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Savannah monitors? Tame?

R

ReptileZone1

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Hey

I just have a question about savannah monitors. This is for owners of savannah monitors because it is more of an opinion. Do savs every scratch or bite? Can they get dog tame? Just wondering what your opinions are... -Jon
 
ReptileZone1 said:
Do savs every scratch or bite? Can they get dog tame?
Click to expand...
in answer to both...absolutely!! I have had savannahs that were as aggressive as some niles - tail lashing, clawing, biting (even jumping to latch on). by the same token, I have seen some that were incredibly tame (usually, these were quite obese). attitude, tractibility, and overall "tameness" are influenced by a variety of factors: the individual animal, the keeper, and husbandry practices being the biggest 3. you've got a good chance of taming one down...but there are no guarantees
 
hhmoore said:
attitude, tractibility, and overall "tameness" are influenced by a variety of factors: the individual animal, the keeper, and husbandry practices being the biggest 3.
Click to expand...
some may think that is overly vague. I simply didn't want to launch myself into a rehashing of what may already be known...I will be more than happy to explain in detail if desired :bolt01:
 
Hey, thanks for the info...I would rather not get one because of the CHANCE that it could be aggressive.. Guess this isn't the "Large, tame, easily bred" reptile for me. Have any ideas what might be? Currently I am looking at Tegus and Australian water dragons. The more exotic, the better.. If you have any ideas let me know. I am stuck and feel like I am getting nowhere....... :bandhead0 Monitor's are nice though!
 
"large, tame, easily bred" = burmese python, lol. since it appears you are looking more toward lizards, let me throw out a few things. for the most part, the larger lizards need much more room than snakes, esp if you are considering breeding. a good rule of thumb is that the minimum length of the cage should be 2x the length of the lizard, the width should at least = the length of the lizard. with arboreal species, you can sacrifice some of the ground area in favor of height. obviously, this leads to a serious space commitment. (you can use smaller housing for some lizards, but if you are thinking about breeding...). then there is feeding - monitors eat A LOT. I'm not trying to talk you out of them, but to do it right is a huge commitment - space, time, and money (depending on your sources).
As for other suggestions - first identify what size range you are looking for (guessing
2 1/2 - 3 1/2 ft, based on the species mentioned), what do you consider "tame" and what are your plans regarding handling (are you going to be doing alot of it, or just for routine care), are you willing to deal with full spectrum lighting (many lizard species require it), what temperature range will you be able to accommodate, do you have a preference regarding food (meat vs plant)?
 
Hey,

I am looking for a lizard around 3 feet or so.. Maybe bigger, nothing EXTREME. As for tameness, I want something I can handle without getting bitten and scratched to shreds. I was thinking a red ackie? For feeding requirements, I am up for anything. Anything food wise is not a problem. I already get alot of greens for my dragons, and a ton of insects for them and my geckos, so feeding requirements are not a problem since I will already have most of the feeders I need anyways. I can make a decent sized cage out of wood and wire. I can make it almost any size, but once again, nothing extreme. I was thinking a red ackie? What do you think? -RZ
 
Simply put if you own any reptile and do not spend the time with it especially monitors and practice good husbandry all around they will not tame down. I mean you need to spend time handeling them often to get them used to you and being handeled. If you do not have the time do not expect a tame reptile.
I had many tame savannah's, niles, water monitors and roughnecks. I have also had many come into me extreemly agressive as well. It took alot of time, scratches and alot of nasty bites but they were tamed :)
I would sugest starting with a baby of whatever you choose to get, that way you have less strength and attitude to deal with as if you already got a juvinal or adult that is not used to the handeling.
Have you looked into Ackies? Just wondering they are great as well.
Another thing with the water dragons be very spacific to detail with their caging, they are very curious creatures and like to nose rub till it's raw, screened caging works best with them.
Good luck with whatever you choose to get!! Shanell.
 
ackies, timors, and freckleds are all dwarf monitors that should do pretty well. I believe the ackies can get bigger than the others (closer to your desired 3 ft), but as such will be less satisfied with a strictly insect diet as they get larger. that means dealing with rodents, as well. since you are already dealing with a lot of greens, have you given any consideration to Corucias (solomon island, or "monkey-tailed" skinks)? they're pretty cool, are being bred in captivity (live bearers, & if memory serves they only have 1 baby every 2 years...it's been a while since I've dealt with them, so double check that). the slow reproduction means that the prices don't drop the way alot of other things do (a bonus if you are thinking resale)
 
The gestation period for those sounds way to long for my liking. I am impatient with most things, and that would kill me! :uzi: I am not really a big skink fan. I was looking to go out of the ordinary stuff I have, and get a larger sized lizard. Leopard geckos and Bearded Dragons are great, but I just think it's time to get something a little more exotic. I will look into the monitors you have listed. I found a nice ackie on the classifieds here, I might be able to get a pair off of the guy in trade for one of my dragons and some cash.. I will have to do more research before I commit to it.. -RZ
 
If your "impatient with most things" I would stick with something that does not require that much handeling that would stay pretty clam(unfortunitly that rules out most monitors). All the monitors out there require alot of work and alot of patience! You really have to put your time into their care and handeling. Shanell.
 
Hey,

That is not what I meant by impatient. What I meant by impatient was that I can't wait for most eggs to hatch/lay. Handleing will not be a problem. I can do that often. -RZ
 
Many monitor eggs incubate for 6 months or so, IIRC. Patience is a BIG part of keeping and breeding monitors.
 
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