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Re: Sav monitor substraight
 Originally Posted by reptidude1
And i know exactly what im getting into. I know its not easy. Ive been keeping ball pythons and lizzards for 5 years and i wanted to get a sav. I know all the cair, i just want to know the best substraight for them because i saw alot of diffrent options for them
If you knew all of the care that went into them, you wouldn't be asking what a lot of varanid owners deem a very basic husbandry necessity - a deep, moisture retaining substrate that the animal can burrow into. I have never seen aspen or other wood substrates listed as a viable option and they should not be considered as such.
As others have pointed out, the depth and type of substrate then dictates some of the design necessities of the enclosure. There are no cookie cutter out of the box enclosures you can use for this animal. You are going to have to custom build something, taking into account ALL of the husbandry requirements.
- It has to be large.
- It has to be able to hold a minimum of a 2' deep dirt/sand or DG/dirt mixture substrate which is heavy.
- It has to be able to have an area where the animal can bask at a temperature of 140 degrees.
- The enclosure will also need to be able to hold in humidity.
In other words, I'll be amazed if you can put together an enclosure filling those requirements in a week's time. Here's a hint, stock tanks make an excellent base for an enclosure. Topping it is going to be the hard part.
Carefully read the links that you have been given - starting with savannahmonitor.org, paying special attention to basking temps, ambient temps, substrate depth and type, enclosure size and diet.
All of the answers to your questions are in those links. It is imperative that whatever changes you need to make, you make them as soon as possible. If you can't afford them, or if they seem like too much work, find someone who can properly keep the animal.
Last edited by Skiploder; 07-10-2011 at 04:56 PM.
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Registered User
Re: Sav monitor substraight
 Originally Posted by MMReptiles
I'd also like to add, 5 years of experience with ball pythons/(other non listed lizards) is absolutely nothing in terms of experience most should have before getting these animals.
..........personaly I feel the less experiance one has with the cookie cuter/recipe style of keeping that most follow with many snakes and lizards the better. Those people not really exposed to that style of keeping seem to be more receptive to the concepts and reallitys behind proper monitor husbandry and end up being good keepers.
The more experiance people who step into varanids seem to hold on to their "beliefs" about reptile husbandry with pure dogmatic zeal and tend to give up on monitors rather then admit they have more to learns.
Just my .02
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The Following User Says Thank You to slayer For This Useful Post:
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Sav monitor substraight
im not a know it all at all... i know i have alot to learn from keeping these type of animals and Skiploder, youd be surprised how much i can put togeather in a week. I have none of my animals in something bought... everythings custom built.
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Re: Sav monitor substraight
 Originally Posted by reptidude1
im not a know it all at all... i know i have alot to learn from keeping these type of animals and Skiploder, youd be surprised how much i can put togeather in a week. I have none of my animals in something bought... everythings custom built.
More power to you.
We are all looking forward to pics next weekend.
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BPnet Veteran
Would soil without the sand work just for a couple of days untill i can go get sand? My local hardwear store has dirt, but not sand
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Banned
Re: Sav monitor substraight
 Originally Posted by reptidude1
Would soil without the sand work just for a couple of days untill i can go get sand? My local hardwear store has dirt, but not sand
I use plain dirt straight from my backyard. Though, it has a higher sand/clay content than most places I'd guess.
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Registered User
Find a landscaping supply company and ask for Sandy Loam.
Bagged top soil by itself is too "rich" with organics to work well for a sav. The prefer more arid soils.
Last edited by slayer; 07-10-2011 at 06:38 PM.
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BPnet Veteran
In my backyard the soil is really hard and i think has alot of clay and sand. If i break it up can i use the soil from my backyard without worring about getting insects that will harm my sav?
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Registered User
you don't want much (if any) clay in your soil (it gums up on their toes). All you want is a sandy dirt low in organic matter(sandy loam)
Here's a visual (with a mushroom).

I don't worry about any bugs that hitch hike except ants or any obviously dangerous. Most likely they will be beneficial to keeping a clean environment or food for your captive.
Last edited by slayer; 07-10-2011 at 07:22 PM.
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BPnet Veteran
Okay thanks, maybe ill just try and find some of the dirt with little clay twords the back of my backyard to put in. Should i bake it in the oven just to be safe about any ants and such or should it be fine.
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