which lizard?...

It's not that you're a "horrible person" it's just that some people feel that a naturally kept animal is the best way. With the proper care a Sav WILL out grow a 55 in about two months.

Here's a care sheet:
Savannah Monitor Care Sheet

Common Name: Savannah Monitor, Bosc Monitor
Latin name: Varanus exanthematicus

Difficulty Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Native to: The savannah monitor can be found in Sub-Saharan Africa, from
Senegal to Sudan. Found north of the Congo River and in Lives in tropical
savannahs with seasonal drenching monsoons punctuating extended periods of
parched weather.

Size: Typically 2.5 to 4 feet, although 5 foot specimens are known but rare.

Life span: 10 to 15 years if given proper care.

General appearance: The savannah monitor is a stocky monitor with a blocky
head, equipped with large, powerful limbs and large talons. The neck and tail are
short for a monitor, but still long compared too many lizards. It is colored shades
of brown and gray, typically with faint pale spots on its back, darker bands across
its tail, and a white underside. Some have been found to have varying shades of
oranges, reds, and pinks. Enlarged scales on its neck give it a pebbly appearance.
A long, forked, purple tongue is used by the lizard to smell its environment.

Housing requirements:

Enclosure: The best rule of thumb for this is you want at least 2 sq. foot of space
for every one foot of adult monitor. That’s inside open cage space. From the top
of the enclosure to the top of the substrate. A hatchling /juvenile can easily be
housed in a 3’ long x 3’ deep x 3’ tall enclosure but that will not last long with
proper care. Adults can and will take at least a 6’ long x 4’ deep x 4’ tall if not
larger. You can build or buy a large enclosure.

Temperature: The cool side of the cage should be between 75° - 80° F, with
ambient temperatures 85° to 90° F on the hot end with basking spots that reach
120° to 140° F. Night time temperatures can fall to normal room temperature.

Heat/Light: A warm basking spot should be provided for this monitor by radiant
light. Racks of flood /spot lamps work well for this, plan on 3 to 4 lamps at 60
to 120 watts each. Adjust the height above the basking spot to reach the ideal
temperature. Supplemental heat can be supplied by large, robust heat mats such
as Kane Mats. The monitor should be able to rest its entire body on the mat. You
will need a Helix or some other form of heat controller!!!!! You want the heat mat
to reach 100°. Ultraviolet light is not necessary.

Substrate: Dirt provides the best substrate. It needs to be deep enough to allow
the monitor to construct tunnels and burrows naturally. This provides not only
security, but helps with regulating humidity and temperature. Go to places like
Home Depot or Lowe’s and pick up non-chemically treated soil, sand, and peat
moss. Mix the soil and peat moss (add water if needed) then add the sand slowly
together until it clumps in your hand but doesn’t drip. Fill the monitor's cage
to a depth of two or three feet. You can also get mulch (cypress) and use that
instead of dirt but be sure to have humidity gages so that you can ensure proper
humidity. You can buy a mister to spray if the cage with if it’s having a problem
holding humidity. By using the mulch the cage will need to be sprayed everyday.
You can also spray the top of the soil to ensure it doesn’t get to dry which can
strip the cage of humidity and dry out the monitor.

Environment: Humidity levels should be about 65-70% for this species. Monitors
become less active in the dry season; a dry cage coupled with readily available
food will lead to obesity and health problems. Logs and sticks, particularly
hollow logs, provide exercise and entertainment. All monitors climb so be sure
to provide logs /branches that are thick enough to be used. A large cat litter pan
can be used for providing water. Live /fake plants will quickly be destroyed by a
curious and active monitor and can be toxic!!!! It’s advised to not use them. If you
choose to use fake plants be sure to only buy plants purely designed for reptiles.

Diet: Adult monitors can be fed a staple diet of frozen-thawed mice, rats, and
bunny kits every other day. Juvenile monitors can be raised on a diet of insects
dusted with vitamin and mineral powder and appropriately sized rodents
everyday.

Maintenance: Clean up feces and urates as soon as you notice them, inspect the
cage at least once daily for cleanliness. Replace the water when it becomes soiled
or dirty and scrub out the dish. The top substrate can dry out, but make sure it
remains moist (not wet) underneath. Add a few buckets of water to the cage as
necessary to keep the substrate slightly damp.


There you have it.

That was probably the most complete caresheet I've come across sparing no details. Thank you alot. I agree with giving an enclosure thats natrual. I tried DIY finishing my garage this year for my "man cave"/reptile room and apparently did a horrible job since its a whopping 2degrees warmer in there than outside, which in jersey is getting cold, so until the spring a 55 is really all I have room for given the snake racks and 40breeders are taking up enough room as it is. I know its not profitable but I eventually plan on attempting to breed once my reptile room is complete. So I plan on 2 rather large cages and dedicating one wall just for them.

I had my BT in a 60 gal for the first couple months but yea, he outgrew that pretty quick. BTW, sometimes they let you get away with 8ft cages in the house =)

Ill give you my number..maybes your wife can talk some sense into mine

Both my male Savannah grew extremely quick from fresh little 4 inch hatchlings. Both grew from 4 inches to just over two feet in less then a year.
Gator hit 28 inches at 10 months and Tank hit 26 at 10 months. So yeah ............. the 55 gallon doesn't not last long at all if that's what you go with. I strongly suggest only putting one in there at hatchling size if you're going to use a 55 just to get you by.

Oh yea I'm only going for 1 m for now...I would definitely get another once my room gets finished...amongst other big lizards...I'm dieing for a blue tegu pair.

So a bit of a update. I planned on getting a few more pythons for my breeding group for Xmas but used one of my gifts on a 90g tank. Got it free from my lps. Do alllot of business with feeder threw there. As well as giving them my normal ball python clutch mates. So looks like within the next week or so ill have my baby sav! I'm going to get the tank all set up so I can trouble shoot any heat or humidity issues. My lps. Already has my bright eyed fiery little Guy in. He's defensive of course but takes megas off the tongs so gently. I think making him tamer shouldn't be a problem after his settling in period.

The only thing wrong with the care sheet is that in the wild the are mainly insetcivores even as adults. feeding mice or rats will lead to an overweight monitor. Mice are ok as a treat but not an every day thing. savannahmonitor.org is by far the best care sheet out there. Feed dubia or hissers as adults.

I highly promote considerign a Tegu...

I have a couple local friends that thought their Savs were "puppy tame" until they met my Arg Tegu. He has become tamer than I ever suspected a reptile could.

I'll gladly share my experiences with him at length. I'd also suggest reviewing tegutalk.com forum to see the first hand experiences of others.

Share away. I was considering either one..just the price on the sav made it more desirable