The blackthroat died.......

[Trey]

Well, this morning I woke up to a aweful sight. My blackthroat was dead. I took him to the vet to see if he could give me some insight on what happened and he examined him and said it was due to parasites. Now I have had some bad luck with them and WC animals thus the savannah I had to get rid of and a goliath birdeater spider I bought a yeah ago. Both had parasites. Now I thought I read that a parasite can't stand the basking spot temps needed for him. I know it wasn't my setup because he had multiple hide spots in the warm and cooler sides of the cage. He was kept on cypress mulch with water cleaned out daily if needed or not. Wasn't stressed because I haven't taken him out yet and he spent most of his time walking around and basking. Temps were set perfect and he was fed mice 2 days a week and crickets the rest of the time and was not obease. Man, I don't know what to do because they won't give me a cash refund, only store credit so I have to get something from them unless I want to throw away my money. Any suggestions?

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Sorry, I'm too pissy to say anything in a civilized way. Maybe tomarrow

[Evan Jamison]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, but I'm not too surprised that your monitor succumbed to a heavy parasite load. All WC should be treated when you get them, as pretty much all wild herps have internal parasites of one kind or another. They can survive with these parasites in the wild without too many problems if they are in good condition, but when they are exposed to high stress levels, their immune system just cannot keep up. The stress wasn't your fault, most of the damage happened before you got it. This animal was likely farm hatched (if it was a baby), sat in overcrowded conditions for a while at the "farm" (a breeding ground for parasites) before it was shoved in a crate, shipped across the world, likely sat in a distributor's warehouse for a bit before it was once again boxed up and shipped across the country to the pet store. Once there, it was likely housed with other monitors (maybe not) in that pet store until it went home with you. It had been through A LOT in the 2 or three weeks before you bought it, and all the while the little critters living inside of it were having a hay day. Given optimum conditions at your place (including a basking site with a high surface temp of about 130 degrees F) it may have survived after a long internal struggle, but with proper treatment for parasites, it probably would've thrived.

Sorry for the long rant, but if you get another monitor from this pet store, get it to a qualified vet, and get it treated NO MATTER WHAT! You will be happier, and your animal will thank you. Let us know how things go.

-Evan

[mr~python]

Trey, if you would ever like to get another monitor i would save up and get an ackie. they're by far the best monitor for someone new to monitors and they're all captive bred so you dont have to worry about parasites. before you get any animal make sure you read up on them thoroughly and ask plenty of questions on good monitor forums. you will have a much better experience with an ackie.

im sorry to hear about your loss.

[Trey]

Thanks for ya'lls concern. This really tore me up a good bit because I really thought ( well knew ) we were making great progress. I actually caught him trying to kiss my dog through his cage and he had finally gotten to the point that he would actually try to climb up my arm when I stuck it in there. Well at least he was in a comfortable enviroment when he passed and not in a shop somewhere. I think the saddest part is watching my dog look into his cage for him and looking at me like " daddy where is he". Now im in a prediciment because I have to use the store credit by thursday or I won't be able to use it and im almost certain they won't be able to get an ackie because it seems that all their stuff is WC. Well, I guess i'll have to take a few days and think about it but thanks again for all the concern. I only had him a few weeks but it seems like alot longer.

[fish21]

sorry to hear about this bud. next time i would go with a captive bred. might save some trouble.

[Razaiel]

I'm sorry to hear that - you really have 't been very lucky with monitors have you.

You traded the BT for the sav - savs don't cost very much to start with so it can't be a great deal of money we're talking here. Why don't you trade your voucher for some stuff you might want to use for something in the future instead of getting anything else live from this shop - they really don't sound very good. Then wait and get an ackie from a reputable breeder like Marshall suggests. I would be very nervous about getting anything else from them again.

[fish21]

I would be very nervous about getting anything else from them again.

exactly. obviousley they dont knwo there head from a**. this is why a lot of people have stoped buying reptiles from pet stores and started going to reputiable breeders. dont worry you are not the only one who had a bad run with monitors. the first babie sav i bought died the verry next day. i was crushed. i had done all the reading and prep work. and the little guy just croaked. then the sav i have now came from a breeder and is doing great. my water is a wild cought but he is doing great after about a month or two now. still a little standoffish. but i will wait to start handleing him until he starts to calm down. a lot of care sheets say its ok to wait to start handling after about 3-4 months this way you can be damn sure they are ready.

once again sorry for your loss. dont blame yourself. S$%T happens.

matt fisher

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Trey, I sent you a pm buddy!! Check it out

[Trey]

Thanks again. The pet store has an exotic pet vet and if I do decide to get another pet from them im going to demand a full exam on him before I take anything home. In the mean time im going to do some research on some different monitors and see what I can come up with.