How to Breed Savannah Monitors

Savannah monitors can be difficult reptiles to breed. They need the right temperature, humidity levels and timing in order to produce fertile eggs. In the wild, this restricts them to a specific breeding season. In captivity, many savannahs never successfully breed at all. Fortunately, you can control their environment to help them produce a viable clutch.

Things You'll Need

  • Large (6x6x6 foot) terrarium with 3-foot-deep sand or soil substrate
  • Mature pair of savannah monitors (18 months or older)
  • Incubator
  • Plastic containers
  • Incubation medium such as potting soil, vermiculite or perlite and sand
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the terrarium. It should be at least 6 feet on each side, filled with a sand or soil substrate at least 3 feet deep, and kept at an appropriate temperature and humidity---85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Lizards will be more sensitive to environmental factors close to breeding time .

    • 2

      Prepare the monitors. Healthy female savannah monitors which are ready to mate will gain weight due to developing eggs. They should be fed at least four times a week. Increase feeding as the female becomes gravid. Females will also need more vitamin D3 and calcium before breeding to ensure healthy eggs. The male should be healthy, but will need no extra preparation.

    • 3

      Place monitors together. Mating may not occur immediately, and may take place over several days. When mating is successful, the male will mount the female and they will contort their tails so that their cloaca are close or touching. This can take a few minutes to an hour. Remove the male after they have finished mating.

    • 4

      Allow the female time to lay. She will begin to dig burrows shortly after mating, but won't lay until three or four weeks later. Clutches average between 10 and 20 eggs, but may be larger. When the female monitor is finished laying, she will bury the eggs and ignore them.

    • 5

      Prepare the incubator. Choose a small plastic container for each egg, or a single container large enough to leave ½ inch of space between eggs. Mix your incubation substrate with a small amount of water. It should be damp but not wet. Fill the bottom of the plastic container with incubation medium. It should be deep enough to bury the eggs.

    • 6

      Unearth the eggs carefully and place them in the plastic container under the medium. Place the container in a commercial reptile incubator or a warm dark place, such as a closet. Keep the eggs between 78 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit constantly and make sure the medium stays moist.

    • 7

      Check eggs every few days. Remove brownish eggs or dimpled eggs. These are dead and will only rot. Hatching will occur within five to six months and should take a few hours.