Savannah monitor isssues...

We bought a savannah monitor on Jan. 2nd at the show in Pomona,Ca. He/She is about a foot long. It seems to have a good temperment, he hasnt tried to bite, tail whip or hiss at us but we cant seem to get him to eat. I was told that you could use low fat can dog food to get them started and ive put meal worms and crickets in his tank but i dont think he has really eaten them or the dog food. Ive also tried offering him pinkies a few times and he doesnt want anything to do with them. We also tried raw egg yolk with dog food. Does anyone have any other suggestions on what we could try? Please let me know if you do. We also want to build him a big enclosure so if any one has any suggestions about what to use and how to build it please let me know. Thanks

I don't know much about monitors, but are you you sure your keeping him at the right temperatures?

His hot side stays at about 105 degrees and the humidity is at 55 and when we mist the tank its gets up to about 85.

Does anyone else have any ideas?

have you seen a stool sample from him. I would guess a parasite load is causing him to not eat. That would be my guess, I am very new to monitors as I just bought a Savanna a few weeks ago. I am still in process of cleaning him up. Just throwing that out there.


Chuck

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Originally Posted by Chuck

I would guess a parasite load is causing him to not eat.

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I'm going to take a wild guess and say the monitor is in a screen topped aquarium with an inch or two of substrate, no cage decor, poor humidity, and a single basking lamp with a high wattage bulb. That's why your monitor isn't eating.

Also, please don't feed it dog or cat food. Please do some research so your animal does not suffer.

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Originally Posted by allergenic

I'm going to take a wild guess and say the monitor is in a screen topped aquarium with an inch or two of substrate, no cage decor, poor humidity, and a single basking lamp with a high wattage bulb. That's why your monitor isn't eating.

Also, please don't feed it dog or cat food. Please do some research so your animal does not suffer.

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You really shouldn't take wild guesses and assume that the husbandry is all wrong. Why not instead ask for a detailed description of what the set up is and then no assumptions need to be made?

You should bump that hot spot up to about 125.

Whats his cool side temp?

It was an import.

There is a 95% chance it is not eating due to parasites.

Have it wormed, flagyl and panacur.

Once the parasites are gone moving food will stimulate it. Try fuzzy mice. You can leave them in the cage alive with no problems. As they move about your lizard's appetite will be stimulated.

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Originally Posted by allergenic

I'm going to take a wild guess and say the monitor is in a screen topped aquarium with an inch or two of substrate, no cage decor, poor humidity, and a single basking lamp with a high wattage bulb. That's why your monitor isn't eating.

Also, please don't feed it dog or cat food. Please do some research so your animal does not suffer.

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I didnt see this before.....


Your second post on THIS forum....and it sounds like this??


Your off to a GREAT start.

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Originally Posted by wilomn

It was an import.

There is a 95% chance it is not eating due to parasites.

Have it wormed, flagyl and panacur.

Once the parasites are gone moving food will stimulate it. Try fuzzy mice. You can leave them in the cage alive with no problems. As they move about your lizard's appetite will be stimulated.

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This would also be my recommendation also. I had a sav. years ago that all of the sudden went off feed. I took him to the vet and everything checked out fine, a few days later and still no eating.Took him to a different vet and as he was doing a mouth swab we found a tiny piece of substrate lodged in the rear corner of his mouth that was causing irritation you really had to look hard to see it, we removed it and as soon as I got back home he was eating perfectly normal.

ya we have seen his stool. it looks normal and there is nothing crawling around in it.

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Originally Posted by Ashton

ya we have seen his stool. it looks normal and there is nothing crawling around in it.

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Ahhhh, here we go.

Last bit of advice.

IF you don't really want people to know to help you, don't ask them for help.

It's got parasites. Get it wormed.

Next dogooder, you're up.

he has a hide spot and a big water dish and branches to climb on. the terrarium is covered on the three sides with a backdrop. ive put him in the bath tube and he likes to swim around and if you let him out in the room he will wonder around and check things out. im not sure if maybe he just hasnt really gotten used to his new home and us and maybe thats why he still hasnt eaten.?

Hi,

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Originally Posted by Ashton

ya we have seen his stool. it looks normal and there is nothing crawling around in it.

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Did you happen to be looking through a microscope at the time with a good book on parasites? Thats not as daft a question as it sounds - it is perfectly possible to do a fecal float at home if you have the equipment and access to the needed knowledge. But I'm afraid you can't detect most parasites with the naked eye.

Becky (Satanicintention) made a good post on the subject a while back listing the equipment she uses and recomending various books on the parasites.

I think one of the ones she recommended was "Undestanding Reptile Parasites by Roger J. Klingenberg DVM" and the microscope needs to have at least x100 magnification - If I can find her post I will post a link to it.

If you get another stool sample I would bag it and refrigerate it (not freeze as that destroys the sample ) and take it to a good herp vet.

**edit**

I think it was this thread I was thinking of.

**end edit**



dr del

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

I didnt see this before.....


Your second post on THIS forum....and it sounds like this??


Your off to a GREAT start.

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Sure he could have said it better but he brings up a solid point. If you really found it offensive the best thing to do would be to ignore it. Most people keep savannahs all wrong which is why MOST don't survive. Especially since most are impulse buys and people don't care to read up. True story.

To the OP, better description of setup please, and stop feeding foods that aren't made for your monitor, it's not a dog, and cooked egg is nowhere near a decent food source. Have you let it settle? Stop putting it in the bathtub, and stop taking it out and just leave it be. Make sure you have your temps, etc. correct and leave it alone. I wouldn't worry about parasites just yet, seeing as it's pretty new, and if it's not eating worming it may kill it. Try to let it settle and start eating before doing anything rash.

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Originally Posted by qiksilver

Sure he could have said it better but he brings up a solid point. If you really found it offensive the best thing to do would be to ignore it. Most people keep savannahs all wrong which is why MOST don't survive. Especially since most are impulse buys and people don't care to read up. True story.

To the OP, better description of setup please, and stop feeding foods that aren't made for your monitor, it's not a dog, and cooked egg is nowhere near a decent food source. Have you let it settle? Stop putting it in the bathtub, and stop taking it out and just leave it be. Make sure you have your temps, etc. correct and leave it alone. I wouldn't worry about parasites just yet, seeing as it's pretty new, and if it's not eating worming it may kill it. Try to let it settle and start eating before doing anything rash.

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Wouldn't that be why you would check for worms at the vets office before actually worming it? If it is an import, then it probably does have worms.

Making assumptions, and especially stating them in a rude manner is not showing anything good about one's character. ;)

thanks for all the advice and help everyone

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Originally Posted by qiksilver

. Most people keep savannahs all wrong which is why MOST don't survive. Especially since most are impulse buys and people don't care to read up. True story.

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I guess I sorta don't understand, is that your true story? or were you making a generalized statement.

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Originally Posted by Chuck

I guess I sorta don't understand, is that your true story? or were you making a generalized statement.

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huh? what is there to understand? I was making a statement, I have never personally kept a sav, or any of the albigs, seeing as they are large scavengers that I can't provide the space for. More people should realize their space requirements before purchasing them.

Most people who get savs either have them die off or they don't grow the way they should. Most people who buy them shouldn't. It's a personal observation/opinion from being on several forums for a while and reading about people's animals dying, or noticing that these people kinda disappear or stop talking about their savannah, and when asked, either change the subject or get defensive.


And the post in question was not THAT rude. Sure that poster made assumptions, but most monitor setup pics that i have seen aside from on varanus.nl have been completely inadequate. So it was a semi informed assumption based on previous experience from other people's posts. It could have been stated better, i agree, but it wasn't as offensive as you all are making it seem.

Additionally, some of you should check out Biawak, it's a good resource written by many knowledgable people.

Oh ok so it was a generalization not a true story. So you guys don't think that the fact that 95% of a Savannas are imported, and imports tend to not do so well in captivity has much to do with it?. When Ball Pythons were mostly imports a majority of them didn't make it either. So while I agree with you that a lot of people don't keep monitors the way they should, which goes for more than just Savannas I think the fact they they are mostly all imports has a role in that also. Also I think running a fecal and if needed treating any import through a Vet is the smart thing to do eating or not. In the end the result will be the same if you don't get the animal eating, and if parasites are a factor in that problem its worth knowing that. I guess I wouldn't give advice that should really be up to a Vet to decide, but that is me.

I think you're missing my point, but I do agree with all of yours, so I'm not sure what the problem is. Monitors are a poor beginner reptile, imported or not, and savannahs are a popular beginner species, which to me makes no sense, given among other things their large size.

I never said anything about imports, that wasn't part of the scope of discussion. You can take it in that direction if you so wish though, but that's not really the point of this thread, but you may start a new one if you wish.

No I get your point, You were just making it sound like peoples savannas go down the toilet because they can't care for them properly and shouldn't own them in the first place. I was merely pointing out that there are other factors which may contribute to a Savannas death which is totally relevant to the conversation. So I don't see a need to start a new thread over it.

Chuck

I have had numerous savanna monitors over the years, mostly rescues from kids that didnt know what they were doing.

but either way, make sure there setup in something right, at a ft long or more, they need at least a 70 gal tank. solid top with a screen on one end to regulate the air temps inside. humidity should be at a consistant 55-65% humidity and at least a ft of substrate. i use 70% top soil from home depot. (the cheapest one, because its the closest to outside dirt, nothing added.) and 30% mulch to repel the little bugs that begin to start. when i would get a rescue, they would usually never eat to begin with, so i would raise humidity to about 75% for a week or 2. keep there hot spot at a steady 120* and the ambiant air temps around 80-95* depending on the hot or cold side. dropped night time to about 60-70* and humidity to 65%. they seemed to start eating after a couple days no problem. poop always started out watery and hardened up as the days went on. also started moving around really active. if they didnt make any changes within 2-3 days i would have them vet checked right away. these animals are very hardy and can usually care for themselves within a few days of things going right. remember to always offer them food, dont hold them for at least 2 weeks, just let them be and settle before any interaction. it can cause them to go back into a non eating pattern.

after they are active within the first few days, i let them be for a week and a half or so, and then i take them to the vet to get checked for anything. i found this to be better for them because the stress level isnt as bad. all the vetts i have seen have said im doing a great job and i have never lost a single guy. hope this helps out a little.

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

Your off to a GREAT start.

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I check this forum twice a year, so no worries.

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Originally Posted by qiksilver

most monitor setup pics that i have seen aside from on varanus.nl have been completely inadequate. So it was a semi informed assumption based on previous experience from other people's posts.

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These posts are repetitive and are always the same scenario. 98% of the people buying Savannahs are first time monitor owners or are impulse purchases. They are almost always kept in inadequate conditions. Either they wind up obese and dehydrated from little to no humidity, an all-rodent diet, and subpar enclosure size, or the keeper puts them on craigslist when they actually develop the skills needed to keep another monitor. The life expectancy of a Savannah monitor in captivity, these days, is less than a year.

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Originally Posted by Chuck

No I get your point, You were just making it sound like peoples savannas go down the toilet because they can't care for them properly and shouldn't own them in the first place. I was merely pointing out that there are other factors which may contribute to a Savannas death which is totally relevant to the conversation.

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100% of Savannah monitors are wild caught, I've only heard of five people tops trying to breed them in my lifetime. It's not economically sound to go through the steps necessary to breed a monitor that's available WC for $9.

The advice in this thread to have a fecal float done is spot on as, being WC, it most likely has parasites, but the majority of Savannahs die from husbandry related issues. You can worm til the cows come home and the typical conditions I described in my original comment will kill the monitor anyhow, and will overwhelmingly be the cause of things like not eating.

To the OP, your monitor should be on a 50/50 topsoil/sand mixture, you should have roughly 1-2 feet of substrate if possible. Until you build a suitable enclosure, your screen top should be covered as much as possible except obviously where the basking bulbs are. You should have several lower wattage basking bulbs (40W outdoor flood) that are closer to the basking spot, rather than a single higher wattage pop culture reptile bulb. This will keep humidity in the tank, and not dry out the tank and the monitor.

If your current fish aquarium will not lend itself to these terms, get a bigger one on craigslist until you finish building your suitable enclosure.

Humidity is going to be essential, especially since your monitor is most likely dehydrated. Bathing the monitor does nothing, as they do not absorb any water through the skin or eyes. They gain and lose water through their mouths, losing most of it when breathing in a dry aquarium.

Although rodents should be given sparingly, when your parasite and husbandry problems are corrected and your monitor is eating, you can aid in rehydration by injecting a bit of water into the feeder rodent.

Start building your next enclosure now. Lurk on other forums, ideas for proper monitor enclosures can be found in threads like these:
http://repticzone.com/forums/Monitor...s/1272637.html

they make good points you definitely want to have a vet check it, sometimes they need a few days after being brought into a new environment(try leaving it alone for a few days), make sure it's getting lots of heat before feeding time. sometimes to stimulate my monitor i put egg yolk on the mouse's nose and pet the montior's back and that usually results in his tongue flicking out and he tastes the yolk and i give it a giggle and he wants to eat it. i wish you the best of luck!