Savannah Monitors anyone ?!

[Brandon.O]

Im really interested in these guys...

I have a bunch of snakes but i was looking for somthing a bit different

I know they require ridiculously large housing so a monitor is not on my "want this....RIGHT NOW !" list......maybe in about a year ill start seriously considering branching out of snakes

Soo.....If i were to get a monitor later on down the road i think i would choose a Sav.....I think they look really cool, from what ive seen thier size is large but but still managable and thier care is nothing too tricky

Please either prove me wrong, and tell me why i should not get one (Seriously.....be honest and give me all the DOWN sides to owning a large lizard)

Or if you love em, tell me that thier great and post pictures of yours ! i would really love to see them !

[daniel1983]

The sad thing about Savs is that they are imported by the thousands and wholesale for roughly $4.00 each. That leads to alot of abuse along the way. They are packed up in cramped crates and boxes which can lead to tons of mental damage for the animal. Monitor lizards are more sensitive to experience than snakes, so one bad experience can ruin them for life. Once in the US, most of the animals die due to miscare (improper husbandry and overfeeding), so make sure you know the proper way to care for the animal and buy from a reliable source. I would suggest getting The Savannah Monitor Lizard by Daniel Bennett and Ravi Thakoordyal and following the care suggestions provide there.

If you are planning on getting a Sav, I would definately look into getting a CBB animal. There are one or two people producing them and you will have to pay, but the benefit of getting a captively produced monitor is unmeasureable.

There are tons of other cool monitors that do not get as big as savannah monitors. I would definately look into Red or yellow ackies. They are, by far, the best starter monitor and a great building block for a collection.