Savannah Monitor Gout page

[infernalis]

Please have a look, If I have missed anything, or have made any statements you feel are wrong, please feel free to be as critical as you must.

This page is very important, the lives of many captive Savannah monitors depend on it. I appreciate any criticisms or kudos offered.

Savannah Monitor Health! (http://www.savannahmonitor.net/gout/)

Cheers all!

[alessia55]

I read the page. I have a few suggestions but it'll have to wait until I'm home at the computer. ;) in the meantime, it looks great.

[StudentoReptile]

A few very minor grammatical errors here and there, but looks good to me. I'm not knowledgeable enough on the subject(s) to comment any further, but I know you are pretty thorough, Wayne, not to mention this matter is close to you, so I trust the information is pretty sound. It has my stamp of approval.

[infernalis]

A nice member on RFUK pointed out that I did not mention how deep the soil should be, I have since corrected that.

Confident there is spelling and grammar issues too.

[infernalis]

Totally convinced by Infernalis website that I need to change my Bosc's substrate asap I've been looking at top soil.

That made my whole day.

[MoreliAddict]

That made my whole day.
Another Sav saved.

Well done. http://www.kanyetothe.com/forum/Smileys/default/golfclap.gif

[infernalis]

and that was within an hour of publishing the page!

[MoreliAddict]

Of this huge number only a small handful have survived past their first birthday, and an even smaller amount have lived beyond 5 years, this page will address why so many animals suffer and die in the hands of reptile enthusiasts worldwide, Please read carefully because failure to provide these very basic requirements always results in a slow, excruciating death of these beautiful, intelligent animals.
^ The comma I bolded, should that be a period?

[infernalis]

Yes.. seems like it should.

making other corrections as well.

Thank you.

[MoreliAddict]

No problem.

[DiscoPat]

Good page. It is short and too the point. It isn't a huge intimidating wall of text. I have been wondering about gout and the symptoms/causes I knew it was caused by low humidity but I wasn't sure why.
Are there anymore symptoms or signs? I saw you had one picture with the signs pointed out. If there are more those are going to be helpful for even the people who won't read anything.

[infernalis]

Good page. It is short and too the point. It isn't a huge intimidating wall of text. I have been wondering about gout and the symptoms/causes I knew it was caused by low humidity but I wasn't sure why.
Are there anymore symptoms or signs? I saw you had one picture with the signs pointed out. If there are more those are going to be helpful for even the people who won't read anything.

I have been thinking about surfing youtube for sick monitor videos.

I do have a slew of chomper at the vet pics...

[DragonsEye]

Looks good, Wayne! Can't advise on the content as -- like SoR -- I am not knowledgeable about the subject. However, there are some minor grammatical corrections and additions that you may wish to make. Suggested changes are in bold red as follows:


Of this huge number only a small handful have survived past their first birthday, and an even smaller amount have lived beyond 5 years. This page will address why so many animals suffer and die in the hands of reptile enthusiasts worldwide.

.... This process in turn stresses the kidneys and liver eventually causing them to fail altogether, then the uric acid levels in the blood begin to rapidly escalate leading to gout. {Note: if you wish to emphasize "gout" either italics or underlining would work. You might even create a hyperlink to that word's definition.}

... This is why the air in mines and deep basements is so heavy, suspended water molecules in the air add weight to it. {Many would, I know, consider this nitpicky and if you choose to ignore it as such that is fine but this statement would be more accurately written: This is why the air in mines and deep basements feels so thick or "heavy", suspended water molecules in the air increase its density. Chalk this up to the science background in me.}

... Soil depth should be 24 inches (61cm) deep {For those readers accustomed to the metric system the inclusion of the metric equivalent in addition to the English measure could be helpful. Also if you could estimate the cubic feet/meters this may be more useful for some than a "pickup truck load" if they are folks without access to a pickup. ;) }

[infernalis]

Thank you so much.

as for wording choices, a very important (to me) biologist once told me "write as if you are talking to children"

I have since replaced "respiration" with breathing, and "Squamates" with Monitors, since the page is targeted at monitor owners.

K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple stupid.

[Pirarucu]

Looking very good!

[infernalis]

I just received an email from a person, I will not print it here as privacy is assumed in emails, but another Savannah Monitor has fallen to this today.

His story was moving, and was pretty much a recount of what happened to Chomper, but this lizard only lasted 3 years before passing.

[Gatorhunter1231]

sweet and to the point. I'm sure you will add to it with time Wayne. I would suggest putting at least 24in of soil. My crocodile monitor dug 30" deep on several occasions and only stop because she hit the floor. My ackies have hit 18in on a few occasions (bottom of cage). I would think an adult sav would need at least 24in.

[SerpentLust]

Wayne if you would like any photos of my Savannah Monitor I would be happy to take them for you as part of a "husbandry errors" chunk.

His original owner kept him in an extraordinarily tiny tank and by the time he found his way to a reptile rescue, his enclosure looked as if it had never been cleaned, there was no heat supplied to him, his feet were infected and even after antibiotics, some toe nails were lost and he had to get some toes amputated. He lived in a reptile rescue for three years in better but not perfect conditions and now lives with me, who is being ridiculously anal about his care and feeding requirements.

Your page is great. Unfortunately I am not an expert on these guys (yet) so I don't have anything else to add or input.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s720x720/538529_482301551785288_1127054755_n.jpg

[alessia55]

The importance of Proper Caging
The following information is very important to ensure a long and healthy life for your Savannah Monitor lizard. Over half a million savannah monitors have been exported from Africa over the years and sold into the pet trade. Of this huge number only a small handful have survived past their first birthday, and an even smaller amount have lived beyond 5 years. This page will address why so many Savannah Monitors suffer and die in the hands of reptile enthusiasts worldwide. Please read carefully because failure to provide these very basic requirements always results in a slow, excruciating death of these beautiful, intelligent animals.

Long term, low level dehydration & Gout
Since reptiles do not have pores, they do not sweat. Since they pass urates as a solid, white, chalky clump. They do not urinate in a liquid form. So how exactly does this slow dehydration take place? By breathing dry air, that's how.

To put it in perspective, when we breath outside in the winter, we draw in dry winter air, and when we exhale, you can see your breath. This is because our lungs transfer water molecules to the dry air and we exhale moist air. This moist air becomes condensation, hence the "cloud" we see when we breath. This same exact principal applies to Monitors (̶s̶n̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶l̶i̶z̶a̶r̶d̶s̶)̶. When you take an animal that has evolved over millions of years to breath damp, tropical air, and place it in a box that has low humidity, each and every breath the animal takes will release precious moisture into the air.

Since reptiles breath very slowly and each of those slow breaths only release minuscule amounts of body water, the process can take many months, and sometimes years, to bring the internal dehydration to critical levels. This process in turn stresses the kidneys and liver eventually causing them to fail altogether. Then the uric acid levels in the blood begin to rapidly escalate leading to Gout. [Here give a short definition of gout.]By the time the symptoms of gout manifest and become visible, it's entirely too late to reverse it.

This is where burrows come into play as a method of water conservation. If you have ever been in a dank basement you can feel the humidity in the air, it's thick. This is why the air in mines and deep basements is so heavy, suspended water molecules in the air add weight to it.

During the hottest parts of the day, droughts, and dry seasons, Monitor lizards will retreat to the burrows and not come back out until the conditions are more favorable. When we keep them in enclosures that do not have correct humidity levels and also do not provide enough soil substrate for the animal to dig a burrow and retreat, they begin drying out slowly through breathing. Here describe the DEPTH of the substrate needed.

Misting a poorly set up cage will not prevent this; soaking the lizard in a bath tub will not prevent this, big water bowls do not prevent this. Only correct humidity and offering the opportunity to burrow will prevent this. Proper caging is paramount to your lizard's heath; This cannot be stressed enough.

One of the first symptoms of dehydration will be a loss of appetite. Force feeding a moderately or a severely dehydrated animal may result in shock and death. The digestive tract requires fluids to process foods. If there aren't enough fluids in the digestive tract, the food will try to take fluids from other critical systems. When dehydrated, the accompanying loss of appetite may be one way the body tries to protect itself.

In conclusion, this is why keeping any monitor in conditions that do not support it's basic physiology needs will ultimately lead to failure.

The best enclosure substrate to use
The very best substrate to ensure a long and healthy life is a mixture of chemical free top soil and washed play sand at a ratio of 60% dirt 40% sand mixed together. It should be able to form a ball and be easy to dig, promoting burrowing. Soil depth should be 24 inches deep [include this in centimeters too, this will be roughly equal to a pickup truck load! It will be very heavy, please make sure your floor can support the weight.

Here link to the page that describes how to build a proper enclosure, dimensions of an adult monitor's enclosure, etc.

A common misunderstanding with new owners is that Savannah Monitors live in the desert. Look behind Mr. Bature Ali and you will see that this photo is NOT taken in a desert. The Savannahs is actually a humid, grassland area.

[infernalis]

I cannot say that the Savannahs are a "humid" grassland area, for I would only be describing 1/3 of the year.

The weather patterns are such that 1/3 of the year is rainy, 1/3 of the year is drought, and 1/3 of the year is the transition from about 100% humidity to almost no humidity. and that is just a over simplification of things I have read from credible sources.

During the rainy season, there is almost no sunlight, so the temperatures drop significantly, basking is not an option.

During the drought season, the animals retreat into burrows and remain there until conditions improve.

Mating and egg production are timed so that the eggs hatch during the part of the season when food is most plentiful, the babies are in a race against time to gain as much weight and size as possible before the drought comes.

That all will be a whole other page.

I have to be careful to get only the most basic information up front first, and the more detailed stuff on other pages with hyperlinks, so that the majority will read what they NEED, and as they become more interested and fascinated (as I have) they can then read deeper into it.

[alessia55]

My bad. I know nothing. Just meant to offer suggestions in grammar. You don't have to take any of my suggestions.

[infernalis]

My bad. I know nothing. Just meant to offer suggestions in grammar. You don't have to take any of my suggestions.

don't say that.. your input is brilliant, your grammar A+ and guess what, you just learned something new.

win win all the way!!

[Pirarucu]

Why not say tropical grassland? Humid grassland is not entirely true, but tropical is. Then you also plant the connotation in their mind which is that tropical=humid, and it opens their minds to the reality of Savs needing humidity, before you go into lots of detail.

[rmfsnakes32]

Very informative I learned more about monitors in that article than I knew going into it. Maybe someday down the road when I own my own home and can have a proper set up I would love to have one of these guys! WELL DONE!!!!

[infernalis]

Mark the calander people!!!

Excellent explination.

[varanus_mad]

Why not say tropical grassland? Humid grassland is not entirely true, but tropical is. Then you also plant the connotation in their mind which is that tropical=humid, and it opens their minds to the reality of Savs needing humidity, before you go into lots of detail.

Visit africa then visit sri lanka...

thats why not tropical.

[Pirarucu]

Tropical essentially means between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, so it's accurate. However the everyday use seems to have shifted to meaning hot and humid...

[infernalis]

Here we go folks, The truth about savannas...

Tropical Savannas (https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/?page_id=105)

Savanna Biomes (http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna.htm)

https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/biomes-savanna-banner-w-title.png

[infernalis]

0E940bhYm6U

[varanus_mad]

Tropical essentially means between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, so it's accurate. However the everyday use seems to have shifted to meaning hot and humid...



Exactly mate.

Thats the problem with everyday speak...

for example if you were to visit africa...

they call Nile monitors water monitors...

an white throats/boscs rock monitors....

So yeah... stick with the most common meaning for a word.

[Pirarucu]

Exactly mate.

Thats the problem with everyday speak...

for example if you were to visit africa...

they call Nile monitors water monitors...

an white throats/boscs rock monitors....

So yeah... stick with the most common meaning for a word.Fair enough.

[Pirarucu]

Just spotted a problem with the site. When you are on the home page, opening the directory can take you to any page on the site. But if you open the directory from another part of the site, some of the pages don't pop up on the list. For example, if you are on the "No mice?" page, you cannot go to the "Contact Us" page or the "Dehydration & Gout" pages without first going back to the home page.

[infernalis]

Just spotted a problem with the site. When you are on the home page, opening the directory can take you to any page on the site. But if you open the directory from another part of the site, some of the pages don't pop up on the list. For example, if you are on the "No mice?" page, you cannot go to the "Contact Us" page or the "Dehydration & Gout" pages without first going back to the home page.

Thank you!

I will have to paste the new updated menu script into all the pages.

I know exactly how that happened, I am constantly updating the home page, but lax in updating the menu scripts on all the other pages.

and of course as the site grows, there will be more pages, and more menu scripts.

Thankfully a simple cut and paste will fix it.

I also have to re-do the gout page for varanid.us, since the whole thing applies to all varanids, I have had people ask me what the hell savannah monitor gout has to do with their sick Nile.

I just read a new report paper from Robert W. Mendyk that indicates that of the 108 varanid mortalities recorded at the Bronx zoo, 10.8% were from Gout.

Now to incorporate that little blurb into the web page.

[infernalis]

Captive Monitor Health! (http://www.varanid.us/gout/)

[AjaMichelle]

Excellent Wayne! :)

[infernalis]

Thank you. and don't be afraid to drop that link the next time someone resists setting up a proper enclosure.

[AjaMichelle]

I won't hesitate to! Hopefully folks who resist will be a little less crappy about it too. Usually people take it out on me when I point out errors in their husbandry. :) now we have a link to the consequences! :)