Care Sheet for MonitorsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.00 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 04/26/2009 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Monitors |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Constrictor |
Years Experience: | 1 to 2 Years |
Species: | Savannah monitor (Varanus exanthematicus) |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Black Throat/White Throat (same guidelines but i recommend a bigger cage) |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Sexing can be determined when your monitor is around 2 1/2 foot.
Males will typically be larger and have a bigger head than females. Females tend to be around 3-3 1/2 feet or so but their are larger ones. |
Mostly Active During: | Both |
Substrate and Water Needs: | For substrate I found out a mixture of dirt and playsand works best. Monitors also enjoy some leafs such as oak leafs on top of their dirt. I would use a foot of dirt for hatchling to about 16" monitors and then 2’ + for 16"+monitors.
Change water daily or when needed as they use their water bowl as a toilet. Also substrate gets in the water. |
Lighting and UVB: | Their is no evidence that uvb is needed in varanids, but if you want to use some uvb light it wont hurt. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | For temps you are going to want to have a basking temp of 130*-140* or a few degrees higher. Often health problems occur if this is not met.
For the warm side I would have a temp in the mid 90’s and have it get cooler on the cool side to about 75* so you have a range of everything between so your monitor can go where it feels. For humidity I have a variety throughout the cage ranging from about 50 to about 70. Also using dirt helps keep up humidity and lets your monitor burrow to its desired humidity. This aids in shedding |
Heating and Equipment: | For heating a lot of people think to use high wattage bulbs. Usually it leaves the cage too hot and takes away the humidity. For lighting I use a bank of a few 45 or 50 watt halogen flood lights (no clear parts). They have a frosted looking lens that spreads out the heat instead of focusing it all on a small area which will result in burns. It gives you good temps without taking away all the humidity. Also for larger cages you may want to use Ceramic hear emitters to keep ambient temps up. |
Caging Provided: | For Caging the minimum for an adult would be 8’x4’x4’. Most people getting that little Savannah monitor don’t realize they need this big of a cage. Bigger is always better but this is the minimum. NO GLASS TANKS!!! Also keep the ventilation to a minimum. Too much causes unstable temps and humidity. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | For a diet use WHOLE food sources. Use mice,rats,fish,chicks,roaches,crickets,quail,snails,worms. The list goes on. Often times people will go buy canned monitor food or try to feed chicken/beef/cat food. That just makes monitors fat and unhealthy. So don’t do it. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | You can use supplements for monitors but they aren’t really needed because they get their nutrients needed from their prey. Babies can benefit from them tho because they don’t eat as much mice or mammals. |
Maintenance: | Spot clean your enclosure everyday and put some water on the dirt when needed so that it can support a burrow. |
Some Words on this Species: | This species is often purchased without proper research or just as an impulse buy. Not knowing that that 6" baby has the potential to get 4+ feet. Also people will think monitors are tame and they like being held. That is not true. |
How Members Rated
This Care Sheet | Rate This Care Sheet
Please keep all comments constructive to Savannah monitor (Varanus exanthematicus) husbandry methods and care. Any degrading, sarcastic, or disrespectful comments will be removed. |
Total Members Rating: 5
| 1 |  ( 1 ) |
| 2 |  ( 0 ) |
| 3 | ( 0 ) |
| 4 | ( 1 ) |
| 5 | ( 3 ) |
|
|
