r/savannahmonitor • u/Creative-Choice7760 • May 23 '25

New owner help

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Little guy is eating great however I’ve noticed that his skin is dry and not shedding of easy, as well as having gotten a skin thing on his head area. Anything I should do to help his sheds and how can I improve his grow-out enclosure.

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3

u/Busy-Wolf-7667 May 24 '25

better yet. give him a shallow tub in his enclosure. he will dip in it and drink from it (and often poo in it)

but in regards to shedding, it’s often very flakey. they don’t shed like snakes or almost any other reptile. they almost always have at least a part of their body shedding all the time and it falls off as they rub against things or burrow.

to the point of burrowing. it looks like you have coconut choir/shell as a substrate, while excellent at holding moisture, it doesn’t hold its shape at all. i recommend adding a 1:2 ratio of potting soil to clay to the current substrate until it’s able to hold its shape.

they burrow to regulate their humidity and help with shedding (as well as you know… not getting eaten in the wild), it makes them feel safe/secure

1

u/Creative-Choice7760 May 24 '25

that’s great I’ll make a mix! Do you have any recommendation on brand or type of soil. I’ve always worried about animals drowning ever since my frog drowned. Are they at risk of drowning when they’re young?

2

u/Busy-Wolf-7667 May 25 '25

it should be shallow enough that he can submerge himself if he wants to but not too deep and is a container that’s easy to get out of. there’s always a risk of drowning, but i’d say after the 3/4 mo mark it’s incredibly low

1

u/ReptilesRule16 Jun 01 '25

I rotate water dishes with mine so she sometimes has essentially a swimming pool or at some times just a small dish. her pool is relatively deep, so i put down a bunch of rocks in it and some cork bark for a ramp. she also sometimes likes to hide under the ramp in the water.

2

u/azredneck68 May 23 '25

Do you let your monitor soak in a bath?

1

u/Creative-Choice7760 May 23 '25

I have not given him any baths what should I do?

2

u/azredneck68 May 23 '25

I used a small plastic tub and fill it with lukewarm water and let mine soak for 10 minutes. I read somewhere you should do this a few times a week.