Lizard Question??? General Info...?

Question

I got a Savannah Monitor last saturday. I have two general information questions to better help me in caring for it.

1) How do I tell what sex my Sav is?

Kinda important when finding a name.

2) Signs that my Sav is stressed or uncomfortable?

It seems very alert and curious of it's surroundsings. Wanders around it's enclosure several minutes before finding a nice spot to sit and bask. When I reach inside the enclosure it watches my hand, does a little hissing and has darted at my hand. BUT no biting all bluffs and trying to scare me. However once I pet it a few times, and give it a chance to smell me then it will allow me to pick it up without a problem. Once in my hand it'll squirm a bit, then will rest in my hand for over an hour. While there it is very alert to its surroundings always looking around and seeing what moves, whos talking and who is closest to it, and only tenses up and squirms a tiny bit when it catches a glimpse of my dog. It seems comfortable and happy.

oh, it isn't a new hatchling either, it's just under a foot long, and maybe weights half a pound. I'm guessing it's probably 3-4 months old...

Answer 1

Sexing savannahs is notoriously difficult. None of the usual methods such as observing hemipene bulges, manually everting or probing are very reliable with these guys. When they are defecating males will sometimes evert their hemipenes but females will also evert cloacal tissue so a quick glimpse of pink tissue does not confirm anything.
His taming seems to be coming along well. What you describe is exactly the demeanor you would want in a healthy reptile, alert and aware, but not frantic and attempting escape. A stressed young savannah puffs up, lashes his body about, opens his mouth in threat and frequently defecates on you. Not fun.

Answer 2

i might propose putting some crested geckos interior the tank. considering they're arguably the simplest lizard to maintain, that they had be great to initiate with. They do properly at room temperature (around 70 stages) and don't prefer UVB mild simply by fact they're nocturnal. the certainty they do no longer prefer any form of bulb makes them decrease priced to maintain -- in the two furnish expenses and on the flexibility bill. Crested geckos consume elderly fruit interior the wild, so there are numerous arranged diets available on the industry. additionally they consume crickets. They advance to approximately 5 - 6 inches and are between the simplest reptiles to reproduce. i'm hoping this helps. :)