what to feed?

[cyrus888]

i bought a new water monitor. he/she is about 10-12 inches long. really skinny tho but luckily very active and seems healthy aside from being really skinny. my question is, what should i feed it while its about this size. i left a few crickets in the tank but im not too sure if he had any yet since he's hiding most of the time.

[Bartman]

I feed my savannah every insect available, that he'll eat, from the pet shop. Try crix, silks, and if hes small enough he might take the smaller worms like butters and wax. A bunch of crix at all times in the tank is always good and im pretty sure they can also be fed a rodent diet.

This is only from guessing that sav and water monitor diet are similar in kind, just i dont know about quantity sorry.

[matmq]

When I first got mine it was very skinny also, so as well as dropping crickets ad small locsts in i would also rip some crickets legs off and place them on a plate in his tank with some finely chopped rat and chick or pinkies/rat pups e.t.c and then count how many pieces he had eaten in the morning i would offer a small plate of food in the morning and a larger one in the evening as he tends to eat more in the night mine is now gaining weight very well and is growing around an inch a week. cheers mat mchugh

[cyrus888]

thanx for the help every one. i left 2 pinkies this afternoon. still there when i got back from work. hopefully he'll eat it tonight. is it normal for them to kinda gasp big breath of air thru its mouth from time to time?

[crocdoc]

Gasping air in through its mouth? That's not normal. It may have respiratory problems such as a cold or infection. Has it got fluid leaking or bubbling out of its nostrils? How warm are you keeping it and how hot is its basking spot?

[cyrus888]

yes there is liquid coming out of his nostrils. he had that since sunday(same day i got him) i have the basking spot at around 117F and the surrounding area at around 85F. i just checked his nostrils today, there seems to be no liquid comming out anymore but he still take deep breaths once in a while tho...

[crocdoc]

keep an eye on it and if it still doing that in a few days you may need to take it to a vet.

[cyrus888]

i think my water is getting worse... there is liquid stuff coming out of its mouth and it seems like it has its eyes shut most of the time getting really weak. im gonna bring him to the vet tomorrow hope they know what to do since we dont really have that much herpers here in richmond BC...

[ReptiliansDOTca]

Definitely sounds like a RI. Fortunately if caught quickly enough, it can be treated quite easily and inexpensively. You might want to get a fecal done, as there is a good chance he is carrying parasites. Keep the temperatures up high.

Often times, a respiratory tract infection results in a lack of appetite, so with this and the symptoms being displayed, I would say there is a good chance this is what you are dealing with. RI is the result of poor husbandry, and specifically an environment which is too cold and / or wet for the animal. Now, normally I would suggest you reviewing your husbandry, however you just got the monitor so chances are this occured prior to being in your care. Again, I will suggest a few things. If at all possible, increase the gradient night temperatures. You can do this through the use of a heat pad, night basking lamp, or other items of the sort. Ensure he is kept in a draft-free environment, however with stable ventilation. Raise the basking spot to 120°F.

You will need to see a vet as soon as possible, to ensure the situation does not get worse. He will likely prescribe something like Baytril...

[reptiguy123]

And keep putting in crickets, just in case he does decide to eat.