savanna monitor help

[reptile171]

can someone help me please... i have a s. monitor thats about 8 inches long and hes in a 10 gallon for now, he will not grow and his color is dark and he does not move around alot...any advice?

[asphyxia]

1. What are the temps - hot spot, ambient, Day time, Night time
2. What is the on the floor, Dirt, Sand, Tile or what?
2b how deep is the substright (sp)
3. What else is in the Tank
4. What are you feeding it?
5. How often are you feeding it?


Answer the above questions first....Same for your Nile if you want me to give my opnion

Brian

[justinO]

what that guy said, plus, from what i've been told..... he won't move or be out if you are in the room for about 2 months!

make sure his temps are good, and give him LOTS of dusted food!

Jessy
:)

[SHvar]

A healthy monitor is very active, grows fast, and becomes tolerant of you. See a vet no one can diagnose your animal on the internet if its sick. Your husbandry needs to allow for it to be a monitor not a snake. A good temp gradient from 130+ to 70+ degrees f is needed, so you need a much bigger cage, feed when hungry after its in a the right environment (they eat alot), dont feed a small monitor once a week (like a snake). The 130+ degrees is a basking surface temp, not an air temp, the 70+ is an air temp. Use a usable substrate that holds a burrow, moisture, and allows privacy. Monitors are not afraid of you if they learn that you are not threat, rather quickly, and some get downright cocky in the way theya act to you or others.
Ventilation in the top of a 10 gallon aquarium, screen right?? If you have an old stove with the vent hole from the oven in the top it makes jerky really good because the moisture goes right out quickly, so does it with a screen top, use a piece of plexiglas to block most of the top with vent holes drilled in it, that will help prevent moisture loss if you use a much bigger aquarium. Monitors require alot of space.

[JeffT]

Have you been dusting his food? How long have you owned him?

[reptile171]

ive had him about a month, he wasnt in the best health when i got him either, hes in a 10g for now and he has a large water bowl, 1 dust his crikets every week, i put the heat lamp on last night and his color improved. Im out of heating elements for now(his heatlamp just went out)i have a heat rock burried in mulch so it wont harm him....+ i can handle the nile,lol.

[asphyxia]

good luck

[python_diva_06]

kid, i think your WAY over your head, but good luck just the same...
ps. ALWAYS have back up heating!

[reptile171]

yeah ive learned that baout the heating... dont worry i gor this all planned out man..... were soon going to have a bed room for the nile and an extra bath for the sav. dont worry man!