Western
New York Herpetological Society
www.wnyherp.org
Updated
3/05
©
2001 – 2005 by Western New York Herpetological Society
This
document is for guidance only and should not be used as the sole source of
information. New information is being developed daily. It is recommended that a
concerted effort be made to maintain up-to-date knowledge of the animals of
interest.
Common
Name:
Savannah Monitor
Latin
name:
Varanus exanthematicus
Native
to:
Sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Sudan. Found
north of the Congo river. Lives in tropical savannahs with seasonal drenching
monsoons punctuating extended periods of parched weather.
Size:
Typically 2.5 to 4 feet, although rare 5 foot
specimens are known.
Life
span:
10 to 15 years if given proper care.
General
Appearance:
This is a stocky monitor with a blocky head,
equipped with large, powerful limbs and large talons. The neck and tail
are short for a monitor, but still long compared to many lizards. It is colored
shades of brown and grey, typically with faint pale spots on its back, darker
bands across its tail, and a white underside. Enlarged scales on its neck give
it a pebbly appearance. A long, forked, purple tongue is used by the lizard to
smell its environment.
Housing
requirements:
Enclosure:
Adults will need a set-up about the size of a dinner
table or large sofa. Plan on 4 feet by 8 feet of floor space. A design that
works well uses a galvanized steel stock watering tank as the base with a
plywood box of 8 feet long by 4 feet deep by 4 feet tall set on top. The stock
tank holds the deep substrate, the box allows room to move around above the
ground. Limit ventilation, especially on the hot side of the cage, to prevent
turning your enclosure into a dehydration machine. Avoid using wire mesh of any
kind, instead use glass or plexiglass to maintain adequate humidity. Young
animals can be maintained in aquaria of appropriate sizes with a basking light
set overhead and a sheet of plexiglass over the top to limit moisture loss.
Temperature:
The cool side of the cage should be between 75 and
80 degrees F, with temperatures increasing to 90º to 100 º F on the hot end
with basking spots as large as the lizard's body that reach 110 º to 130 º F.
Night time temperatures can fall to normal room temperature.
Heat/Light:
A warm basking spot should be provided by radiant
light. Racks of flood lamps work well for this, plan on 3 to 4 lamps at 60 to
120 watts each. Adjust the height above the basking spot to reach the ideal
temperature. Supplemental heat can be supplied by large, robust heat mats such
as "pig blankets." The lizard should be able to rest its entire body
on the mat. Ultraviolet light is not necessary.
Substrate:
Dirt provides the best substrate. It needs to be
deep enough to allow the lizard to construct tunnels and burrows naturally.
This provides not only security, but helps with regulating humidity and
temperature. Beware, not all dirt is created equal. Go to a nursery or
landscape supply business and choose a dirt that holds a burrow and humidity,
drains well, is not too dusty, and does not turn to slime when wet. Fill the
monitor's cage to a depth of two feet.
Environment:
Be careful not to let your savannah monitor get too
dry. Aim for humidtropical air without making the cage wet. Savannah monitors
become inactive in the dry season; a dry cage coupled with readily available
food will lead to obesity and health problems. Logs and sticks, particularly
hollow logs, provide exercise and entertainment. A large cat litter pan can be
used for providing water. Live plants will quickly be destroyed by a curious
and active monitor.
Diet:
Insects can make up the bulk of the monitor's diet,
supplemented by an occasional rodent. Lightly dust insects with a reptile
vitamin and mineral powder. Large cockroaches, such as Madagascar hissing
roaches, are especially relished. If you can collect snails and earthworms from
pesticide free areas, add these to your lizard's diet to round it out. A diet based
largely on rodents may also be used, but it is unknown if this will cause
health problems in the long term (wild savannah monitors eat almost entirely
invertebrates). Feed whole food items whenever possible, avoid canned foods,
cuts of meat, and cat or
dog foods. Multiple small food items are preferable
to one large meal. Feed daily. Savannah monitors are prone to obesity, feed
juveniles as much as they will eat but adjust the diet of adults as needed.
Fasts, possibly lasting several months, may be useful for controlling weight.
Maintenance:
Clean up feces and urates as soon as you notice
them, inspect the cage at least once daily for cleanliness. Replace the water
when it becomes soiled or dirty and scrub out the dish. The top substrate can
dry out, but make sure it remains moist (not wet) underneath. Add a few buckets
of water to the cage as necessary to keep the substrate slightly damp.
Other
references or recommended reading:
(Many
of the older books are best avoided due to out of date information or simply
due to
inaccuracy.)
Bennett,
Daniel and Thakoordyal, Ravi. The Savannah Monitor Lizard. Glossop, England:
Viper
Press
2003.
Bartlett,
R. D and Bartlett, Patricia. Monitors, Tegus, and Related Lizards. Hong Kong:
Barron's
1996.
Bennett,
Daniel. Monitor Lizards: Natural History, Biology & Husbandry. Frankfurt:
Edition
Chimaira
1998.
King,
Dennis and Green, Brian. Goanna: The Biology of the Varanid Lizards. Kensington
NSW
Australia:
New South Wales University Press 1993.