Teeth Question

[Elvia]

Well, as you all know I got a baby Savy and I was wondering...since he liked to bite me when he's in his cage I don't feel any teeth!:confused: Do they have teeth when they're babys? I hope so when they get older:p Dear lord I'm in love with this little boy he's sooo cute!:D

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w298/Pooky_037/S7301079.jpg

[The Snake Guru]

Yeah they do....but when they are young it more feels like snadpaper than teeth.....give it time though....that soon changes! LOL Monitor teeth are comparable to sharks....serated and curved ever so slightly back.

~B~

[Elvia]

LOL Thanks B!:D Looking foward to it...though it sounds scary:yield: Ever had a Monitor bite happen to ya?:eek:

[The Snake Guru]

I actually have once, during the the intial period when my more recnt Blackthroat and I were getting to know eachother I afforded her a bit more freedom than what I probably should've, and got a "nip" for my trouble...LOL I think it was more a "test bite" than anything else...

2 seconds before the bite:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r157/thesnakeguru/2005_0508Image0052.jpg

The bite:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r157/thesnakeguru/LizardHicky2.jpg

[TailsWithScales]

Be thankful you have a Bosc when it comes to the teeth. Bosc monitors have rounded teeth because of the type of diet they eat in the wild. Only the African species have these type of teeth. They look like a whales or dolphins tooth and are not serrated (sorry Brad) like the Indo species are. They are sharp as babies but become blunted and peg like as adults. The reason is for their diet. Their main diet is millipedes, snails, crabs, eggs, beetles and scorpions. They also eat amphibians if they can catch them and mammals are eaten extremely rarely. What makes this possible is an extremely strong bite force. Adult monitors at less then 3' long have a 55 lb per square inch bite force. So with that bite force and VERY strong teeth it draws blood and have been know to take a finger off.

This has been Sav monitor teeth 101 with Christine. :D

[Elvia]

Yikes! I mean no yikes....what bite:becky:Jk B! That looked b-a-d! And thanks for the info Christine! Really love to know alot about Savys:D

[carpondro17]

Ive been bit by a baby sav and it was funny and I dident feel anything. Then ive been bit by a 8inch baby water monitor and I could feel that guys teeth! LOL
He drew some blood and it got infected but it dident hurt it was funny because he wouldent let go. XD

[The Snake Guru]

Hmmmm, well could've swore I read something to the contrary on what Christine said, but I'd have to go back and look....at anyrate, she'd know better than I, she's had a lot more experience with them than I have.

Still smarts though...LOL

~B~

[TailsWithScales]

No worries Brad. I didn't just keep 20 + different species of Varanid over the last 17 or so years (:D) but I've also studied their taxonomy and skeletal structures.

I am here to share what knowledge I have gained over the years. :D ;)

[lorenmps]

I had a customer bring a savannah in that she didn't want anymore and she told me it was tame. I pulled it out the sack she had it in and for about 5 minutes it was very mellow while I was examining it... then it was like "When good pets go BAD". It latched onto my thumb, splitting the nail in two and refused to let go. I stayed on my thumb for about 15 minutes... the last 2 minutes being held under water in a fish tank.

So ya... play with him lot while he's small and get him nice and friendly.

or get a fish tank ;)

[Elvia]

Dang! I'll get right on it:madgrin: I'll keep my fish tank in case LOL!