The house provides them a place to feel safe and secure, and lower their defensive needs. Everything in the cage should be equally strong. Plants, even fake ones, are pointless. The Nile will destroy them, or be annoyed by them. Simplicity is best.
Niles eat a variety of food.
They will take crickets as hatchlings as well as small goldfish and other aquatic animals. Older Niles can be fed a staple diet of rodents, size appropriate for the monitor. As with all lizards, the food should be supplemented with vitamins. These lizards are often very calm and passive. Savannah monitors average between 3-4 feet, making them a bit smaller and easier to handle.