View Full Version : Savannah Monitor, Too Close For Comfort!
Well,
over the past few days I've been spending more time handling my Sav, I first used the hands off approach until he/she was used to me. My Sav got to the stage where he/she would happily rub his/her little head onto mine and come onto my hand. But today.. well that was a different story. My little Sav decided he would walk up my arm and into the back of my t-shirt on my neck, it was such an nerve racking but exciting experience because I didn't want to do any sudden movements or attempt to handle him as when he/she is out of the vivarium he/she goes into a defensive mode, but too my surprise my Sav was extremely well behaved and didn't hiss or anything. Not to mention my Sav would let me pick him/her up without any hissing as well :)
This is a picture my partner took while he was on his adventure
P.S what do you think of the sex as well?
:shocked:
Cute, but you wont be doing that for too much longer. 2 stiches in my boyfriends hand say that those talons are sharp!
Cute, but you wont be doing that for too much longer. 2 stiches in my boyfriends hand say that those talons are sharp!
Well when he starting going down my t-shirt he was scratching like mad to keep himself up by neck. Such a nervous but memorable experience :). It's nice to know he's trusting me a lot more, and how did this happen btw? was the Sav just walking on his hand or?...
infernalis
12-19-12, 11:13 AM
I know I'm guessing, but your Bosc looks a little "feminine".
War Machine
12-19-12, 11:36 AM
+1 on sharp claws. My juvi white throat enforces cat like scratches with those rear "monkey" feet.
I'm dreading adult claws, I will be influencing lots of rocks and reasons to dull down his claws in the enclosure soon lol
infernalis
12-19-12, 11:40 AM
+1 on sharp claws. My juvi white throat enforces cat like scratches with those rear "monkey" feet.
I'm dreading adult claws, I will be influencing lots of rocks and reasons to dull down his claws in the enclosure soon lol
You noticed that too.. looks like a chimpanzee's hands.
I like how their front feet look and function almost like human hands also.
War Machine
12-19-12, 11:44 AM
Yeah, it's incredible how agile they are because of the rear feet. Nothing is a difficult obstacle to a monitor. Paired with a stiff strong tail, they can get anywhere.
infernalis
12-19-12, 11:57 AM
Yeah, it's incredible how agile they are because of the rear feet. Nothing is a difficult obstacle to a monitor. Paired with a stiff strong tail, they can get anywhere.
That and their brains make them the worlds most ultimate reptile.
If you really think about it, they articulate so many more muscles and joints than humans ever could, that brain has a lot going on at once in there just to motivate, yet alone plot the next thing to do.
Their sight, balance, etc.. is all impressive. and it's all instinct, not learned.
I know I'm guessing, but your Bosc looks a little "feminine".
Well I really thought that as well, every time I see and handle my Bosc it really does look like a girl. I remember two days a go when my sav went to go and have a poop in the water but the back of my sav was hanging over the water bowl, I didn't see anything popping out though. I heard from a previous post that sometimes when they go to the toilet it can sometimes make there you know what stick out which wil blatantly show whether they are male or female.
Anyway besides being able to see that is there some pictures I can take of my Sav maybe even a few pics to examine certain areas for male or female descriptions? if so let me know and I'll do my best to get a few that way I could finally give my Sav a well deserved name :)
infernalis
12-20-12, 06:50 AM
Well I really thought that as well, every time I see and handle my Bosc it really does look like a girl. I remember two days a go when my sav went to go and have a poop in the water but the back of my sav was hanging over the water bowl, I didn't see anything popping out though. I heard from a previous post that sometimes when they go to the toilet it can sometimes make there you know what stick out which wil blatantly show whether they are male or female.
Anyway besides being able to see that is there some pictures I can take of my Sav maybe even a few pics to examine certain areas for male or female descriptions? if so let me know and I'll do my best to get a few that way I could finally give my Sav a well deserved name :)
No matter what, it's all guessing until either a willy pops out or eggs get laid.
I have read people mentioning seeing the female genetalia, But I never have. (Chomper was a male)
No matter what, it's all guessing until either a willy pops out or eggs get laid.
I have read people mentioning seeing the female genetalia, But I never have. (Chomper was a male)
Sigh :/ looks like it's a waiting game then, and do they lay eggs even when they haven't got a male around? I seen a post from Aja Michelle, not 100% sure if I got the name correct but she had a video of her sav's eggs that weren't fertilized
infernalis
12-20-12, 07:42 AM
Sigh :/ looks like it's a waiting game then, and do they lay eggs even when they haven't got a male around? I seen a post from Aja Michelle, not 100% sure if I got the name correct but she had a video of her sav's eggs that weren't fertilized
Yes. They ovulate independent of a male presence.
This is about the second leading cause of premature lizard deaths in the pet trade.
Females will hold the eggs in and go septic if she cannot find a suitable nesting area.
In the wild, they will seek out the best conditions for incubation and dig a burrow, lay the eggs and bury them.
In captivity, the owners often fail to provide the correct nesting conditions, so the female with search until she dies looking for a nesting site while locked in a box that offers none.
Then it gets called "reproductive failure" or "she went egg bound" and no one looks into WHY.......
That has been my whole quest now for this last year, I want to know why every single life event takes place as it does.
The whole Bosc keeping hobby needs a serious overhaul, it has since the very first specimen was shipped out of Africa.
Pirarucu
12-20-12, 08:09 AM
No matter what, it's all guessing until either a willy pops out or eggs get laid.
I have read people mentioning seeing the female genetalia, But I never have. (Chomper was a male)From what I understand it's somewhat rare to see the female's hemiclitoris, and it isn't out as long as the male's hemipenes. I have only once seen a hemiclitoris, and it was gone in a flash. It was a young Sav at a pet shop, which is unfortunately probably dead now. It looks like a small, unadorned pink tube.
Lankyrob
12-20-12, 08:23 AM
Yes. They ovulate independent of a male presence.
This is about the second leading cause of premature lizard deaths in the pet trade.
Females will hold the eggs in and go septic if she cannot find a suitable nesting area.
In the wild, they will seek out the best conditions for incubation and dig a burrow, lay the eggs and bury them.
In captivity, the owners often fail to provide the correct nesting conditions, so the female with search until she dies looking for a nesting site while locked in a box that offers none.
Then it gets called "reproductive failure" or "she went egg bound" and no one looks into WHY.......
That has been my whole quest now for this last year, I want to know why every single life event takes place as it does.
The whole Bosc keeping hobby needs a serious overhaul, it has since the very first specimen was shipped out of Africa.
And this is shy when we get our sav we will be following your example and direction :)
Yes. They ovulate independent of a male presence.
This is about the second leading cause of premature lizard deaths in the pet trade.
Females will hold the eggs in and go septic if she cannot find a suitable nesting area.
In the wild, they will seek out the best conditions for incubation and dig a burrow, lay the eggs and bury them.
In captivity, the owners often fail to provide the correct nesting conditions, so the female with search until she dies looking for a nesting site while locked in a box that offers none.
Then it gets called "reproductive failure" or "she went egg bound" and no one looks into WHY.......
That has been my whole quest now for this last year, I want to know why every single life event takes place as it does.
The whole Bosc keeping hobby needs a serious overhaul, it has since the very first specimen was shipped out of Africa.
Nicely described :)
In that case at what age can this happen? the reason being I may purchase some additional top soil and play sand and use the "hill" method so at least there is one place to burrow, as for now the vivarium is just to small to build sufficient depth throughout the whole vivarium.
From what I understand it's somewhat rare to see the female's hemiclitoris, and it isn't out as long as the male's hemipenes. I have only once seen a hemiclitoris, and it was gone in a flash. It was a young Sav at a pet shop, which is unfortunately probably dead now. It looks like a small, unadorned pink tube.
by rare, do you mean it doesn't actually pop out often. Or do you mean rare as in people don't usually get the chance to see it often because of timings etc? only asking as my sav had the rear end sticking out of the water dish, i seen the poop but nothing stuck out from what I could see.
AjaMichelle
12-20-12, 07:41 PM
I have a video of my confirmed female everting her hemiclitoris. :)
Pirarucu
12-20-12, 09:26 PM
by rare, do you mean it doesn't actually pop out often. Or do you mean rare as in people don't usually get the chance to see it often because of timings etc? only asking as my sav had the rear end sticking out of the water dish, i seen the poop but nothing stuck out from what I could see.Both. Females just don't do it as often as males and it's not for as long.
I have a video of my confirmed female everting her hemiclitoris. :)
Excellent, I'll have to take a look at that then :) I'll take a look at your videos now and see if I can find it :)
AjaMichelle
12-21-12, 03:09 PM
I haven't posted it yet. I didn't think anyone would be interested. She's also pooping so it's kind of brutal. I'll post it later tonight.
infernalis
12-21-12, 03:17 PM
I haven't posted it yet. I didn't think anyone would be interested. She's also pooping so it's kind of brutal. I'll post it later tonight.
Anyone???
I wouldn't even pass up a chance to watch a necropsy.
I haven't posted it yet. I didn't think anyone would be interested. She's also pooping so it's kind of brutal. I'll post it later tonight.
Aha second on that, I'd be interested to see it as well. May not be the nicest looking video but it's an interesting one :)
When I first got my sav she would his at me and even try to bite me sometimes wen I tried to handle her to the point that I was scared to try and pet her or pick her up so I also went with the hands off approach for about a week and then she started letting me pick her up and handle her with out hissin or trying to bite me she would be a little squirmy but usually calm down after a min but the last couple times I reached in to try and hold her she has hissed at me and gotten a little aggressive again this was also shortly after she ate just wondering why she's not being quite as friendly anymore?
infernalis
12-22-12, 05:26 AM
When I first got my sav she would his at me and even try to bite me sometimes wen I tried to handle her to the point that I was scared to try and pet her or pick her up so I also went with the hands off approach for about a week and then she started letting me pick her up and handle her with out hissin or trying to bite me she would be a little squirmy but usually calm down after a min but the last couple times I reached in to try and hold her she has hissed at me and gotten a little aggressive again this was also shortly after she ate just wondering why she's not being quite as friendly anymore?
Because you started keeping it right. Monitor Lizards are not meant to be "friendly" they are top predators, the ultimate reptile hunter...
When they are too calm, it means they are not kept warm enough, so they get sluggish and then it's mistaken for "calm", "Tame" or "friendly" when the truth is, the animal does not have any fight left in it.
I still get hissed at, bitten and whipped by my lizards, and I spend time with them every day.
varanus_mad
12-22-12, 04:59 PM
When I first got my sav she would his at me and even try to bite me sometimes wen I tried to handle her to the point that I was scared to try and pet her or pick her up so I also went with the hands off approach for about a week and then she started letting me pick her up and handle her with out hissin or trying to bite me she would be a little squirmy but usually calm down after a min but the last couple times I reached in to try and hold her she has hissed at me and gotten a little aggressive again this was also shortly after she ate just wondering why she's not being quite as friendly anymore?
one day im going to put a human being in the same situation as a sav and see how they react....
I dont see the big thing... big creatures eat little creatures...
Takes a while to overcome that instinct it isnt going to happen overnight....
dinosaurdammit
12-22-12, 08:06 PM
Because you started keeping it right. Monitor Lizards are not meant to be "friendly" they are top predators, the ultimate reptile hunter...
When they are too calm, it means they are not kept warm enough, so they get sluggish and then it's mistaken for "calm", "Tame" or "friendly" when the truth is, the animal does not have any fight left in it.
I still get hissed at, bitten and whipped by my lizards, and I spend time with them every day.
my lizard is a bit bipolar, sometimes he is totes cool with me then the next second its a big puffy crab walking lizard trying to whip me out of his grill.
infernalis
12-22-12, 09:22 PM
my lizard is a bit bipolar, sometimes he is totes cool with me then the next second its a big puffy crab walking lizard trying to whip me out of his grill.
Speaking of bipolar lizards, Cera rushed me today, right off the front sill and onto the floor (again) then tried to bite me when I scooped her up to put her back.
varanus_mad
12-23-12, 02:53 AM
Speaking of bipolar lizards, Cera rushed me today, right off the front sill and onto the floor (again) then tried to bite me when I scooped her up to put her back.
Thats an easy one shes a... and thats all i need to say...
AjaMichelle
12-24-12, 04:27 PM
Anyone???
I wouldn't even pass up a chance to watch a necropsy.
You're right Wayne! I knew some people would want to see it! :) I think it's totally super awesome, but others may find it a little underwhelming. It's a pretty short video.
Aha second on that, I'd be interested to see it as well. May not be the nicest looking video but it's an interesting one :)
Thanks!
Here it is!
http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/varanid/97228-female-savannah-monitor-eversion.html#post800772
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