skinny

[reptilez]

My friends Savannah monitor is getting really skinny, really quick. Its about a foot or so long and is in a 4x2x2. He says he feeds it an adult mouse once a week, Beef Kidneys every three days and he throws crickets in every days; maybe 6 or so.
He told me that he will eat it all no propblem but then maybe 10-15 mins later he will through it back up.
He booked an appointment for the vet.
I told him he may have internal parasites, but that was just a guess. what do u guys think?
-Reptilez

[Wuntu Menny]

Sounds like a possible impaction. What kind of substrate does he use?

[reptilez]

Aww, why didnt i think of that before!?!?!?!.
Good thing i told him to change it soil, so it could dig.
He had him on sand.
-Reptilez
P.S. But hes still going to the washroom regularly??

[Wuntu Menny]

Now don't you go starting the sand debate on this forum too!!

Seriously, I was expecting maybe shavings or mulch. If he's chuckin' his meals after 15 mins, he shouldn't be very regular at this point. Now I'm stumped. Is the cage warm enough?

WM

[Steeve B]

may also be dehydrated, monitor loose weight fast when dehydrated also adult mice are too big for a foot SAV, regurgitation is very possible when both are combined.

[reptilez]

Id say that the temp is around 120-130 under the heat lamp.
I told him to give it a "bath" tommorow morning when he wakes up.
what size mouse would you recommend to a savannah monitor that was about a foot; i think it may be a bit bigger, maybe between 12"-15".
Thanx,
-Reptilez

[Steeve B]

When monitors start to show sins of dehydration, hip bones and tail emancipation, usually the first step is bating and rectification of husbandry problems, like open tops! This lets all humidity escape. It’s easy to see when it’s too dry, the substrata is dusty when it shod hold some moisture, especially for young monitors. The next step to recovery is to feed them smaller size preys, this will help him digest and will prevent him from wasting energy digesting, as digestion of bigger prey really taxes there system.
Remember if you put a solid top adjust the basking light to lower wattage.
All my quarantine and sick varanids are not provided with basking; instead they are given a humid and steady 85-90f until full recovery.
This can only help if you apply it
Rgds

[reptilez]

ok then,
so should i tell him to change the subsrate to maybe some type of soil?
And also, How to monitors get calcium?
And How does lowering the watage help him out?
thanks,
-Reptilez

[Steeve B]

Yes change the substrate to dirt ASAP, for this specie find a grassland habitat and shovel.

Varanids absorbs Calcium the same way we do! Its not from UVA-UVB or any other special lighting, and its not from basking as suggested by others, first when given Calcium rich foods its their metabolism rates that dictate how well they absorb Calcium, metabolism in varanids is directly related to humidity and temperatures.

All it takes to get a monitor in the condition your describing is a few days without drinking water in a dry environment, 1000 of varanids die this way every year.

As for lowering the wattage!
This is only to adjust so you don’t end up with an oven if you put a lid on the top.

In closing I will say Shockingly Varanids who’d do much better in a steady environment without basking, then the way most peoples keep them with open tops and too hot basking.
In nature thermoregulation means seeking out optimum temperatures and humidity, they get most of there humidity requirements in borrows but often this means cooler temps therefore they must equilibrate by basking, they bask at higher temps to warm faster giving them more time to forage. Most varanids do best at 84-92f this is when most species reproduce, in there native land these parameters are achieved only part of the year, some Indo species have this environment year round therefore don’t borrow and reproduce most of the year other are dependent of rains.

Rgds

[reptilez]

The sav died this morning.....I knew it didnt look good, and it was most likly wild caught, i geuss we just caught it too late.
RIP....Little Savy:(
-Reptilez