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17-04-2008, 07:17 PM
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So you want a Sav... ?
Well it is Sav Season – you see them in the reptile stores and up for rehoming on internet forums and rescue centres. And baby savs look really cute with their big black eyes and frightened look, not only that, but you can buy one for the same price (or less) than a bearded dragon. More lizard for same or less money – must be a deal!! But consider carefully. Having been on various monitor forums for a few years now, I have seen new monitor keepers come and go – I have noted a large portion of the people I “grew up with” in first-time monitor keeping deciding they just can’t keep him/her any more – be it due to size, room needed or temperament – so of course their reptile is up for sale. Then there are the others who post pics of their baby all over the internet and one day they just disappear… you have to wonder why. Just yesterday I was approached by someone I consider should be a bit more knowledgeable (i.e. one of our local reptile store’s employees) to ask if I would like another sav as he just can’t cope with it any more as it is “too big”.
Thus the reason for this, which started off life as being a quick brief, but has ended up being almost a dissertation. I am not promoting myself as an expert, as I am far from that, but if this helps anyone who thinks a sav might be a nice addition without thinking it through and researching, then it has been worth it. Firstly, my thanks to Rick (Rick_Albig) – much more experienced monitor keeper than I who keeps various varanids, and kindly looked this over for me to make sure I hadn’t made any errors or misinformed anywhere – and who also offered his input regarding CBB specimens and the electrical & safety aspect of things (as he is a qualified electrical engineer). Now for the very basics – this is a lizard that has the potential to grow to 4ft (occasionally more) – thus it needs a huge vivarium (8x4) with approx 2ft of substrate and you may well need to give up half one of your rooms to it (as we did). They like it hot (= high electricity bills) and lots of food – which is expensive assuming you feed correctly. Now for the main part… Unfortunately, most of these lizards are impulse buys and the majority are wild caught. There is also much confusion in the way they should be kept - the majority of reptile stores I have come across keep them in exactly the same setup as they would use for a beardie (complete with sand, a background of Monument Valley and fake cactus), when in fact they are semi arid grassland monitors which require a totally different environment. They look small and cute in the shop and some people may think they could be the next step up from a bearded dragon – a huge (and possibly painful) expectation if you are hoping to be guaranteed a friendly, cuddly lizard. In fact what often happens is, in a shop you have a baby monitor housed in less than optimum conditions that will almost always be kept cooler than it should be – which in turn makes it lethargic and appear “tame”. People then get them home, put them in a nice viv with decent basking temps (hopefully) and their cute little scaly baby gradually gets to his proper temperatures and appears to change overnight. I wish I had a quid for the number of times I’ve heard people say “he was so cute in the shop but he hates me now!” So let’s say you’ve done your research and decided on getting one. Always try and find a CBB animal. This will be difficult and you will almost certainly have to pay more (initially) for the animal but people who have managed to source these have said it is always worth it. Be very wary of shops claiming to be selling CBB boscs, if they claim they are, then ask for hatching dates, photos of the parents, clutch size etc…. If they cannot answer all or even some of these questions I would not believe them. If you fail to find a CBB animal my advice is to get the most feisty and lively one there – the one that tries to take the shop-keepers fingers off when he goes to grab it is likely to be the most healthy – which is what you want especially considering what they have gone through to get this far. It is a sad fact that a large percentage do not make it and die in transit from Africa. Check the animal for general health and mobility. Can it walk OK? Is its vent clear? Are its eyes clear and bright? External parasites, especially ticks, are very common on WC African varanids. Sunken eyes and loose skin is also a classic sign of dehydration. All of these are things to consider. If you are an inexperienced keeper can you really cope with all of this added stress and do you have the funds to provide the veterinary care that may be required? You will need a place to build a large, sturdy enclosure. Personally I use 8X4 as do many other exanthematicus keepers – even then I feel he could use a lot more space. When you consider the distances these creatures will travel in the wild – even the run of the house isn’t going to compete (even if it were suitable for them which it is not). The enclosure will also need to be moisture-proofed due to the high humidity. Proper substrate is important. You can use yard dirt as long as it is free of pesticides and fertilizers. I know some people who use Cypress Mulch – it does apparently work although it won’t hold a burrow. You can also go to Homebase etc and get some playsand, peat moss and non-organic topsoil and mix it with water to get the right consistency. Make it about 2 feet deep. My next project is to get some builders dirt (sandy loam) and mix that in as well. A temp gun is pretty essential to check your basking site temperature – which should be around 130 degrees for babies and around 150 for adults. Mine will bask in excess of 150 even. I have my bank of lights on chainlink – so I can adjust them up and down to achieve the basking temp my monitor likes. You will also need a digital thermometer with a probe and a humidity read out. This will allow you to properly set your ambient temps. I keep my hot side at 90 degrees while my cool side is around 75 degrees with humidity between 45 and 60% (it will read more than that even deeper down within the substrate in the cool end). For the basking site I use 3x60w halogen watt flood lights on the adjustable chainlink bank referred to above. I always prefer a bank of low wattage bulbs over one or two high wattage lights (above 150w for example.) There are a few reasons for this, the main one being that most cable available to the public is not designed to withstand the very high temperatures created by these high wattage lights, this could result in damage to the insulation and ultimately risk a fire or electrocution. If you are ever unsure about any electrical wiring that needs doing please seek the advice of a professional. Another reason being the higher wattage bulbs suck all the humidity out of the enclosure. Do not use the lights with clear centres - these can burn your lizard. The beam from the lights will need to cover your basking lizard from snout to vent at least. For ambient night time temps I use a ceramic heat emitter hooked up to a pulse-proportional thermostat. For more information on heating a large enclosure – this is a good article by Rick_Albig of this forum – who also happens to be a qualified electrical engineer as well as multiple-monitor keeper http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizards/104638-heating-large-enclosures-how-too.html. Food. You will need lots and lots of food. In the wild they eat mostly insects and I would strongly encourage any potential keepers to follow the same regimen. Lots and lots of bagged insects can prove expensive. I feed my monitor crickets, roaches, locusts, morios - and shall be starting a project to breed giant African land snails. The insects get dusted with vitamins and calcium supplement. He also has some quail and mice though very few of these, only 2 per week at the most. Do not use dog/cat food – even my dog doesn’t get dog food! Whole foods are what a monitor requires – complete with all the bones, teeth etc. You will need a large tub of water that your lizard can actually get into if he wants. It will need to be changed daily. If you notice your lizard is doing a lot of soaking in his water – it could mean your humidity is too low. Hide spots. They like hiding and it will reduce stress. They can make their own burrows in the substrate or you can help him. I use the large flat bark woods available and also a hollow bark log. Sav enjoys squeezing under this wood and within the dirt-filled hollow log. I half bury these in the dirt which encourages him to dig and get exercise. Never pull them from their hide. If you do they won’t feel safe and secure. It is nice to put in other things for the lizard to climb over and explore – I also have rocks and large logs in mine. Handling. Patience - this is necessary for your lizard to be accustomed to it’s new home. Change the water, offer food and do basic maintenance and let him get used to the idea that the big ugly creature (that’s you) isn’t going to harm him. I personally don’t go in for a lot of handling, but my lizard trusts me. I see no reason to grab him out and “cuddle” him. I have never been bitten by a monitor and it’s not something I want to try. An adult male can put you in hospital with stitches. Extra Reading - Books: Daniel Bennett– The Truth about Varanus Exanthematicus. Mark K Bayless - Savannah Monitors: A Complete Guide to Varanus Exanthematicus. Also join some of the monitor-specific forums across the internet. 
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17-04-2008, 07:52 PM
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wow i cant get one but nicely done mate its really useful!
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- '' when i give food to the poor they call me a saint, but when i ask why the poor have no food they call me a communist'' - -perfection is not when there is nothing more to add on , its when they is nothing left to take away- 
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17-04-2008, 07:54 PM
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Very good, and can be related to any of the larger lizards I think. I quite often feel saddened by the sweeping phases of popular large reptiles, particularly tegus - everyone gets caught up in the "dog tame" stories, and end up getting disappointed and fed up. Luckily for tegus their high price tag prevents too much impulse buying, but sadly that isnt the case for boscs. Kudos to you
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 4.6.0 Monkey Tailed Skinks - "Kaiser", "Nimbus", "Murdock", "Aquila", "Bali", "Altjira", "Grover", "Rembrandt", "Dali" & "DaVinci" 1.0.0 Argentine Tegu - "Big Teg" 2.0.0 Cats - "Frazier" & "Reese" Jos Little World - Monkey Tailed Skinks Jos Wider World - Tegus, Chuckwallas and More
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17-04-2008, 08:14 PM
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top post razaiel i think someting like this should be made in to a sticky so it doesnt get lost and may allso stop those impule buyers
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17-04-2008, 09:17 PM
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Fantastic information Razaiel, hopefully will educate people a little before buying Boscs on impulse.
One of the best sheets ive seen on basic Bosc care, too many i saw when researching last year were misleading. Its only by coming on here so much ive discovered where i had followed the wrong guidelines and been able to change the enviorment accordingly. Have to say most of the best advice given by yourself and Rick_Albig.
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0.0.1 Royal Python, 1.0.0 Jungle Carpet Python, 0.0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa and 1.0.0 Bosc Monitor
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17-04-2008, 09:17 PM
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Razaiel, Im with you mate. My baby (if you can call him that) is not lovely just through chance. They are hard work and do require respect and excellent husbandry. I'm extremely lucky in that my bosc has never felt threatened by me and is brilliant to have around - but I would never recommend one as a pet (even with experience) - even though I wouldn't change my Kevin for the world. I remember when I picked him up last year, and there were 10-15 babies in a viv, and I often wonder if the others survived..
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3 corns 1 milk 1 rat 3 dwarf boas 1 royal 1 dwarf retic 1 bosc 1 collared 1 leo 1 mdg 2 cats 3 dogs 1 green iguana 1 Cuban boa 1 yemen cham
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17-04-2008, 09:28 PM
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I must say I'm glad that I did plenty of research in the past on the bigger lizards and realised they were definitely not for me as I wouldn't feel right having the presence of a thought telling me that maybe one day I will have to give up my lizard because it's gotten too big or it's developed an attitude I couldn't handle. Plus the image of a lizard turning on me thats.. ok maybe only half my size but could give me a good ass whooping if it felt like it is a scary thought. I'd hate to fear a pet of mine, it cerntainly wouldn't be fair on the animal iteself either.
Excellent post Razaiel
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17-04-2008, 09:41 PM
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Quote:
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17-04-2008, 10:44 PM
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Thank you very much, guys, glad you approve
Another really sad thing about boscs from the wild is the way in which they are apparently sourced. It would seem the hunters go out to gather up the gravid females, which are then taken back to somewhat unsanitary holding bays until they drop their eggs. Then the eggs are gathered up and the females are just chucked back out anywhere whether it is suitable for them or not 
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