Tips on keeping savanna monitors??

I just got my baby savanna monitor. he/she's so cute. Just want to know if I'm doing it right as she's my first large lizard. I have her in a 20L tank with a lid,reptile sun bulb( I think that's what it's called), a water dish, a pice of corkboard, fake plant and a small branch, mix of sand and eco earth. Still working on getting the hotspot to 100.The store told me it was on crickets but in the tank they had meal worms?? kind of confusing . So it can eat all bugs avalible at this point?? so far it's a real friendly one will that change??

Just be very prepared to move up to a bigger enclosure.(I have mine in a 4x4x8)
You will also want to give it an UTH and a large enough water dish to be able to accomidate its body size. I feed mine a variety of foods like crickets, mealworms, the occasional mouse, chicken and only on maybe once a month chicken hearts and a boiled egg.
You also may want to raise the temp. of your basking spot, i keep mine at 115.

There are a lot of helpful caresheets and videos online.
As long as you leave your monitor alone for the first few weeks to adjust to its new home and Handle it on a regular basis after that time you have a chance of owning a semi tame monitor.

Also what worked out well for me was a video on youtube about a guy who uses the bath tub to tame his savannah.(they love to swim).

wow 110 seems unreal I panicked when it got 105! I leave all my pets alone for a few weeks to settle in I only held him in the store and when i moved him in the tank. The 20L is just for now when it's bigger he'll have a built to size enclosure. Not sure if I should build one min size and keep him on the main floor or build a super large one in the basement in the next room that my kids sleep in( just to prove my basement would be ok lol).

BTW is that measurement feet or meters I'm not good with that sort of thing and my dh is at work:)

The measurement is in feet. sorry about that.

probably feet, I always see measurements in feet here.

you ninja'd my post!

Oh yea and basements are sometimes a problem unless you build the cage off of the floor because a lot of heat is lost that way.
I also noticed you lived in ontario so you best bet would be lifting the cage or putting it upstairs.

What size UTH would you use I have a cobra mini( highly doubt it'll work for this) and a 10-20 gal should I use it In or out of the tank ??

a note on temps: I know that some of the temps recommended for certain reptiles seems extremely hot, but if you go to the places where they live, those are the temps they experience.

I went to Australia back in Dec. of '07, the height of summer there. The day we got to Uluru, the temperature was in the low 50s.

50s Celcius I should specify.

There are a number of snakes and lizards that live in that area and thrive. That is some SERIOUS heat they deal with every summer. There are deserts all over the world that experience heat like that, so don't be too alarmed when you see some of the seemingly ridiculously high temps that these animals enjoy.

That UTH heater will be fine for now.
You are going to want to keep it outside the tank with proper airflow between the pad and the surface it is on.
I also would recomend a rheostat or thermostat to prevent burns.

Does anyone here use a heated pig blanket??

Heres some useful info for the both of you, get a temp gun and get your basking temps up to 130F+ so the monitor can properly digest its food..

Does your 20 gallon tank have a solid top, if not cover it so it will keep the heat and humidity in.
When you make the 8x4x4 (LWH) make sure you waterproof the wood so you will be able to put a good 1.5-2 feet of dirt so your Savannah can burrow and line up a row of 45W or 90W halogen bulbs from lowes or home depot to get the 130F + basking spot
This is from a 90W placed about 12 inches away from the basking spot
http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/r...ryan555010.jpg


Bryan

with a basking spot that high how do you keep the ambient temps proper? and what temp is too high?

You need a temperature gradient in the cage, i have 2 different basking spots in my cage which include 2 bulbs each that the temps range from 135-164F. The monitors will use what they need or want, if its too high they will use it less or hide. If the temps are not warm enough they will sit there for most of the day. Those 3 or 4 bulbs heat the whole cage and i get ambient temps of 80-90F.
Thats why alot of dirt is also important as if they want to get away from the heat they can dig down to cooler temps.


Bryan