Getting a poorly Nile monitor

[Kirsty-k]

Hi everyone, new to forum.

Last week we noticed a Nile monitor up for sale on a local Facebook group and we have decided to take him on. He is very thin and looks very poorly from the photos and his current owner has said he doesn't eat.
He currently lives in a fish tank and a heat bulb with no substrates only paper but we have a vivarium ready here for him to go in. Having read up on their care over the last few day we realise our viv is not ideal for him either but will be a lot better than his current situation.

We have joined here to get tips from experienced owners and as a place to show his progress

[dannybgoode]

What do you know about Nile"s? What experience do you have of keeping lizards?

If you're an experienced keeper with a viv or room at least 10'*6'*4' and are happy that you can handle a lizard that will top 6' even 7' and weigh 10 stone plus and possibly be grumpy and that has the claws of an Eagle then go for it.

If you know your current viv is no good then again I wouldn't get it. Whilst I understand your desire to give it a home better than what it has now one of the things that makes a Nile aggressively defensive is a home that is too small as they feel cornered and in the long run you will not be helping it much.

If not then really please pass on the opportunity. They are massive lizards who need a huge amount of space, will need $$$ of food, heat and lighting. They can have a temper on them and can do serious ham if they are so inclined.

As I say, you haven't said what your experience is so no patronising is intended in the above.

[murrindindi]

What do you know about Nile"s? What experience do you have of keeping lizards?

If you're an experienced keeper with a viv or room at least 10'*6'*4' and are happy that you can handle a lizard that will top 6' even 7' and weigh 10 stone plus and possibly be grumpy and that has the claws of an Eagle then go for it.

If you know your current viv is no good then again I wouldn't get it. Whilst I understand your desire to give it a home better than what it has now one of the things that makes a Nile aggressively defensive is a home that is too small as they feel cornered and in the long run you will not be helping it much.

If not then really please pass on the opportunity. They are massive lizards who need a huge amount of space, will need $$$ of food, heat and lighting. They can have a temper on them and can do serious ham if they are so inclined.

As I say, you haven't said what your experience is so no patronising is intended in the above.

Hi, I agree with almost all you`ve said except the statement that they can weight 140lbs, where are you getting your info? Even at 2 meters a healthy adult would weigh around 40lbs...

[murrindindi]

Hi everyone, new to forum.

Last week we noticed a Nile monitor up for sale on a local Facebook group and we have decided to take him on. He is very thin and looks very poorly from the photos and his current owner has said he doesn't eat.
He currently lives in a fish tank and a heat bulb with no substrates only paper but we have a vivarium ready here for him to go in. Having read up on their care over the last few day we realise our viv is not ideal for him either but will be a lot better than his current situation.

We have joined here to get tips from experienced owners and as a place to show his progress

Hi, how big is the monitor just now and what size enclosure do you have, plus do you have any experience with Varanids?

[dannybgoode]

Hi, I agree with almost all you`ve said except the statement that they can weight 140lbs, where are you getting your info? Even at 2 meters a healthy adult would weigh around 40lbs...

Speed typing, not thinking. Wrote at 5 am after being vomited on by a poorly toddler. I meant 10kg+-not stone. Thanks for correcting and good spot.

To the op, it's worth mentioning that people often don't bother with a viv for a nile and instead convert a spare room. Yes they get that big and yes they require that kind of space. Bear in mind for example they like a water area big enough to fit their whole body in - That's a huge amount of floor space just for that.

Further if you have small children or other pets (particularly free roaming ones such as cats and dogs) I really wouldn't consider getting the lizard.

They're a massive commitment and not something to jump into just because one is in a bad way. You really wouldn't be helping it out in the long run.

[Kirsty-k]

Thanks for the replies.

The only monitor experience I have is with a ackie, not really Nile territory I know. But I do have experience with iguanas as my dad has two who are both in their late teens now and we have had them since babies.

The Nile is between 1-2ft I can't tell by the photos and if I do get him, an adult enclosure wouldn't be a problem.

I spoke to his owner earlier and he said we could collect tomorrow if we wanted him.

[murrindindi]

Thanks for the replies.

The only monitor experience I have is with a ackie, not really Nile territory I know. But I do have experience with iguanas as my dad has two who are both in their late teens now and we have had them since babies.

The Nile is between 1-2ft I can't tell by the photos and if I do get him, an adult enclosure wouldn't be a problem.

I spoke to his owner earlier and he said we could collect tomorrow if we wanted him.

You haven`t said how big the enclosure is that you have just now, can you put a couple of photos up of it?

[dannybgoode]

Thanks for the replies.

The only monitor experience I have is with a ackie, not really Nile territory I know. But I do have experience with iguanas as my dad has two who are both in their late teens now and we have had them since babies.

The Nile is between 1-2ft I can't tell by the photos and if I do get him, an adult enclosure wouldn't be a problem.

I spoke to his owner earlier and he said we could collect tomorrow if we wanted him.

Can you house a fully grown nile i.e do you have a spare room to dedicate to it or a massive free space in an existing room for a viv of at least the size I mentioned in my first post?

If not don't get it.

Do you have a cat. Would you be upset if it was killed in a lizard related accident? If not don't get it.

Can you change what will essentially be a large bath's worth of dirty lizard water at least once a day? If not don't get it.

Do you mind sharing your house with a 7' lizard who may be aggressive toward you most of the time (ok it might not be but you just don't know at this stage and nile's can be grumpy). If not don't get it.

What will you do if it turns out to be the sort of lizard where you need two people on hand every time you feed it, muck it out, change its water etc? Will there always be two people around? If not don't get it.

In fact I'd just say don't get it. That is unless you're competely happy with all of the above and realise that it will be about as much work as a small child, cost about the same only you won't be able to go on holiday because unlike a child you can't take it with you and you'll struggle to find a babysitter for a week or two.

[sirtalis]

You know you'll need at least a 12+ foot cage when its an adult, I just got a peacock monitor, less than a week ago and its been more work in one day than the rest of my collection in a week, actually probably 2 weeks

[sirtalis]

Check out this guy, he's got some pretty healthy monitors.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7so_PG8-5aA

[dannybgoode]

Check out this guy, he's got some pretty healthy monitors.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7so_PG8-5aA

That gives you an idea of a) how big their enclosure needs to be (viv is just not an appropriate word for something that size) and b) how much they eat. That's a lot of money being eaten each feed.

Yes they are truly awesome creatures but more of a job than a hobby. They're not the sort of animal that you can be out of the house ask day working then just spend a bit of time with in the evening.

You'll have an electricity bill to rival a marajuana growers also.

Have a read here Correct Savannah Monitor Care (http://savannahmonitor.net). Ok it relates to savannah monitors (also known as bosc monitors here in the UK) but it gives you an idea of the amount of time and care big monitors need.

If anything the nile will be even more work just because the scale of everything is just that bit bigger.

Genuinely not trying to pass on your fire with all this negatively. It's great you want to rescue it but you've got to have thought really long and hard before going in to this. Time, money, space and the willingness to commit 20 years of your life to looking after this lizard.

A couple of final thoughts. Have you asked why the person is getting rid of it. I bet I can guess - it's way too much work for them, costs tons of money and their lizard is a grumpy, aggressive beast that they simply can't handle. To be honest, if you were happy to commit the resources to looking after it I wouldn't pay money for it, they're just trying to get a bit of cash back out.

Also you say it looks poorly. Are you setting yourself up for £££££ of vets bills, do you know how to nurse it back to health, has it been mistreated and is therefore extremely defensive?

Again, if I was going to commit to such a beast of be looking for a nice healthy specimen with provenance.

Rescuing a poorly nile when you have no experience of the large monitors is a massive risk...

[sirtalis]

That gives you an idea of a) how big their enclosure needs to be (viv is just not an appropriate word for something that size) and b) how much they eat. That's a lot of money being eaten each feed.

Yes they are truly awesome creatures but more of a job than a hobby. They're not the sort of animal that you can be out of the house ask day working then just spend a bit of time with in the evening.

You'll have an electricity bill to rival a marajuana growers also.

Have a read here Correct Savannah Monitor Care (http://savannahmonitor.net). Ok it relates to savannah monitors (also known as bosc monitors here in the UK) but it gives you an idea of the amount of time and care big monitors need.

If anything the nile will be even more work just because the scale of everything is just that bit bigger.

Genuinely not trying to pass on your fire with all this negatively. It's great you want to rescue it but you've got to have thought really long and hard before going in to this. Time, money, space and the willingness to commit 20 years of your life to looking after this lizard.

A couple of final thoughts. Have you asked why the person is getting rid of it. I bet I can guess - it's way too much work for them, costs tons of money and their lizard is a grumpy, aggressive beast that they simply can't handle. To be honest, if you were happy to commit the resources to looking after it I wouldn't pay money for it, they're just trying to get a bit of cash back out.

Also you say it looks poorly. Are you setting yourself up for £££££ of vets bills, do you know how to nurse it back to health, has it been mistreated and is therefore extremely defensive?

Again, if I was going to commit to such a beast of be looking for a nice healthy specimen with provenance.

Rescuing a poorly nile when you have no experience of the large monitors is a massive risk...

this. ^^^^ savannahmonitor.net is like the bible for proper varanid care even though it is for boscs, I think it would work for 90% of monitor species :)

[Kirsty-k]

Thanks for the link to that website,I will have a proper read of it when I have more time.

We collected the monitor today and the monitor is a lot worse that first thought and the person we got him off said he stopped moving all together on monday.

I will post a few of him. My dad is currently giving him some antibiotics. My dad is actually a vet, an agricultural vet but he is very knowledgeable of all animals so hopefully the monitor will get better.

[dannybgoode]

Thanks for the link to that website,I will have a proper read of it when I have more time.

We collected the monitor today and the monitor is a lot worse that first thought and the person we got him off said he stopped moving all together on monday.

I will post a few of him. My dad is currently giving him some antibiotics. My dad is actually a vet, an agricultural vet but he is very knowledgeable of all animals so hopefully the monitor will get better.

I hope you didn't pay money for him. You'll need all you can get by the sound of it...

[Kirsty-k]

No we didn't pay anything.

I can't seem to post the pics, I don't have full membership to the site yet

[prairiepanda]

You just need a total of 5 posts to put up photos. One more and you're good to go. Please share pictures of the monitor as well as the enclosure you have for it.

[Kirsty-k]

Thanks, I will post some pics of him after this post

[Kirsty-k]

I still can't post pics

[Kirsty-k]

Here a few pics of him when we got him home, he is very thin as you can see and completely lifeless. He only responds slightly to being touched.


http://i65.tinypic.com/149pgg.jpg

http://i65.tinypic.com/2ljj13b.jpg

[murrindindi]

Hi, can you show a few photos of the current enclosure and give details of the conditions?
If you can offer the monitor proper support I think there`s a chance it may pull through, but I wouldn`t bet on it (very, very sad)..

[Kirsty-k]

I will get some pics of the viv he is going in tomorrow. At the moment he is in a viv at my dads that is bare with no substrate and sterile. This is only because of his treatment he is receiving as he is being given fluids. If he does pull through once he can move by himself he will be going into a viv. If he looks like he will get better we may will try and get a 8ft viv with deep substrate for him ready but for the next few days he will probably need medical care.


I forgot to post this pic of him before, it shows how unresponsive he is

http://s9.postimg.org/xohf11kxb/image.jpg

[Klaire]

Oh that poor guy :( I'm so glad to hear you didn't pay money for him that previous owner deserves nothing! I hope you can nurse him back to good health and i hope you find the time to post updates along the way i would love to see that he gets better. and thank you for being a kind human being and taking time out of your life to help this lizard, god knows what would of happened if he went to someone who couldn't cater for his needs.

[sirtalis]

No offense but it looks dead :(

[sirtalis]

Hi, can you show a few photos of the current enclosure and give details of the conditions?
If you can offer the monitor proper support I think there`s a chance it may pull through, but I wouldn`t bet on it (very, very sad)..

That second photo though...

[Kirsty-k]

Just a quick update, he is responding very well and has gained a lot of strength already

http://i66.tinypic.com/1zgwa5g.jpg

http://i64.tinypic.com/2yy2xzd.jpg

[murrindindi]

Hi, that`s great to hear, they`re really tough animals so perhaps no serious damage has been done and he/she will start to flourish.
Good on you and your father for at least trying to help even though it initially seemed pretty hopeless.
Once the monitor starts eating what are you planning to offer it?

[reptiledude987]

The fact that its mobile now and flicking the tongue is a huge step in the right direction. I really hope he continues to improve for you.

[sirtalis]

Dang... He's looking way better :)

[chairman]

It is said that a reptile isn't dead until it is warm and dead. Best of luck with him.

[Klaire]

So awesome to see him improving :)

[psychocircus]

Please, do keep us updated.

What is the long-term plan with this animal?

[Kirsty-k]

Not been online in a while but here's just a small update.

The little Nile is doing really well not and eating and moving around by himself.
He has spent the last few days in a 6ft x 2ft viv that has a 1ft deep substrate and he seems to love it in there. It's only temporary while we finish off his bigger enclosure. I will do a proper update tomorrow when I have more time



He is now starting to get his Nile attitude too :)

http://i68.tinypic.com/qryi42.jpg

[dross9615]

Wow that is absolutely amazing to see you brought him back from what looked to be certain death and I'm very happy to see he is being well cared for. Great job and can't wait to see more of an update on this guy

[Big_V]

Hats off to you. That is one incredible turn around.

Those whip scars will be totally worth it !!

[Klaire]

Thats awesome news Kirsty thanks for the updates glad to see he is much much better! :)

[MM1]

Yes, please keep this thread going with updates. This was a great save and I would love to see how this animal grows and behaves.

[sirtalis]

Dang major turn around :) Kudos to you my friend!