These are Savannah Monitors, read on for the care sheet.
The description wont let me add anymore so I will make a full version available soon:
Big one is 14.3"
Little one is 12.1"
All monitor lizards can tripod, especially when younger.
Savannah monitors get much bulkier as they age so this becomes much harder.
- Care Sheet - (Whiteyr44)
Introduction:
Monitor lizards can make a rewarding pet, but only consider getting one if you can meet their needs, the most readily available monitor (The Savannah Monitor) may be inexpensive, but it is not the best starter monitor lizard, feeding costs are high and they get fairly large (3-4 feet or more) and need a lot of space, these lizards are often bought as an impulse buy with little knowledge of the care needed.
If you cannot meet the spacial needs of these animals then you may consider getting a dwarf monitor. The initial cost of the lizard may be higher, but you will save much more in the long run. Dwarf monitors such as the "Ackie" act in the same manner as their larger cousins but do not need the same space and the feeding costs are much less.
Feeding:
I am feeding pinky mice here, which is an unnatural food item, but given in controlled amounts should be a good food source for the lizards.
In the wild it is not uncommon to see monitor lizards vs snakes, they can overpower the smaller venomous snakes and apparently have some immunity to the venom.
As stated above though, in the wild they rarely eat vertebrate prey, stomach contents have been examined and contained mostly insects which is a more natural diet for them, most keepers feed solely mice, but this is very bad for the lizards... a diet of insects and molluscs (i.e snail and slugs) is much healithier, supplemented with mice.
Diet:
Insect prey should be dusted with calcium and vitamin D3+ UV light is most definitely recommended to help them synthesize this.
A range of invertebrates should be offered, Bosc's monitors are specially adapted for eating hard shelled prey such as snails, so including those in the diet rotation would be a smart move as they relish them.
Viable food items are as follows:
-Roaches
-Crickets
-Mealworms
-Snails
-Worms
-Mice
-Occasional Chick
-Locusts
-Spiders and Tarantulas
-Scorpions (In the wild)
-Ground Lean Turkey
-Rats (Only feed the largest specimens these!)
Obviously not all of the above are easy to obtain, but you should try to mix up the diet, it is good for the animals and they will not get bored of a single prey type being offered.
Temperatures:
Basking area temps (required for prey digestion) should be 120f minimum on the hot end (up to 160f), with a thermal gradient of about 90-100f and ambient air temps at 80-85f nearer the cool end.
I personally recommend no higher than 140f though.
Humidity:
The humidity needs to be a lot higher than previously believed, a humidity of 60 - 80% (on one side) will prevent dehydration and allow your new pet to live a much more comfortable life, they will shed poorly if kept too dry and possibly lose limbs from restricted circulation (the stuck shed cuts off the blood supply).
If you are finding it hard to keep humidity up, try and seal off more ventilated areas of the tank, if the tank is too ventilated, moisture will just escape and the humidity will drop to whatever the room's humidity is.
Soaking:
In addition to giving them higher humidity It is also a good option to let your new pet soak at least once a week, I soak them three-six times a month for periods of 20 minutes or more.
This will aid in shedding the skin, and any monitors that were recieved with tough stuck sheds will benifet from this as it softens the scales.
Substrate:
The best substrate for Savannah Monitors/Boscs Monitors is always dirt, no questions asked... they are natural diggers and construct burrows in the wild.
The best substrate combination is - 50/50 top soil and sand mix.
At least 8" should be offered as juveniles (thank you SeshSoldier), increasing to 1 foot or more for adults, to allow construction of a burrow.
This will increase the overall happiness of the animal and allow them to regulate body temps better.
Tank Size:
The enclosure should be at least double the size of the animal, to provide sufficient movement and allow it to regulate it's temperature properly.
When adult they will require an absolute minimum of 6' foot by 3', and they will need to be regularly taken out for exercise.
Recommended size would be at least 8' x 4' foot.
Adult Size:
Adult size is around 36"-53" and many fall in between this range, males on average grow larger and weigh more than females.
Maximum size is about 4 and a half feet long, but these are exceptional individuals ie comparable to being 7 foot + in humans and should definately not be considered the rule.
Undernourished individuals kept in poor conditions will exhibit stunted growth and may only reach 24" in length.
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Monitor Lizard-Monster in the house=trained lizardby bigboy3293886 views
@whiteyr44 when you say 'dusted', do they come like that from the pet store or do i have to do something to them?
TheComediatics 2 weeks ago
@TheComediatics Dusted with calcium powder by me.
whiteyr44 2 weeks ago
Can't they eat egg as a stable?
TheComediatics 2 weeks ago
@TheComediatics No, it is too rich in protein and other nutrients, as a treat now and then they are perfect though... but keep to mostly dusted insects supplemented with lean meat, eggs and mice.
whiteyr44 2 weeks ago
I have been thinking about geting another lizard and have been looking at the savana monitors. Do you use uvb or just uv lighting in your cages. I have read a few things online saying uvb is not need because of their diet. Is this true?
animalman04 2 weeks ago
@animalman04 This is a controversial subject, honestly if you feed solely whole mice then they may not need UVB but as you know a diet comprised of just mice is bad for the lizard, dusted insects are the best... and I couldn't recommend a UVB light enough.
If you do feed a lot of mice, keep the temps up real high... to counteract the cons to feeding this sort of diet.. in my opinion, they need to feed mostly on insects.
whiteyr44 1 week ago