
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Try the kingsnake classifieds.
Same as with any lizard or pet in general, looking for clear eyes, active/alert and responsive. Good appetite, etc.
Try locally so you can see the animal in person.
Are you only interested in a savannah monitor for the purpose of having a "dog" like lizard?
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06/24/12 12:12am
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#2271014
9D_OE
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Message To: Norf In reference to Message Id: 2271012
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Well he feeds him hard boiled eggs, super meal worms, large 1-2 inch crickets and rodents. And all have always been fed by tong, hes never had to chase his food so his "aggresive" factor has been taken out. But why do they only live 5 years if puppy tamed? And no i just dont have many..."friends"...and i love reptiles and just want a nice docile large reptile companion.
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06/24/12 12:21am
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#2271016
Dillonh24
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271014
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
If you want a "puppy tame" lizard avoid monitors. 99% aren’t friendly, they will hiss, tail whip or bite if need be. The other 1% are either cold, obese or the owner got the 1 "nice" monitor.
The 6 x 4 x 4 won’t last the monitor it’s whole life like stated above you will need a 8 x 4 x 4 plus 24 inches of substrate.
I think you want a monitor for the wrong reasons and that being said I believe you shouldn’t get one. No offense to you but monitors are better off as display animals. They are very powerful animals.
Also the fact you wouldn’t build a bigger pen for your iguana you had before makes me believe you wouldn’t want to build one for the monitor either and after a year or so of having it will give it away to someone else too.
These animals aren’t cheap either. Yes you can go out and buy a WC savannah baby for like $30-50 but then as it starts to grow and you have to build the custom enclosures as it grows, feeding the monitor and also the cost of heating/lighting the enclosure adds up quickly. Especially if taken care of properly they can live over 10 years.
If you can handle feeding, housing and heating the monitor all while knowing that there is a REALLY good chance it isn’t going to tame down then go ahead and get one but if you just want it for the purpose of having a "dog tame" monitor then please don’t get one. If you want a "dog tame" lizard get a beardie or something.
Not trying to be a dummy or anything but this is just my prospective on what you have said, but you really need to think this through before you go out and buy one. If you do decide to get one make sure you can/will make the commitment to keeping this monitor its whole life and again, knowing the fact that there is a good chance it won’t be "dog tame".
The reason most monitors are "tame" is because they are either obese or cold. Those are the reasons why the monitor won’t live past 5, it has nothing to do with being "tame". Not to mention the stress put on the animal if force handled. Also if you want a large reptile companion, get a boa or another decent sized snake. They are 100x more likely to tame down then monitors.
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06/24/12 12:42am
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#2271017
Dillonh24
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271016
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Not trying to be a dink*
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06/24/12 12:43am
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#2271018
9D_OE
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271017
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Well your the first person i hear any of this from cause ive been on youtube 24/7 for 5 days straight on sav videos and everyone has said theyre super duper easy to tame. And every video the savs were very friendly. The only monitor that i saw was giving problems was tree and water and nile. Sava were all tame and docile and very friendly with other house hold pets when let around to roam freely. And i wasnt willing to build the iguana a new cage cause he was 6’7" so i had to build him a 12x6x5. With the save im just adding another 2 feet so i dont mind.
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06/24/12 12:49am
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#2271019
Norf
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271018
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Never take advice from YouTube. It’s all bad information based off of old husbandry practices.
Everything we say will always seem odd but in all honesty the information given on forums like this is for the benefit of the lizard, not the person.
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06/24/12 01:07am
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#2271020
Dillonh24
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271018
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
That’s because you are on youtube. There are millions of videos about peoples "tame" monitors on there but when you ask people on here I am sure a lot of people will say monitors dont "tame easily". It took me probably 3-4 months to get my savannah to walk onto my hand and eat, I looked away for a second and she was gone, took another 2-3 months to get her back to the way she was. Monitors don’t forget. If you do something they don’t like they will remember it. Again, I looked away for a second and she was gone under the fridge, after 5 hours of trying to coax her out I had to pick up the fridge myself and try and get her out from underthere by myself.. That 1 second lapse of concentration took 2-3 months to rebuild the trust with my monitor fully.
My advice, don’t get a monitor if you just want a tame lizard. 99% chance it won’t happen. Not to mention it is the wrong reason to get a monitor.. again, if you want something that will tame better get a beardie or something or even a larger snake like a boa or something.
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06/24/12 01:11am
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#2271021
9D_OE
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271020
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Well i cant get a snake because my mother is terrified of them and comes over often and my girlfriend doesnt like them. And we both want a sav really bad and her brother had 2 when he was younger and now has 3 different ones now that hes grown and he said hes never had a problem with aggresive savys.
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06/24/12 01:15am
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#2271022
Dillonh24
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271020
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Norf is right.. Youtube is terrible for bad advice, there are some good channels to watch though like MDF or crocdoc2. I would reccommend watching those 2 channels and a few others I can’t remember off the top of my head.
But again, it is for the benefit of the animal not the person. Thats why some comments may come off harsh or rude but it is in the best interest of the animal not the owner. If you want a monitor for what they are then you came to the right place for info but if you want it just to handle it I can guarentee everyone will tell you not to get one.
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06/24/12 01:18am
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#2271024
Norf
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271021
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
It all goes back to husbandry. If your brothers monitors are kept in conditions that are too cold then that alone will explain why his monitors aren’t very active or aggressive. Though I wouldn’t jump the gun and say that monitors are necessarily aggressive as much as they would be defensive. Which is normal for a healthy monitor.
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06/24/12 01:21am
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#2271025
Dillonh24
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271022
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
He probably fees them a terrible diet, keeps them cold or force handled them to get them "tame".
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06/24/12 01:21am
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#2271026
9D_OE
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271025
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Nope all the temps are on point and humidity on point. Substrate is good plain chemical free soil and his tank is actually 16x5x4 kepted in the garage. My girlfriends brother feeds his differently than my neighbor though. My neighbor strictly hand feeds to eliminate the factor of needing to be aggresive. My girlsfriends brother on the other hand has a large back yard and a privacy fence and he says he just puts them all out there and releases 15 adult rats twice a week that he breeds himself i think.
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06/24/12 01:26am
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#2271027
Dillonh24
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271026
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
what are the temps? humidity and how much substrate?
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06/24/12 01:27am
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#2271028
9D_OE
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271027
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
120-130 on the basking 87-95 in the hot areas (multiple ares due to size of cage) 73-88 threw the rest of the cage where the water bowl is. Humidity kept at 50-70 depending on how the outter weather is since its in the garage and if theyre shedding. And i dont know how much substrate but i do know he first made a burrow type thing with excavator buy zoomed, then just put soil inside the burrows and on top.
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06/24/12 01:30am
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#2271029
Norf
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271026
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
What have you learned from YouTube in regards to diet and temps/humidity?
Compared to how your brother keeps them?
Rats are a fine treat for a Bosc but should not be fed as a staple prey food.
Probably not even daily.
Think invertebrates.
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06/24/12 01:31am
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#2271030
Dillonh24
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271028
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
well at least he doesn’t keep them cold.. Diet though I am not too sure about...
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06/24/12 01:31am
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#2271031
Dillonh24
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271030
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
We are talking 10 rats each a week.. I am thinkin they would get pretty chunky after a while with a diet like that... Plus poor health like a fatty liver..
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06/24/12 01:35am
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#2271032
9D_OE
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271030
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Youtube tells me everything the same that he does except the feeding. Youtube says to feed a large adult rat or two (onces the sav is full grown) once or twice a week while in between the week and times when handled to give a super meal worm or two or a couple as a daily treat dusted in calcium powder. And that you can also instead of feeding them the usual instects and rodents you cant feed them certain steaks, hard boiled eggs, some canned dog or cat foods. But of course not all pf these as aptheyre permanent diet. Just if your not into feeding your savy rodents cause your sentimental or grossed out by bugs.
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06/24/12 01:36am
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#2271033
9D_OE
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271031
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Remember its 5 savys on 15 rodents so they each get about 2-3
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06/24/12 01:37am
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#2271034
Dillonh24
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271033
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
you said he had 3..
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06/24/12 01:40am
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#2271035
Dillonh24
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271034
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
you said he has 3 now, and he feeds them 15 rats twice a week which = 30 total rats now divide it by 3 and he you have 10 rats each..
You mentioned he had 2 before but you said he only has 3 now.
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06/24/12 01:42am
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#2271038
9D_OE
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Message To: Dillonh24 In reference to Message Id: 2271034
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
He started out with 3 when he was a teen than i guess when he went to school he had to get rid of them or something like that then later on in life acuired one by one. Im not really sure how he got them but i can get him to talk to you guys about his ways of savy husbandry. I was thinking of doing the same thing as him since i have a privacy fence as well but i dont want an aggresive savy. I will let him out to play and roam out and about outside daily though. I put my uromastyx outside all the time for hours of the day so i wouldnt mind doing it with my savy as well. Im a very good reptile owner and i know alot of uro owners and they all have said they havent seen a uro like mine that comes up to the glass and asks to be handled at times. He follows me where ever i move around my room when he wants to be handled. And loves to cuddle on my should as i do my daily buisness around the house. And i was actually going to let my savy roam around my home as well when hes not outside or in his tank and just have a basking lamp in the living room where ill be so he can still bask and be out of his cage and with me.
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06/24/12 01:47am
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#2271040
SalvatorREX
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271005
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
savs, CAN make a good pet. im not going to say they DO make good pets. because some WONT make good pets. but if the cage is set up correctly, temps, humidity, substrate,hides, etc. and you put the hours needed , researching, handleing, and bonding. then a sav WILL make a good pet.. i own a sav. my self he’s not even a year yet and he’s roughly 22-24 inches. and i feed my monitors daily. so he’s eating. mice, quail, insects, whole shrimp, etc. and its not cheap. the enclosure you have is a plus. because its goin to last long enough for you to put up money for a bigger one. . but a puppy dog tame lizard. depends on the indivisual lizard. and the owner,. he;s not going to mellow out , unless you give him reason to. which is showing him your not a threat. then moveing foward from there is up to you. but yea lllreptile. or kingsnake. is maby the best bet. lllreptile. actually has CB savs. that they hatched there selves right now.
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06/24/12 01:49am
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#2271041
9D_OE
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Message To: SalvatorREX In reference to Message Id: 2271040
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
Thanks for the good word, im actually having 2 experienced savys owners helps me care for mine the first few weeks till its not as stressed and were actually going to home depot tomorrow and ubying the extension to the current encloser i have. So for now the savy that weve been watching at the local pet store is 8" so he’ll be staying in my 20 gallon tank for a few days maybe a week but its 100$ so i might just get one online.
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06/24/12 01:54am
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#2271042
SalvatorREX
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271041
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
yea lllreptile is pretty good, and i should have said CH (captive hatched savs) and good luck on the purchase . n i only paid like 30 bucks includeing tax for my sav. lol. tamed adult savs, cost like 125-150 atleast where im at. but online shipping is usually like 39.95. and the savs. usually cost about 15-25 bucks. so youll probly get it shipped about 60-65 bucks.
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06/24/12 02:09am
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#2271043
9D_OE
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Message To: SalvatorREX In reference to Message Id: 2271042
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
So what website would or have you bought you savy from? And how quick did it arrive?
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06/24/12 02:11am
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#2271044
Dillonh24
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Message To: 9D_OE In reference to Message Id: 2271043
Thinking of getting a savannah monitor
I was never saying they didn’t make good pets its just they aren’t the pets you can handle 24/7 if ever. Again, they are better off as display animals rather than hands on, but if you get one of the rare ones that is friendly than congrats its one of the few.
I only payed $45 for my little girl (she really isn’t that little, at just about a year and like 26 inches).
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06/24/12 02:17am
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