Can you house savannah monitors together

Most petstores don't understand the habits of monitors and don't feed them enough The only saving grace there is that the temperatures are usually well below the ideal range, so weight loss is slowed somewhat.

Even pet stores CAN do it The difference was, I purchased those animals with MY money, and treated them as if they were MY pets. Sure, I might have put in a tank usually a 30 gallon , but the temps were right, the animals were well fed, and the cages were cleaned daily.

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Click here! Mixing Savannah Monitors. User Name. Incidently, all of these monitors have very similar care requirements, and the guidelines provided below may be applied to the maintenance of any one of these animals.

In the past, savannah monitors were imported to the United States and Europe in massive numbers, often resulting in dehydrated, starving animals that failed to thrive. As a result, healthy and spunky babies are now widely available, as are animals bred here in the States by a few dedicated hobbyists.

In general, savannahs are one of the more reasonably sized monitor lizards, making them a good choice for beginners or those not willing or able to house a truly giant lizard. Hatchlings are only a few inches long, but grow rapidly and can reach maturity in as little as 2 years, though 3 to 4 years is more common. Adults range in size from 2. Savannah monitors have a thick, bulky build, making them seem larger than they actually are. Properly cared for savannahs can be expected to live well over 10 years, with 15 to 20 years being a reasonable average.

Unfortunately many monitors die prematurely as a result of misinformation, poor husbandry, or an inadequate diet. By replicating nature as much as possible, we can ensure that our monitors live long, healthy lives. A single or pair of hatchlings can be comfortably kept in a 20 or 30 gallon terrarium or equivalent enclosure for the first few months of life.

Once they exceed 8 inches, you should begin shopping for a larger enclosure. A single adult can be maintained in a 6 foot by 2 foot enclosure, while 6 by 4 would be best for a pair. These animals usually get along in pairs or small groups, but aggression between males or surrounding feeding have been reported. If ample space if provided, as well as an assortment of hiding and basking spots, these animals can be considered communal.

Smaller enclosures for babies and juveniles can be of the all glass terrarium variety with a sliding screen top. Larger animals can be housed in molded plastic enclosures such as those manufactured by Vision Herpetelogical, or in other custom enclosures. Remember, monitors are smart, active, and powerful animals. Attention should be paid to the size and security of any cage designed to contain a large monitor. If you prefer a more natural look, you might be able to find and purchase large pieces of cork bark in a reptile shop or online.

Make sure to provide an opportunity for your savannah monitor to climb and bask within a few inches of your UV heat light , WITHOUT being able to touch it and burn itself. Custom built cages are typically your best bet. Loose particle based substrate are great for digging, but solid substrates will best prevent against impaction. The MOST common health complication that savannah monitors face is obesity and associated fatty liver disease.

Since they are opportunistic predators and even scavengers, they will likely eat everything that you offer them. If you notice that your pet is packing on the pounds, feed them less often, offer less fatty food, and give them more opportunities to exercise — inside and outside of their enclosure.

An obese savannah monitor will NOT live a long life. UVB lighting also assists in preventing this unfortunate disease. Usually , the situation can be resolved over time with husbandry improvement and increased calcium supplementation. This is especially true if caught early. Simply run your heating elements on a thermostat and keeping overhead heating elements out of reach from your savannah monitor.

Wild-caught and captive-farmed savannah monitors will likely have some degree of parasite load. Unfortunately , many commercially purchased feeder insects ALSO carry internal parasites.

If your pet starts to show the following signs of being sick, take them to the vet ASAP:. However, you can virtually eliminate their risk of this as well as both metabolic bone disease AND parasites by closely monitoring their diet, calcium intake, providing UVB, and breeding your own colony of feeder insects.

Out of all of the monitor species, savannah monitors are the mildest mannered. Still, any animal with a mouth and teeth can bite, and an animal of this size is capable of delivering a painful bite, scratch, and tail-whip. Baby savannah monitors may be especially flighty AND defensive due to their small size. Over time, your pet will become accustomed to your appearance and your scent. It will learn to trust you, and you will learn to trust it.

Providing additional enrichment can offer even more opportunities for bonding. Daily contact and handling are required.

Avoid sudden movements, but move with confidence. When holding your savannah monitor, provide support under their chest and hind limbs. Although you should be comfortable handling your monitor, there will naturally be times where they do NOT want to be held or bothered.

Some obvious signs that your savannah monitor is NOT in the mood for handling include…. Any further harassment will likely result in a bite, so you should ONLY proceed if you have reptile handling experience, and you are attempting to tame a particularly spunky individual. This is especially true amongst monitors whose owners take the time to create extra enrichment for them to bond over together….

To provide extra enrichment for your monitor you can. With time, you should expect a well cared for monitor to trust you and even show signs of affection. In the wild, they hunt using their tongue to pick up chemical cues from the environment they live in. Solitary lizards, they will only interact with their own species during the breeding season. If you are planning to keep this reptile, it should be the only one you have in the enclosure. Unfortunately, they are considered to be endangered by some organizations due to hunters seeking them out for their skin.

There are five subspecies of the Varanus exanthematicus, so their appearance and size will vary based on which species you purchase. However, all Monitors have deeply forked tongues. This helps them pick up chemical signals from their environment. You may need to rely on a veterinarian or expert herpetologist to sex your lizard, because there is no true sexual dimorphism. This makes it very difficult to tell males and females apart. Full grown Savannah Monitor lizards are between two to four feet in length by four years old.

They can weigh as much as 13 pounds. This species has a gray-brown base color with have dark-edged yellow spots on their back. They have a bluish tongue and yellow and brown rings on their tail. They are relatively inactive in the wild. They will spend much of their time basking and soaking themselves and will likely display similar behaviors in their enclosures. Because they like to spend plenty of time soaking and in the forest, their cage should have some logs, branches, rocks, and even cork bark slabs.

They need a large enclosure which should have a space of about 5ft x 4ft x 4ft — if not more. Their tank will likely need to be custom made and should be ready for when you bring your lizard home. The top of their enclosure should have a screen to allow for airflow, whilst being secured to prevent any escapes.

These monitors are very strong and smart. Baby Savannah Monitors should be kept in gallon tanks. This tank will be big enough for their first six months. They grow quickly so some reptile owners decide to put them directly into their adult enclosures:. Active during the day, they require a UVB light for essential vitamin production, especially for babies! Lighting should be on for about 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness each day.

You should also use an incandescent bulb to create a very hot basking spot. Make sure the incandescent light is out of reach from your monitor. Being a desert-type lizard, Savannah Monitors are not as picky about their humidity levels as many other reptiles. In their natural environment, it is very dry and arid. Because of this, the basking spot can be kept at very low humidity. Finally, because monitors are messy, a suitable substrate would be something that can be cleaned easily!

It will need to be spot cleaned every day and thoroughly cleaned out at least once a week. Given that they will be in a large enclosure a substrate like newspaper will be the easiest to clean.