New Black Throat Monitor question

Shes got 1 rock hide/ basking area now, I'm working on making a stack of flat cubby type hides but I'm worried she wouldn't use it because she doesn't climb much yet. Do you think the same newspaper trick used for picky bp's would work?

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I don't think it would hurt, but they usually like things to squeeze under.

Ok Betty wasn't getting much more active so we took her to the vet. He guessed that she was much younger than originally thought, maybe only a month or so old, and malnourished. Shes now taking .1cc of a liquid calcium daily and we're syringe feeding her .5cc's of a protein mixture (chicken, turkey,bone meal and fats) twice a day for a couple days then bumping her up to a full cc twice a day until she starts eating better on her own.

We're still offering insects daily but shes just not strong enough to chase them down.

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I am going to take a wild guess and say she was probably farmed! Its hard on these guys as they hatch and ship and typically are fed very little. Poor little girl....she is just adorable!!!! Thank god it sounds like you have a great vet!!

As far as the feeding....you can do eggs...I cook them and my tree monitor loves it!. As far as the turkey and other meat...you give it raw...NOT COOKED. I might suggest once she gets going to get yourself a couple pounds of ground turkey and a pound of beef liver. Grind it all up and mix it together. Then put 1 meal in a baggie and continue till its gone. Then take all the baggies and put them in a freezer zip loc. This makes it so easy to just pull out ...thaw and feed. This was recommended to me by Bobby the owner of Varnyard and one of the top tegu breeders. It works awesome

Good luck and let us know how your little baby is doing!

Well after just 4 days of syringe feeding little ms. Betty is obviously doing better. She's not up and running around yet but she is moving a lot more and holding her head up much better. She even snapped at my boyfriend while he was trying to get her to open up for her dinner! I'd say thats a good sign. She hasn't poo'd yet so shes still getting .5cc's 2x a day. I'm hoping shes digesting everything ok.

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NObody mentioned humidity. Lack of humidity causes the issues you are describing. Screen-top enclosures are certian death. I killed a water monitor with one when all other specs were perfect. Black throats are no different. Soooo what do you have him in?

She was in a screen top but it was covered in foil to hold humidity, her substrate was always kept moist and the humidity was 70% or higher (always higher right after we misted). We were also soaking her daily before her prolapse and after it retracted as well.



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