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Starting Member
 
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Last Login: 11/4/2009 11:56:33 AM
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I'm lucky to live in Metro LA in a very arid area. It gets very hot during the day, except for a few months of the year. It cools way down at night, but I have reptile heating pads, too. I'm in San Bernardino County, which isn't desert only because it's extremely well irrigated.
It saves on heat and A/C and makes it easier to control their true needs.
I don't think I want my neighbors or apt manager to know about him. She already knows about the chameleons and has never commented...
Jo, ex-zookeeper, 0.1 
*****
1.0 Ambilobe Panther Chameleon - Vinnie http://dwightfry.com/vinnie.html
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Nike http://dwightfry.com/nosy.html
1.0 Savannah Monitor - Harry http://dwightfry.com/harry.html
0.1 Green Iguana - Marnie http://dwightfry.com/marnie.html
1.2 Cats - Atticus, Amy and Libby
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Starting Member
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that's smart, dwightfry, because smells are so important to them.
smells may have something to do with the original poster's question as well.
heh- you may be able to convince him that he doesn't rule you, but he's not likely to let you rule him, either. prepare to negotiate. 
they seem willing to strike a bargain.
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Oh the featured video was hilarious. I liked when he shouted the 9000 degrees part. LOL
If I'm going down the lizards coming too!
Kiss:All American Rock! Current Herps
1.0 Leopard Gecko: Poncho (Normal)Female
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Starting Member
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[quote]danceswithsavs (12/13/2008)
that's smart, dwightfry, because smells are so important to them.
smells may have something to do with the original poster's question as well.
heh- you may be able to convince him that he doesn't rule you, but he's not likely to let you rule him, either. prepare to negotiate.
they seem willing to strike a bargain.[/quote]
Oh, I don't plan on being a "boss", but I also know that he will never respond to "NO!" I'm ALL about negotiating. I've only been wounded/bitten once by a herp. I've been a zookeeper and a Curator of a Live Animal Dept. with over 35 species of snakes (NON-colubrids! The real deals of each). My boss had me hold a Florida Indigo while he cut off a cyst/growth on it's mouth. Afterwards, I still had him and the phone rang. While I was talking, he bit my index on my other hand. I wasn't paying attention, so I just ripped it out of his mouth. Indigos aren't constrictors...they thrash their prey like monitors. Now, this sounds like a joke, but it isn't...My boss called me into his office and pulled out a book. He showed me a pic of an Indigo that had the exact same growth on its mouth and it was caused by reptilian African Sleeping Sickness. Happy 16th Birthday to me at the Emergency Room!
Now I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia and am disabled because of it! Now I absolutely know that it's not from the reptilian version of A.S.S., but it's a good story, huh?
I skipped two years of HS and did volunteer work daily on the promise that I would become the Curator of Live Animals at this museum. We had tegus and a 4' iguana that was a family pet and tame as hell....never bit, never whipped! The iguana only liked apple slices, so I had to shove lettuce and other slices of veggies into his mouth between apple slices. We had some miracle recoveries, too.
Now, I studied up on chameleons for 3 months before I bought one...whole 'nother ball of wax! Glad I had the setup by the time I got them, complete with automatic misting system. They really aren't much trouble to take care of with everything on timers. Very tame, too...never actually went through with a threat to bite. Good thing...they could catch African Sleeping Sickness from me! 
As I'm brand new here, but even research answers on herp forums for people, where can I help out to give newbies informed responses to their questions? The Beginner's Forum?
I've also worked with every kind of raptor except California Condors...eagles, hawks, owls from around the world, and Andean Condors (a bit larger). I've worked with bobcats, cougars, African Lions and Black bears. Hands on. I'm sure there's more I can't think of right now. Oh, coyotes, foxes and wolves, too. Nothing is like burying your hand in an African Lion's mane, though. Much as I love herps....
SAVE THE TUATARAS -- THEY TOTALLY ROCK!!!
Jo, ex-zookeeper, 0.1
*****
1.0 Ambilobe Panther Chameleon - Vinnie http://dwightfry.com/vinnie.html
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Nike http://dwightfry.com/nosy.html
1.0 Savannah Monitor - Harry http://dwightfry.com/harry.html
0.1 Green Iguana - Marnie http://dwightfry.com/marnie.html
1.2 Cats - Atticus, Amy and Libby
SUPPORT THE TUATARAS!
THIRD EYES RULE!
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very good halloween story to be told while holding a big black and purple indigo...lol
well, forums are kind of a pot luck affair. you bring what you have to the table and that's what's there...lol
i pop up occasionally when there's some chat about savs. mostly i do show & tell with videos. talking about it isn't as convincing as watching something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZr8rN31pro
which, for me, is a big a thrill as hugging a lion.
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| well i totally have a few questions for you all then, since i am pretty much as new to savs as i can be accept for the fact that i have had one 8 months and raised him up from a hatchling to a well i call him a sub juvinial he isnt quite big enough to cradel in my arms yet, but he can lie across my hands pretty hardily. so anyway since you are all sort of pros at this and all i have done is read like 10 books, scanned sites, watched videos and listened to warnings from fellow herpers it would be cool to have someone answer a few questions here and there, like random things that arent always 100% clearly answered. 1.So how much should a monitor be fed, is there like a he is 7.5 in svl so is a pinkie a week plus a ton of insects plus various other canned and fresh things ok? 2. other than calcium and vitamins is there anything else he needs?? 3. what is the biggest sav you have ever seen/ heard of? 4. Nicest sav? Meanest sav? Most colorful sav? 5. How old aprox. until they are full grown? 6. What types of enclosures do you use now and in the past, what has worked best for you and them and how often do they roam the house? 7. Is there anything they should never be given? 8. Can they at any point be kept with other monitors/ savs, do they appesr to you to be a social animal, like how cats curl up together... do they seem to like other savs? 9. i used to feed mine in the tub when he was real small and he seemed to like it, then i stopped for a few months and he got really cage agressive, not agressive for the most part out of his cage, i mean he is handleable just doesnt like to be removed from his cage or have a hand in there to grab something, so now we are feeding him in the tub again to try and quell that... do any of you think that might work? 10. How often and for how long do you hold your pet, is there a too long and what us not in your opinion not enough? last question... 11. my sav only goes to the bathroom in a bucket of water, never anywhere else, is that common and do you think he will continue to do that? Thank you a ton anyone who responds, these are just random questions i cant really get "real" answers to from a book or a website, its just different to have someone tell you their experiences and my specialty herp shop just moved like from 5 minutes to 50 minutes away so i am sort of hurting, its like withdrawls... hehe, sure you understand, -S
See updates on Quest at: http://www.reptilechannel.com/blog/viewbio.aspx?apid=113305&entitycrt=1
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[quote]danceswithsavs (12/14/2008)
very good halloween story to be told while holding a big black and purple indigo...lol
well, forums are kind of a pot luck affair. you bring what you have to the table and that's what's there...lol
i pop up occasionally when there's some chat about savs. mostly i do show & tell with videos. talking about it isn't as convincing as watching something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZr8rN31pro
which, for me, is a big a thrill as hugging a lion. [/quote]
When I did all this teaching, it WAS show & tell with me holding different animals and telling about how they live, etc. I never taught without the animals right there, alive and in person! It really touches people's lives to be able to touch animals they would never be able to in any other situation.
Jo, ex-zookeeper, 0.1
*****
1.0 Ambilobe Panther Chameleon - Vinnie http://dwightfry.com/vinnie.html
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Nike http://dwightfry.com/nosy.html
1.0 Savannah Monitor - Harry http://dwightfry.com/harry.html
0.1 Green Iguana - Marnie http://dwightfry.com/marnie.html
1.2 Cats - Atticus, Amy and Libby
SUPPORT THE TUATARAS!
THIRD EYES RULE!
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SP, those are a LOT of questions!!! I researched Savs by googling them and reading all the pages that seemed relevant and bookmarked them for future use, as well as comparing cages/enclosures for along the way.
Here are a few good sites:
http://www.anapsid.org/savannah.html
http://www.kingsnake.com/monitorfaq/intro.htm
http://my.pclink.com/~dkelley/monitors.htm
http://www.google.com/search?q=savannah+monitor+care&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
Look for some books on Amazon.com and buy them used if cost is an issue. It just takes patience and research to find out all you can about them. As far as nicest/meanest/most colorful, that's going to be more about monitors in general. Savannah's are the most docile of the monitors. Holding them every day is recommended...you do NOT NOT NOT want a 4' strong Savvy that you can't pick up and take care of.
I have seen and been told that they are harder to get out of the cage than to handle once they're out. When they get big, you'll want them to associate tongs with feeding, and not your hands, so use tongs as soon as they start eating mice with tails. Drop a cloth on their heads, use a welder's glove, use a "snake hook" to move their head and hold it down gently while picking them up.
They can be 3 - 4' by a year (adult). Start giving him a mouse a day, and move up in size as he grows. 7.5" svl is waaay too big to still be on pinkies, and one a week is starving him. When he grows a few more inches, try 2 mice every other day, as he needs not to eat every day, and overfeeding him will make him fat and he'll die young.
Wait for even better answers from DancesWithSavs. I had a woman tell me today that Savs don't know who you are, would rather be left alone, and do not want to be held or touched. I just shook my head and wished I could have shown her DWS's videos.
Jo, ex-zookeeper, 0.1
*****
1.0 Ambilobe Panther Chameleon - Vinnie http://dwightfry.com/vinnie.html
1.0 Nosy Be Panther Chameleon - Nike http://dwightfry.com/nosy.html
1.0 Savannah Monitor - Harry http://dwightfry.com/harry.html
0.1 Green Iguana - Marnie http://dwightfry.com/marnie.html
1.2 Cats - Atticus, Amy and Libby
SUPPORT THE TUATARAS!
THIRD EYES RULE!
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i'll take a few of em- based only on my own kids.
1.So how much should a monitor be fed, is there like a he is 7.5 in svl so is a pinkie a week plus a ton of insects plus various other canned and fresh things ok?
2. other than calcium and vitamins is there anything else he needs??
3. what is the biggest sav you have ever seen/ heard of?
Rusty, in Dan Bennett/Ravi Thakoordyal's book. He made 54 inches.
4. Nicest sav? Meanest sav? Most colorful sav?
Nicest sav is Chocolate- i'll put him up against anybody!!!
5. How old aprox. until they are full grown?
depends on diet and conditions. from 1 to 3 years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhOQzithIGo
6. What types of enclosures do you use now and in the past, what has worked best for you and them and how often do they roam the house?
Ours are free roamers. They even have door handles so they can work doors.
7. Is there anything they should never be given?
8. Can they at any point be kept with other monitors/ savs, do they appesr to you to be a social animal, like how cats curl up together... do they seem to like other savs?
Ours don't interact much apart from their struggles over turf, which you'd almost have to know it's happening to see the maneuvers...lol - it's all very non violent. But whenever they are sleeping, they will be found spooned with each other.
9. i used to feed mine in the tub when he was real small and he seemed to like it, then i stopped for a few months and he got really cage agressive, not agressive for the most part out of his cage, i mean he is handleable just doesnt like to be removed from his cage or have a hand in there to grab something, so now we are feeding him in the tub again to try and quell that... do any of you think that might work?
What i've heard called 'cage aggression' is really about a sav who's very hungry and thinks he has to catch his food when it appears or not get it.
It is often necessary, in the beginning, to give the kid a really big piece at the outset of his breakfast to take the ravenous edge off his hunger so he can pay attention better to learning the gentle way.
All ours are safe hand feeding within a week of training. They get food no other way, as i believe it's really the only key one has for establishing a bond with the sav.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqr1L0ev0xY
10. How often and for how long do you hold your pet, is there a too long and what us not in your opinion not enough?
Whenever they want for as long as they want. Chocolate is the worst. He wants at least an hour a day of petting.
11. my sav only goes to the bathroom in a bucket of water, never anywhere else, is that common and do you think he will continue to do that?
it's common. cold alone can trigger the defecation if he's inclined anyway.
we found that after a certain amount of time, the savs really like the bath. they will not poop in a place they like, so we had to learn a new way. now they are all potty trained but each one demands his own private spot- they don't share.
exclaimer: my savs may not be representative of the vast majority. they aren't 'usual' in many respects.
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