Rescue baby savannah- how am I doing so far?

Alright, this little sav was dumped a couple days ago at the petsmart I work at. I took him/her home as our store would not be able to provide the right husbandry for a savannah.

I've set up a temporary enclosure and want to see how I'm doing-

So far I have him in a 40gal (covered as much as possible to keep the heat and humidity) with about 7" of substrate (50/50 fertilizer free garden soil and playsand).

I know a glass tank is not ideal for humidity but if I do make the decision to keep him/her I'll be custom building a huge wooden enclosure (however that is going to be a huge decision!).

Hot spot is 135*F (under the light is a large rounded rock to absorb the heat, I need to find a nice flat slate rock), ambient temps are staying 80-85*F.
I also have a 10.0 UVB bulb on the hot side also covering the basking spot.

There's a good size water bowl on the cold side. And a wooden hide in the middle of the tank.

The monitor has a good appetite and has taken crickets, meal worms, red wigglers, and small river shrimp(canned). He/she is alert, active and has been basking and foraging about. He is surprisingly inquisitive compared to any other reptile I've worked with.

He was lethargic when I got him, but he was pretty cold and has since perked up a lot. He does have a bump on one of his fore arms and some constriction marks on his tail where you can see he has had some badly stuck sheds in the past. He is also missing a toenail. I gave him a short soak to ensure he wasn't dehydrated

To my eyes he appears remarkably healthy for the circumstances but I'd like a second opinion. Here he is basking today:
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...s/100_5466.jpg

Any advice at this point is appreciated. If I don't keep him I'll definitely ensure that the animal is well started and he goes to an experienced keeper.

One thing I'd love to hear about from experienced keepers is preferred feeding frequency and amount.

Thanks :snake:

that is a very lucky savannah ! make sure to keep him fed and keep him on insects ! rodents well make him grow faster but he will get nasty lroblems down the road i feed mine rodents every once in a while but also keep their diet verried i feed mostly crickets or dubia sometimes rodents nd sometime eggs but eggs make very stinky defficate ! Also make sure to calcium dust ! and mke sure his basking light will not burn him his baskimgspot should be 112 AT VERY MOST it is rwlly rare for anything to experiance 160 digrees of sun anywhere ! i see sooo many burnt monitors from basking spots being way too hot

i feed my savannahs every day justnot big meals keep them medium and often also try to keep baskimg spots around 112 at most i know i already said that but i wwant to emphasize it . if you can put your hand on the its basking rock for a long period of time with out being burnt then thats safe for him . if you get burnt so will he !

I can touch the hot spot no problem. I put a digital probe on the rock and it keeps showing a 135 surface temp but I have to wonder how accurate it is. Definitely warm to the touch but not burning hot.

112 is a lot lower than I've read is the norm. I'm using savannahmonitor.org as my basis as well as other threads on savs.

Diet wise he is definitely getting mostly insects (with maybe the occasional lean turkey meat, egg, etc). And yes, calcium is being used on his food items. :gj:

He looks like a she to me haha. Give her a couple of hides, one near or under the basking spot, one on the cooler side. Humidity, humidity, humidity will help with the bad sheds. When we rescued our Red tegu it was like she had 4 sheds stuck on her and we kept her at 80-90%. My Sambuca LOVES horn worms and snails! If you keep him/her for any length of time I very much doubt you will want to part with it. My Sav is my favorite

I am definitely not an expert on savs but I'm pretty sure 112* is too low.

Thank goodness for people like you :gj: If you do keep him I'm sure he will be in a great home.

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Originally Posted by Big Dave

He looks like a she to me haha.

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What makes ya say that? (Sexing snakes and geckos seem so easy compared to these guys lol)


And trust me, I already love watching him/her. This lil one already has been nick named Rupert (family guy reference). The big thing I need to figure out is if I can commit to feeding him such a demanding diet as he/she grows. Plus, building a large enclosure won't be cheap. I am also considering the fact that this is an animal that may never want anything to do with me and whether I want to deal with this for 10+ years.

Important question-

How likely is it for these guys to get impacted as babies?


Mine likes to pick up his worms and shake/kill them in the dirt :confused:

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Originally Posted by bad-one

I am also considering the fact that this is an animal that may never want anything to do with me and whether I want to deal with this for 10+ years.

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I don't know why you would think that. I used to handle my Savannah Monitor all the time and he actually seemed to enjoy many of our interactions such as being scrubbed with a brush in the bath tub or just having his back scratched. I also routinely hooked him up to a harness and leash and took him out doors to explore. Never did get him to heel or sit, but we both still enjoyed the day.

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Originally Posted by d_mcclelland

I don't know why you would think that. I used to handle my Savannah Monitor all the time and he actually seemed to enjoy many of our interactions such as being scrubbed with a brush in the bath tub or just having his back scratched. I also routinely hooked him up to a harness and leash and took him out doors to explore. Never did get him to heel or sit, but we both still enjoyed the day.

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Because although it seems many savannahs are quite docile, there will always be individuals who do not "tame down". I'm just considering that I may have an animal who does not fit the norm as it is a possibility (even if slight).