Good/Bad/Dirty on Arg. Red Tegu vs Sav. Monitor

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Wiggles92 said:
First off, I love the coloration on your bearded dragon!

As for the monitor/tegu, are you able to provide at least an 8' x 4' x 4' enclosure?
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So you would recommend a 8x4x4 for a tegu,too? I thought tegus didn't need as big as larger monitors (Obviously the bigger the better)
OP, sorry for hijacking your thread but I want one myself so I'm really interested in them right now :D
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A Tegu is, i undertand, much easier as a starter lizzard, than a Monitor.

And they are beautifull, in their variants!
 
Tegus are in general better choices if you are looking for a "pet", as they are not as fast and are not as temperamental as monitors. The care however is much the same, with the Tegu not needing everything the monitor does, but it will be much appreciated.
Firstly, you will need a BIG cage. A sealed 8'x4'x4' cage is the minimum for a Savannah Monitor, but bigger is always better, as they will use every inch you give them. Secondly, it is a good idea to get the adult cage fully set up before getting a monitor. You might as well put the baby straight into the adult cage, assuming it is secure. The extra size will not bother the baby, and they grow very fast. This is about eight months of growth:

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In your cage you will need a layer of moist sandy soil at least two feet deep, for burrowing. Without this, the monitor will become dehydrated, as it will not be able to regulate humidity. The basking spot will need to be around 140F surface temperature, which is what the monitor needs to properly metabolize. I have known them to use basking spots up to 160F. It is advisable to use a bank of 40-60 watt halogen flood bulbs positioned ~8 inches away from the basking platform. This will allow your monitor to heat its whole body evenly, to prevent spot burns, and the low wattage will not dry out the air. On the hot end, ambient (air) temperatures should be around 100F, with a low humidity. On the cool side the ambient temps should be around 80F, with 70-80% humidity. Down in the burrows, the humidity should be 100%. Keeping the soil moist at depth will take care of the humidity. Just dump water in. It should be dry on the surface, but if you stick your finger an inch down, you should feel moisture. As far as feeding, feed it mostly invertebrates such as roaches and earthworms, with rodents being around a third of the diet. Be sure to feed whole prey, not bits and pieces. Your monitor doesn't need liver as a "treat". UVB lighting is controversial. Some say they need it, some say they don't. IMO, I would provide it, just to be safe. It certainly won't hurt them. A good site to look into for Savannah Monitors is http://www.savannahmonitor.net/ it will go a bit more in-depth than I did.

Again, these are the requirements for a monitor. Tegus can be kept slightly differently, with slightly cooler temperatures and mulch instead of soil, but I have known a few people who kept their Tegus like monitors and they are doing remarkably better than most tegus.

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Chub_by said:
So you would recommend a 8x4x4 for a tegu,too? I thought tegus didn't need as big as larger monitors (Obviously the bigger the better)
OP, sorry for hijacking your thread but I want one myself so I'm really interested in them right now :D
Sent from my MK16i using Tapatalk App
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In general the minimum cage size is twice the length of the lizard by the length of the lizard. For instance, a four foot lizard needs a cage with a 8'x4' footprint. A three footer needs 6'x3', and a five footer needs 10'x5'. I personally think that this is small, but it is workable. Bigger is better.
 
I've heard lots of stories of hard to tame/aggressive tegu and monitors so if thats the reason why you chose them then I find that kind of strange, considering they will also be more expensive to feed than an iguana. just don't expect something as docile and tame or easy to handle as your beardie.
 
Rafini said:
I've heard lots of stories of hard to tame/aggressive tegu and monitors so if thats the reason why you chose them then I find that kind of strange, considering they will also be more expensive to feed than an iguana. just don't expect something as docile and tame or easy to handle as your beardie.
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Neither is a good choice if you want a tame lizard. Some just never come around, and you have to be alright with having a lizard that does not want to be messed with. Tegus in general are better than monitors.
Both should not be tamed like you tame most lizards. That is to say, force handling is a no-no. Treat it like taming a feral cat. Feed it and wait for it to come to you, then reward it when it does. Tegus eventually will usually become tame, monitors will not. Most monitors will not tolerate being picked up and interaction will always have to be on their terms. Meaning they have to come to you on their own.
 
Chub_by said:
So you would recommend a 8x4x4 for a tegu,too? I thought tegus didn't need as big as larger monitors (Obviously the bigger the better)
OP, sorry for hijacking your thread but I want one myself so I'm really interested in them right now :D
Sent from my MK16i using Tapatalk App
Click to expand...

No problem. I was out of town and actually got to see a couple of Savannah Monitors, among many other Monitors. Sadly, I was unable to find any Tegus available at any of the Reptilian Supply Stores and for those I found For Sale By Owner (online) I received no reply to my inquiries, which I found odd considering their adds were new and they weren't giving them away, by any means! I was also able to meet with a couple that had a 6 month old Savannah Monitor, they were sadly parting with (bittersweet), as they had just found out they were expecting baby #2. As a result, they felt they wouldn't have the time to devote to their Monitor once this new baby arrived and rehoming was likely best for their guy. Assuming this Monitor is a male, his given name is Rex and we came home with him*! If we find out we have a female, Rex will become a Rexi :) We didn't make our decision immediately, as we felt we had more research to do, which included a visit to the store where he was purchased and also where his previous owner bought all his supplies. This is also where we met another (much) younger, Savannah Monitor, that you couldn't get within 10 feet of and he/she would back up into his hideaway! The store owners, knowing who we were referring to when we described the owner of Rex, had nothing but great things to say about him and the care he'd been given. He has never lunged, bit or whipped and he's been handled often since he was a baby. Surprisingly (I thought), I was able to easily handle Rex when his previous owner handed him over to me, both Tuesday night (when we first went to see him) and tonight, when we picked him up. We were over 3 hours from home and I wanted to snuggle him, so bad, even though I had a carrier for him, that I couldn't resist and got him out. Needless to say, he snuggled right into my chest and neck, with his head down (immediately). Eventually his eyes closed and he fell asleep. However, about an hour into the drive, his body went limp and he slid into my lap like he was oiled up and I was a slip and slide. Didn't phase him though, as he climbed right back up into position. To avoid this happening again, I tucked his tail inside my top and he settled back in with just his arms and head out. This is how he lay, eyes closed, for about another half an hour, until he was startled by some bright lights we drove under and he wiggled backwards, down into my shirt, where he remained the rest of our trip (a little over 2 hours). We even made a stop for some food and I went inside with him tucked inside of my shirt, coat zipped up, holding him in place. He didn't squirm, claw, or make any noise. He was quite content, soaking up the heat of my body, I would imagine. I caught my reflection in the glass of the restaurant doors and I looked like I was carrying a baby of my own (the human kind - Ha! Ha!! Ha!!!). He's beautiful and I'm really excited to get him set up properly, to watch him grow and enjoy the many years we have ahead of us, as a family of 8, now (2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 reptiles).

To everyone else, I'm too new to this forum to know how to reply with multiple quotes, but keep on chatting, as I'm also new to a reptile of this size, so I'm doing a lot of research and appreciate all you have to offer in the different discussions that have taken place!

*We also brought home his 75 gallon tank, which will be temporary, ballasts, lights, hideaway rocks, substrate, water bowl and a few other things they would no longer be in need of and Rex is accustomed to.

...and I'll get some pictures posted in the next day or two!
 
I hate to say it, but you are going to see a big change in temper once you get him under a proper basking area.. That is not what a healthy sav acts like, that's what a very cold and stressed sav acts like. He should be darting around and looking at everything that moves, he should not be sitting there with his eyes closed.. Check out the videos infernalis1 puts on youtube. He is the owner of savannahmonitor.net and his two savs are the image of health.
 
Your beardie is awesome! Ive also looked into savs and tegus alot and while my vote wouldve been for a tegu I hope everything works out for you with your new guy :D
 
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