baby monitor sav always asleep?

[munding]

i have a baby sav who only ate 3 meal worms yesterday and then slept. it's sleeping until now which is 17 hours later. but when i pick him up, he wakes up. when i put him back in his tank, he goes inside his hide and sleeps again. is this normal?

thank you

[daniel1983]

That does not sound right. A young monitor should be more active than that.

What are your husbandry conditions (i.e. temp, humidity, substrate, enclosure type, etc.)?

[munding]

i keep him in a 30 gallon tank now.

i have a cool side and a warm side with basking light. although its really hot in this country.

the subtrate that im using now is newspaper. i am contemplating on using pine shavings... i dont really like to use soil because i keep him inside my room. it might get messy.

it just sleeps all day. when i put him on the floor,he runs away rather fast but when i put him back in its enclosure, he just sleeps in his hide.

what should i do with him?

thank you sir.

[varanidguy]

i keep him in a 30 gallon tank now.

i have a cool side and a warm side with basking light. although its really hot in this country.

the subtrate that im using now is newspaper. i am contemplating on using pine shavings... i dont really like to use soil because i keep him inside my room. it might get messy.

it just sleeps all day. when i put him on the floor,he runs away rather fast but when i put him back in its enclosure, he just sleeps in his hide.

what should i do with him?

thank you sir.

a warm side and a cool side doesn't really define temps. what are the temps exactly? do you have a temp gun? and soil is the best substrate for monitors. one of the reasons he could be acting that way is from dehydration. tanks with screen tops and newspaper substrate is a surefire way to dehydrate and kill a baby monitor lizard.

[munding]

i got some advice from diana and it ate 3 crix. but it didnt eat again today!!

people with sav here said that they need sunlight. atleast an hour a day.is that true?

[munding]

a warm side and a cool side doesn't really define temps. what are the temps exactly? do you have a temp gun? and soil is the best substrate for monitors. one of the reasons he could be acting that way is from dehydration. tanks with screen tops and newspaper substrate is a surefire way to dehydrate and kill a baby monitor lizard.

i always soak it in water. it did drink alot of water the night that i got it. i dont have a temp gun,but will be buying soon!! any other options instead of soil?

[varanidguy]

i always soak it in water. it did drink alot of water the night that i got it. i dont have a temp gun,but will be buying soon!! any other options instead of soil?

no other options when it comes to substrate, i'm afraid. if you want to keep your animal healthy and happy, it needs a deep substrate that can hold burrows.

also, you're going to want to custom make a solid lid for it's cage until you can afford to build/buy a cage with a solid lid for it. the not eating thing could be related to stress and/or temps. do you hold it often?

also, i know you're buying a temp gun soon. but you should buy one yesterday (lol). i can't stress how important a tool temp guns are to herp keeping, especially when it comes to monitors and other basking species.

anyways, the best of luck to you. keep us updated and informed.

[gilbertflores]

you need to set your tank a lot better then some heat and newspaper.
do you even have a temp gun?

1. remove the newspaper, get a mixture of top soil from your local hardware store and some mulch. use a 2:1 mixture of them and build it up about 6 inches in a 30 gal.
2. get him something to hide under. something close the the substrate where he feels tight and secure.
3. have a gradient of 75*-90* with a basking temp of at least 115*
4. make sure the lid is covered, and no holes besides the lights so you can retain humidity and heat.
5. humidity should be an average of 50-60% at all times.
6. if he is in the water all the time, he is dehydrated or to hot.
7. if he sleeps to much, he is not getting enough heat to regulate his energy or he is getting to much heat and its drying him out.

if you get this right, he will have a good chance of growing, and he should start to be more active within 36-48 hrs.

[gilbertflores]

i know its an old post, but it will help others or this owner in the future.

[snakemanjayd]

Hey guys, don't mean to hijack the thread,l but I got a nile water monitor this morning.
Caught it actually, as I live in south africa.
So I was just wondering what type of setup you guys usually use for yours.
It's still a small guy, less than a foot.
I saw some caresheets, but they weren't explicit enough.
If I feed the little guy on mice and small lizzards, how often do I feed it?
Do you use under tank heating as well as lights?