Black Throat's Swimming

[Colonel_SB]

Ok this is just a Q for anyone who ownes V.albigularis, do your BT's hate the water?

I soak mine for 10 to 20 mins a week in shoulder deep water and he seem to hate it.... Yet I have herd that they like to soak and its good for them, go figure maybe Hercules is just a freek. The thing is he really needs it. When I got him he had 2 layers of shed on him from being kept to dry.

[kap10cavy]

My albig Fluffy has a large tub that he/she will take a dip in on occasion. Fluffy will climb in and submerge its whole body, head included. This ussually happens right after a water change and he/she is dirty from digging. I am starting to think it either just likes to see me work or it is using the water to get the dirt from its face. Fluffy hates the tub.

Scott

[SHvar]

They can enjoy soaking on their own terms in shallow water. Albig are semi-arid to arid grassland woodland monitors so that explains part of it, they conserve moisture by going underground, jamming themselves under rocks, etc. Usually they only soak if the temps are very high and they need to cool down. They can learn to enjoy it on occaision, it takes time and patience. They crap in water many times almost right away to get out of the water. If you believe your monitor needs to soak or it soaks alot then you have serious husbandry issues that need addressed.

[Colonel_SB]

Well like I said I've only had him for a month now and he was pretty rough when I got him, so I tend to soak him to help remove excess skin from previous sheds. Also on the pro exotics site they recomend soaking them once a week......


http://www.proexotics.com/care_ionides.html here is the above mentioned article.

[Jeff_Favelle]

If your husbandry is correct, a month should have been sufficient time to undo what the previous owners had done wrong. Your monitor is trying to yell you something when you put in in standing water. It hates it? Why? It ain't hard wired to appreciate or understand what standing water is. Just like SHvar said.

[Tim and Julie B]

Mine loves to curl up in the water dish! I have no idea how but she manages to fit in it with just her head and half her tail hanging out.

[SHvar]

My large female albig only lays partially in her water dish during one time of the year, the very hottest part of summer, I dont have AC either, the rest of the year she goes underground to thermoregulate and conserve moisture. If it is done during uncontrolablely hot times or on rare occaisions then its normal, but if done on a regular basi Id look at the environment and make the needed changes. Im in the process of building a much larger cage for Sobek now, currently Ive spent over $600 in plywood and FRP as well liquid nails, and GE silicone 2, not including the paint or what the lights etc will cost, seems to me that I dont see or here of too many people who go to that extent to set their large monitor species up the correct way, her current cage was over $300 in materials alone. Shes now 6ft 3 inches (new world record for a female albig), so cages for that big and powerful of a monitor have to be made strong, shes digs through melamine.