monitor has gas?

[dinosaurdammit]

So the past few days pajaaamas has been getting bloated and every time he passes stool he has a huge go at a fart. Its loud its long and I know he feels better, whats causing him to get so bloated with gas?

his diet for the past few days:
weaner rats
craw fish
squid
quail chicks/eggs

which food would be causing the gas? The eggs? I have no clue but he looks miserable. Sometimes he gets so bloated he just looks like someone pumped him full of air and he just looks at me all sad like because hes too bloated at times to get in a burrow. Just has that longing look. After he goes to the bathroom he is totally back to normal. Is there something I can change him to to decrease the gas until i either figure it out or he quits having the problem? He refuses crickets, mealworms and night crawlers now- he goes through rejection phases where he wont eat something but then he will after some random amount of time.

can a lizard be allergic to a food kinda like people can be lactose intolerant? Its the closest relation I can make, its like he has eaten something that just doesnt set and bloats up like a hot air balloon, at this point I have NO clue which food causes it because he pretty much eats 2 or 3 different things at a time.

[lady_bug87]

I would stop giving him eggs and see if that makes a difference

[dinosaurdammit]

I would stop giving him eggs and see if that makes a difference

ok, i will cut those out for a while and see if he gets better. Ive never seen a reptile with gas like this so its a whole new ball game for me

[infernalis]

I would stick with the whole prey items and see what happens.

Gas is a sign of fermentation in the GI tract, not sure what to make of it.

[dinosaurdammit]

I would stick with the whole prey items and see what happens.

Gas is a sign of fermentation in the GI tract, not sure what to make of it.

everything is a whole prey item, eggs are fertile and have chicks inside. Craw fish and squid are also whole

[lady_bug87]

I just figure eggs give people gas....

[Pirarucu]

everything is a whole prey item, eggs are fertile and have chicks inside. Craw fish and squid are also wholeBut the eggs also have parts that aren't chick in them, unless they're full-term eggs.

[dinosaurdammit]

But the eggs also have parts that aren't chick in them, unless they're full-term eggs.

they are as close as you can get without hatching them, like one or two days. Though i plan to stop those and see if it helps

[varanus1]

I would remove all items but the rodents...

[murrindindi]

Hi, can you put a few photos up of the monitor, preferably in profile, as in walking along? I would NOT stop feeding all items except the rodents at this time, though if the animal is overweight you should cut down the ammount of all items fed. How much excercise does he/she get?

[varanus1]

What type of monitor are we talking about

[infernalis]

panoptes/gouldii hybrid.

[dinosaurdammit]

Hi, can you put a few photos up of the monitor, preferably in profile, as in walking along? I would NOT stop feeding all items except the rodents at this time, though if the animal is overweight you should cut down the ammount of all items fed. How much excercise does he/she get?

he gets plenty of exercise and i know its gas not fat because when he farts his stomach returns to normal. He digs constantly and moves about constantly and has one hour a day out of his set up. When he has his hour out I will try and get as good a pic as I can.

panoptes/gouldii hybrid.

Correct

[varanus1]

Well im not sure whats causing the bloating but i would remove the craw fish
and squid as thats not a diet they eat in nature

[infernalis]

Well im not sure whats causing the bloating but i would remove the craw fish
and squid as thats not a diet they eat in nature

No, it's not..

who's willing to feed Beardies, skinks and Ackies to their monitor?

I would drop the squid for sure, but I know a lot of people feeding crayfish to monitors with no problems whatsoever.

[murrindindi]

Sorry, I thought this was a Savannah monitor. Either way, it really doesn`t matter what they feed on in nature in the sense that just because they might not find a particular prey item in the wild they won`t or shouldn`t take it in captivity?
Crawfish are an excellent food to offer, the squid shouldn`t cause problems either, can you give an idea of the % of the items you`re currently feeding?
As far as the bloating, perhaps there`s a slight blockage somewhere, how long has it been this way? Photos might still help a little.

[varanus1]

No, it's not..

who's willing to feed Beardies, skinks and Ackies to their monitor?

I would drop the squid for sure, but I know a lot of people feeding crayfish to monitors with no problems whatsoever.


Im sure many feed many different items to monitors but currently many may never see those affects with feeding several other prey as its sad but true not many these days keep they pets long term as things change in their life or other its rare to see a keeper keeping most pets mainly monitors as they require the most work over a few years so we may never know whats the affect of other prey items. but with anything heat comes into play.long term we don't know how long to affect a monitor and how many will take a dead reptile to a vet to see what was the cause. Rodents has a proven track record to be best over all.

[murrindindi]

he gets plenty of exercise and i know its gas not fat because when he farts his stomach returns to normal. He digs constantly and moves about constantly and has one hour a day out of his set up. When he has his hour out I will try and get as good a pic as I can.



Correct


Hi, can you define "plenty of excercise" (as in how many hundreds/thousands of metres a day the animal travels)?

[infernalis]

Rodents has a proven track record to be best over all.

Agreed, I preach that every day.:D

"Keep them hot, and you can feed them nails" - care to guess who said that?

[murrindindi]

Rodents has a proven track record to be best over all.


Hi, I think rodents are an excellent food for many (most?) species, but not the only "best" for all.

[infernalis]

Hi, I think rodents are an excellent food for many (most?) species, but not the only "best" for all.

I'd like to see a V. kingorum eat a mouse. ;):D

[varanus1]

Agreed, I preach that every day.:D

"Keep them hot, and you can feed them nails" - care to guess who said that?

i think some of us know who

[concinnusman]

I use this on newborn CB snakes with their first meals and also to adults that are having bloating or vomiting problems. Also a good idea to use it following oral antibiotic therapy or deworming. It's not something you need to give them regularly though.

PetAG Bird Bene-Bac Bird & Reptile Probiotic Gel, 15g Syringe - Pet Supplies - Bird Supplies - Health Care (http://www.sears.com/petag-bird-bene-bac-bird-reptile-probiotic-gel-15g/p-SPM6102581304)

Might help your monitor with the bloating. If he's not foraging outside in the dirt for worms and whatnot he might just be a bit deficient on beneficial gut bacteria.

I know this is a controversial thing and a lot of people question the science behind it but I've had positive results using it. I have seen it cure chronic vomiting and bloating.

[varanus1]

Ive always fed rodents and insects to all my monitors for 15+ years of keeping and breeding. If rodents and insects work why change it and offer other prey is my thought.

[varanus1]

I use this on newborn CB snakes with their first meals and also to adults that are having bloating or vomiting problems. Also a good idea to use it following oral antibiotic therapy or deworming. It's not something you need to give them regularly though.

PetAG Bird Bene-Bac Bird & Reptile Probiotic Gel, 15g Syringe - Pet Supplies - Bird Supplies - Health Care (http://www.sears.com/petag-bird-bene-bac-bird-reptile-probiotic-gel-15g/p-SPM6102581304)

Might help your monitor with the bloating. If he's not foraging outside in the dirt for worms and whatnot he might just be a bit deficient on beneficial gut bacteria.


I would be more concerned to fix the problem than offering meds and un do stress.

[blindfireak40]

I would be more concerned to fix the problem than offering meds and un do stress.

That's a probiotic gel; Concinnus is suggesting that the monitor's intestinal flora is at a subpar level. IF that is the issue, then the gel would be fixing the problem rather than simply treating symptoms :)

[concinnusman]

It's not a medication. It's live bacteria. It's select species of microrganisms that live in the guts of birds and reptiles and are known to aid in digestion. There's really no risk. If it works, then fine. If it doesn't, it won't do any harm either.

[varanus1]

That's a probiotic gel; Concinnus is suggesting that the monitor's intestinal flora is at a subpar level. IF that is the issue, then the gel would be fixing the problem rather than simply treating symptoms :)

Why that can be true and be right i always have to question why is it at subpar levels if it is the case

[varanus1]

It's not a medication. It's live bacteria. It's select species of microrganisms that live in the guts of birds and reptiles and are known to aid in digestion. There's really no risk. If it works, then fine. If it doesn't, it won't do any harm either.


Ive never had to use any of the sorts on a monitor if their kept hot enough and supported they can digest nearly anything.

[infernalis]

This is all news to me, I have never had to supplement or medicate my Monitors.

With the exception of one, and that ended badly.

Prevention is THE best medicine.

[varanus1]

My other question would be when its removed from its enclosure for hour a day is it on empty and no meal inside it to digest when not at optimal temps to digest ?

[concinnusman]

i always have to question why is it at subpar levels if it is the case

It isn't subpar necessarily. It indeed can be something you're feeding him that's the problem. Human beings lack a digestive enzyme for fully breaking down a type of starch in beans. This results in a sugar making it all the way to the lower intestine where it gets consumed by bacteria there, which produces gas. Think of this stuff as "beano" for reptiles;)

[concinnusman]

My other question would be when its removed from its enclosure for hour a day is it on empty and no meal inside it to digest when not at optimal temps to digest ?

That's a good question. I know that if snakes have a meal in them and they are kept too cool the meal can ferment in their stomach and cause them to bloat which usually makes them throw up since snakes can't burp.

[dinosaurdammit]

My other question would be when its removed from its enclosure for hour a day is it on empty and no meal inside it to digest when not at optimal temps to digest ?

He is fed in his set up in the afternoon and isnt on the run with a fresh meal

[KORBIN5895]

That's a probiotic gel; Concinnus is suggesting that the monitor's intestinal flora is at a subpar level. IF that is the issue, then the gel would be fixing the problem rather than simply treating symptoms :)

That isn't the issue Sean. That is a symptom of something else being wrong. If you fix the problem the monitor should fix itself. If the monitor isn't fixing itself then there is an issue that needs corrected.

[varanus1]

He is fed in his set up in the afternoon and isnt on the run with a fresh meal

I would trial and error or many things, stop taking him out for a week or 2,take away a certain food type but not rodents for a week or 2 and go from their.

[dinosaurdammit]

I would trial and error or many things, stop taking him out for a week or 2,take away a certain food type but not rodents for a week or 2 and go from their.

would it be ok to try JUST rats for one week and see what happens? Alone with the above.

[varanus1]

you can do it anyway you like but unless you remove one item at a time you and others will not know for the future if this ever came up with someone else what caused it

[concinnusman]

That is a symptom of something else being wrong.

It's simply a symptom of poor digestion. What is causing it is anyone's guess but I would suspect it's something specific that he's eating. In any case the probiotic might help but so could simply eliminating the food item that is causing it. If he has this problem no matter what he eats then you need to figure out why.

[varanus1]

It can be a combo of what its eating and not being able to digest it properly temps wise. Removing from cage to walk around can also be the 2nd part so 2 things might be at play here to rule out.

Let us know the out come

[KORBIN5895]

It's simply a symptom of poor digestion. What is causing it is anyone's guess but I would suspect it's something specific that he's eating. In any case the probiotic might help but so could simply eliminating the food item that is causing it. If he has this problem no matter what he eats then you need to figure out why.

You could be right but I highly doubt it's" indigestion" . Reptiles in general can eat just about anything when kept in proper conditions. I myself am not involved with monitors but I have seen way too many knowledgeable people say that a properly supported monitor is capable of eating just about anything without adverse side effects. Look at what snakes can digest and their digestive system isn't as advanced as a monitor's.

Claiming this is "indigestion" is like saying a snake died because it ate some substrate and became impacted. Anyone that buys into substrate impaction as the problem in those types of death really need to give their head a shake and start thinking instead of blindly following the blind.;

Giving this one probiotics is like giving pain killers for a broken arm.

[dinosaurdammit]

It can be a combo of what its eating and not being able to digest it properly temps wise. Removing from cage to walk around can also be the 2nd part so 2 things might be at play here to rule out.

Let us know the out come

it just started almost over night, i noticed he looked a bit distended one day then fine then BOOM the next day he was bloated and if you tap him it sounds like "thuk thuk" You can hear the air. It happened around monday that it was small then tuesday it was BOOM. He has always had an hour a day to get out and roam, and its not a whole hour and he lets me know when he wants back in, he goes to the door and lets me know. All he does when out is just walks around, if i had to guess this bugger would walk MILES a day if allowed an open range.

after some light troubles i think i got the temps back right again, i went through a flood that caused some of his lights to break and had to get new fixtures because the humidity shorted them out :/
hot spot ground one- 131
hot spot ground two- 153
uvb/uva powersun light - 100
ambient hot end- 94
burrow one- 75
burrow two- 73
burrow three- cannot reach
cool end ambient- 82

humidity 77%

[jarich]

All sorts of fun stuff in this thread! ;)

My recommendation DD would be to take the squid out of the equation first. There are many people who feed their monitors eggs without any issue regarding gas or anything else. However, I have never heard of anyone feeding squid, and as its an odd food source for a monitor, that seems statistically much more likely to be the candidate for gas.

[concinnusman]

Giving this one probiotics is like giving pain killers for a broken arm.

Giving pain killers won't cure a broken arm but sometimes giving a probiotic to a reptile that is having bloating problems cures it. I've seen snakes that had chronic bloating / vomiting problems be cured by a dose of probiotics. It's worth a try at least since it can't really do any harm even if it doesn't help.

[murrindindi]

Hi, I would still like to see a few photos of the setup and monitor, is that possible?
If the animal is outside the enclosure for anything more than a very few minutes it`s core body temp will drop, and obviously the smaller the mass the quicker it falls. What`s the ambient temp in the room when he/she is out?

[murrindindi]

He is fed in his set up in the afternoon and isnt on the run with a fresh meal


Unless you`re feeding to satiation at every meal, the monitor will be quite capable of running, climbing, swimming etc, immediately after ingestion and for some time after, obviously providing it`s operating at "activity temp" levels.

[dinosaurdammit]

All sorts of fun stuff in this thread! ;)

My recommendation DD would be to take the squid out of the equation first. There are many people who feed their monitors eggs without any issue regarding gas or anything else. However, I have never heard of anyone feeding squid, and as its an odd food source for a monitor, that seems statistically much more likely to be the candidate for gas.

He has been eating squid ever since I got him back in like november? He hasnt had a problem since then its just now but I am going to go just a rodent diet and see if that solves anything, if not, then I am back at square one

Hi, I would still like to see a few photos of the setup and monitor, is that possible?
If the animal is outside the enclosure for anything more than a very few minutes it`s core body temp will drop, and obviously the smaller the mass the quicker it falls. What`s the ambient temp in the room when he/she is out?

I have about 3 pictures of the inside that a friend took but i dont have any photos of the whole thing :/ only camera ive got is a web cam at the moment I will see if i can go bugger chantha to borrow her nikon as soon as i can

[dinosaurdammit]

Unless you`re feeding to satiation at every meal, the monitor will be quite capable of running, climbing, swimming etc, immediately after ingestion and for some time after, obviously providing it`s operating at "activity temp" levels.

by "on the run" i mean out and about in the house after a meal after eating he goes back to monitorly duties and has an amazing feeding response.

[jarich]

What size rats are you feeding? If youre talking anything other than adult rats then Id recommend keeping the crayfish as part of the diet.

[murrindindi]

by "on the run" i mean out and about in the house after a meal after eating he goes back to monitorly duties and has an amazing feeding response.

I understood what you meant by out and about, but you said not just after having something to eat, I`m saying that wouldn`t make any difference (cause problems), they ARE still very active after eating something (unless it`s a huge meal)!
Are you feeding a whole squid, if yes, how big in relation to the monitor is it (or what % of the diet)?
I`ve fed pieces of squid for a number of years to several Varanid species with no problems whatsoever, though it`s never been the most important (main) item, just a relatively small part.

[murrindindi]

What size rats are you feeding? If youre talking anything other than adult rats then Id recommend keeping the crayfish as part of the diet.


I agree, there`s no reason at all to take crayfish out.

[dinosaurdammit]

What size rats are you feeding? If youre talking anything other than adult rats then Id recommend keeping the crayfish as part of the diet.

he is a small monitor and can really only handle the small rats

I understood what you meant by out and about, but you said not just after having something to eat, I`m saying that wouldn`t make any difference (cause problems), they ARE still very active after eating something (unless it`s a huge meal)!
Are you feeding a whole squid, if yes, how big in relation to the monitor is it (or what % of the diet)?
I`ve fed pieces of squid for a number of years to several Varanid species with no problems whatsoever, though it`s never been the most important (main) item, just a relatively small part.

he gets into food moods where he only wants a few things so i guess squid is a higher percentage than it should be. And when he eats he eats so much so that his belly dangles until the next morning. He is active he just seems to eat more than i think he should but ive always been told feed until they wont take it, problem for me is I usually run out before he is done eating. When I first got him he wanted to eat so much till he actually puked, he hasnt puked since but the person before me only fed once a week.


Also i had a thought. He pooped earlier and it looked funny, it had a big glob of hardened stuff in it. Now I use a good bit of clay in his substrate, could the clay be causing a problem when he eats? I just recently added a new clay recently. Like could the clay acting like a cork? He is a messy eater and usually eats a crap ton of dirt with his food.

[Pirarucu]

Also i had a thought. He pooped earlier and it looked funny, it had a big glob of hardened stuff in it. Now I use a good bit of clay in his substrate, could the clay be causing a problem when he eats? I just recently added a new clay recently. Like could the clay acting like a cork? He is a messy eater and usually eats a crap ton of dirt with his food.To me this seems like a more likely scenario. You did not have the problem before the switch, right? It seems more reasonable his plumbing is a bit stopped up rather than his normal diet suddenly causing problems.

[dinosaurdammit]

To me this seems like a more likely scenario. You did not have the problem before the switch, right? It seems more reasonable his plumbing is a bit stopped up rather than his normal diet suddenly causing problems.

it wouldnt have even occurred to me until he pooped, he actually strained so hard both hemipeens came out and it took him a second to poop, i didnt have this problem before the switch. I am going to take it out and see if it helps with everything else im trying

[jarich]

Ya, I thought you might be feeding small rats, hence why you need to keep the crayfish. Small rodents dont have calcified bones yet, so their Ca:P ratios are less than ideal. Keeping the crayfish in the diet will keep his ratio nice and high like you want it.

As for the clay, when you say you added it recently, how recently? As in the day before the gas problem happened or a couple weeks ago? Unless he is dehydrated, it shouldnt be anything that plugs him up. It would pass with each bowel movement just like the rest of the waste. Clay doesnt cause it not be able to pass wastes, there are many animals that actively eat clay. However, it does seem possible that something in that new soil could be making things a little funny in his stomach. Try feeding him on a plate or something similar and see if that helps clear his gas problem.

[dinosaurdammit]

Ya, I thought you might be feeding small rats, hence why you need to keep the crayfish. Small rodents dont have calcified bones yet, so their Ca:P ratios are less than ideal. Keeping the crayfish in the diet will keep his ratio nice and high like you want it.

As for the clay, when you say you added it recently, how recently? As in the day before the gas problem happened or a couple weeks ago? Unless he is dehydrated, it shouldnt be anything that plugs him up. It would pass with each bowel movement just like the rest of the waste. Clay doesnt cause it not be able to pass wastes, there are many animals that actively eat clay. However, it does seem possible that something in that new soil could be making things a little funny in his stomach. Try feeding him on a plate or something similar and see if that helps clear his gas problem.

for the rats, he just cannot physically eat big rats, and i will keep the mudbugs. As for the dirt i just got a clay mix so their might be something else in there i am not aware of. I got it locally from someone who was building a basement and had some topsoil for grabs. I added it saturday, this problem started monday

[murrindindi]

O.k, I`ll make a more comments; for the hatchlings and juveniles you can feed as much as they will eat daily, and because their metabolism is at it`s highest it shouldn`t cause them to become overweight, they`ll use all the energy on growth (which is what your monitor should be doing). If the temps, etc have been less than recommended for even a short time, it could have possibly caused a build up of undigested food.
I too doubt adding some clay would have caused a problem unles he/she swallowed a relatively large piece, then it could have caused a blockage.

[dinosaurdammit]

O.k, I`ll make a more comments; for the hatchlings and juveniles you can feed as much as they will eat daily, and because their metabolism is at it`s highest it shouldn`t cause them to become overweight, they`ll use all the energy on growth (which is what your monitor should be doing). If the temps, etc have been less than recommended for even a short time, it could have possibly caused a build up of undigested food.
I too doubt adding some clay would have caused a problem unles he/she swallowed a relatively large piece, then it could have caused a blockage.

at times ive seen him get big mouthfuls of dirt, most recently saturday night while trying to eat a rat. My monitor also isnt a juvi or baby, he is over 3 years old, how much should i be feeding a 3 year old monitor

[murrindindi]

Sorry, I thought you`d only just got it and it was very young.
You can still feed daily, but make it smaller ammounts, it`s about offering energy comparable to the ammount they use (if he looks heavy cut down, it`s that easy)! ;)
Please try and get a few photos asap, actually seeing how he is now would be helpful.

[KORBIN5895]

Giving pain killers won't cure a broken arm but sometimes giving a probiotic to a reptile that is having bloating problems cures it. I've seen snakes that had chronic bloating / vomiting problems be cured by a dose of probiotics. It's worth a try at least since it can't really do any harm even if it doesn't help.

Yeah...... I think your missing it.

Hi, I would still like to see a few photos of the setup and monitor, is that possible?
If the animal is outside the enclosure for anything more than a very few minutes it`s core body temp will drop, and obviously the smaller the mass the quicker it falls. What`s the ambient temp in the room when he/she is out?

Honest question. Would their body really cool down and have adverse affects that quick? If so what do they do in the wild when temps drop for a couple of days?

[infernalis]

Honest question. Would their body really cool down and have adverse affects that quick? If so what do they do in the wild when temps drop for a couple of days?

That is also a very good question, as I have often seen mine eat and then drop down into the burrows, AKA the coolest part of the cage.

[jarich]

There is actually an equation to show how long it takes them to lose their heat. Its much longer than it takes them to gain it. They are able to manipulate it through various capillary action and shunting. Funny thing is that they go into their burrows to conserve heat.

[KORBIN5895]

Random thought. Could they go into the burrow because the cool air causes their skin to contract which would give them less surface are from which they could lose heat? I know a lot of thick skinned animals ( like cows) don't lose a lot of heat through their skin because of the thickness where as humans our skin is so thick it is terrible for heat retention.

[Pirarucu]

Sorry, I thought you`d only just got it and it was very young.
You can still feed daily, but make it smaller ammounts, it`s about offering energy comparable to the ammount they use (if he looks heavy cut down, it`s that easy)! ;)
Please try and get a few photos asap, actually seeing how he is now would be helpful.It's not a fat animal. Here is an older thread, and I believe in this one he had just been fed to satiation, hence the hanging stomach.
http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/varanid/97952-i-am-filthy.html

[murrindindi]

Random thought. Could they go into the burrow because the cool air causes their skin to contract which would give them less surface are from which they could lose heat? I know a lot of thick skinned animals ( like cows) don't lose a lot of heat through their skin because of the thickness where as humans our skin is so thick it is terrible for heat retention.


Hi, like some snakes they may seek shelter after consuming a relatively large meal because whilst digesting it they may be less active and prone to predation and other factors. Their metabolism is obviously raised during digestion.


Pirarucu: Thanks for the link!

[murrindindi]

Different species of Varanid have differing rates of heating/cooling, and not forgetting of course that body mass plays a large part, too.

[MDT]

i'm gonna throw this out there....flatus (farts/toots/poots/air biscuits) is normal. I have zero idea how much flatus is normal for a monitor, but in humans, if you don't fart, your intestines aren't moving (for lack of a better word). They stop moving and you get a tube down your nose to decompress your bowel for about 3 days.....bacteria in your gut will produce gas (as Wayne said) at different levels with different foods (like the suggestion of eggs, or think campfire scene in Blazing Saddles)....your dog farts, your kids fart, and you fart, so...i'd wager reptiles do to. I do know that when my retic would crawl through my hands, i could feel air moving in through the intestines and it would "gurgle" a bit. If the monitor isn't showing any ill signs and is maintaining weight, eating and producing normal stools....it may not be a big deal.

[KORBIN5895]

First off I pooted.

Hi, like some snakes they may seek shelter after consuming a relatively large meal because whilst digesting it they may be less active and prone to predation and other factors. Their metabolism is obviously raised during digestion.


Pirarucu: Thanks for the link!

Now I totally get what you mean about them finding a secure place to digest a bit but my thought was in reference to Josh's comments about then going in a burrow to conserve heat. Any thoughts on that?

[murrindindi]

First off I pooted.



Now I totally get what you mean about them finding a secure place to digest a bit but my thought was in reference to Josh's comments about then going in a burrow to conserve heat. Any thoughts on that?


Hi, yes of course retreating to burrows does help conserve heat, especially during the night and in cooler times.
When Joshua mentions the difference in heating/cooling rates, that ammounts to just a very few minutes, not hours and hours (I`m not sure if he meant that had something to do with digestion)?
You asked earlier whether the OP`s monitor would have problems digesting if the temps were lowered for a short time, the answer is possibly yes, especially if digestion hadn`t yet started when the body cooled down. I`m not sure if the temps were somewhat lower for any length of time (days rather than a few hours)?
I did notice the OP mentioning flooding in the burrows.

[MDT]

First off I pooted.

and you feel better for it, don't you? :)

[infernalis]

I did notice the OP mentioning flooding in the burrows.

Correct, the rather substantial water dish got tipped over, sloshing a large amount onto the substrate.

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/varanid/97817-burrows-have-water-help.html - Quick Link.
.
.
.

[KORBIN5895]

Hi, yes of course retreating to burrows does help conserve heat, especially during the night and in cooler times.
When Joshua mentions the difference in heating/cooling rates, that ammounts to just a very few minutes, not hours and hours (I`m not sure if he meant that had something to do with digestion)?
You asked earlier whether the OP`s monitor would have problems digesting if the temps were lowered for a short time, the answer is possibly yes, especially if digestion hadn`t yet started when the body cooled down. I`m not sure if the temps were somewhat lower for any length of time (days rather than a few hours)?
I did notice the OP mentioning flooding in the burrows.

Okay! I get that. Thanks for taking the time to explain.

[crocdoc]

I'm going to add my two cents worth. I've skimmed over many of the replies here, so I apologise if I repeat anything anyone else has said.

In my experience with my lace monitors, there are two circumstances under which they will bloat after a meal (despite having very hot basking spots).

1. The first circumstance is a new food item. One of the posters mentioned gut bacteria and I agree with them that may be at least part of the issue. Although monitors are capable of digesting all sorts of things, there is a bit of gut 'training' involved. For example, wild lace monitors can eat the most rancid of road-killed carrion, but if someone tried to feed that same rotting flesh to a captive that had never been exposed to it before, they'd bloat to the point that they'd have to regurgitate it. After a couple of exposures they develop the right gut flora to deal with it and are better able to cope.

2. The second circumstance is food items with a thick skin or exoskeleton. Occasionally I'll get old, ex-breeder rats and feed them to my adult male lace monitor. The first time I did this he bloated up a fair bit and I realised that it took a while for his digestive juices to cut through the skin of the rat (if any of you have tried to dissect a 800-900 gram rat, you'll know how thick their skin is) and in the interim the rat started to rot. It was also a new food item the first time I tried this, so the lace monitor got the double-whammy of thick skinned prey and unfamiliar item for his digestive tract. After that I got into the practice of cutting slices into the skin of dead rats, particularly into the gut cavity of the rat, so that the monitor's digestive juices can go straight in. The bloating stopped.

In the OP's situation, the questions I'd ask would be: are any of the items new prey items? Squid is soft bodied and would probably only be an issue if it were new. Crayfish have an indigestible exoskeleton, so it may take a while for the monitor's digestive juices to cut through to the digestible bits inside. The rats' skin may be a barrier for the monitor.

Try killing the crayfish and cutting them up, or cutting slices into the rats and see if that makes a difference. Even small rats have much thicker skin than mice of a similar size.

[concinnusman]

Different species of Varanid have differing rates of heating/cooling, and not forgetting of course that body mass plays a large part, too.

Surface-to-volume ratio is basically all that matters here but maybe that's what you meant by "body mass".

[jarich]

Crayfish have an indigestible exoskeleton, so it may take a while for the monitor's digestive juices to cut through to the digestible bits inside.

Sorry Dave, I have to disagree with you on just that one point. They digest the exoskeleton quite readily.

Also, concinnus, simple surface to volume is not the only thing that matters with varanids. There are very many factors that play into the rate at which varanids cool, even within the same species. For instance, microhabitat is one of those things, as is hunting strategy. They have active control over their cooling, its not just passive decay.

[crocdoc]

Sorry Dave, I have to disagree with you on just that one point. They digest the exoskeleton quite readily.
I think we're both half right on that one. The exoskeleton is a mixture of calcium (which they can digest) and chitin (which they cannot).

[jarich]

Agreed, and it appears that the amount of chitin in crayfish exoskeleton is relatively small compared to land based insects. The chitin acts more as a matrix on which the calcium binds, so stays a relatively small amount of the whole. For instance, I can see numerous roach exoskeleton parts in the waste of my monitor but almost no recognizable exoskeleton from a big meal of crayfish.

[crocdoc]

That's fair enough. It's been a long while since I've given my lace monitors crayfish (called yabbies here), but now that I think of it I don't recall there being exoskeletons in their faeces.

[Toothless]

So when you feed a monitor food with hard exoskeletons, should you expect to always see pieces of exoskeleton when they defecate? I ask because I feed my guy a diet of insects, rodents, and fish and rarely ever see pieces of exoskeletons in his feces- its usually some white chaulky stuff and a brown turd. His little poo varies in size depending on what type of meal he's had the few days before (he poos a few times a week).

[fuzzhc]

So when you feed a monitor food with hard exoskeletons, should you expect to always see pieces of exoskeleton when they defecate? I ask because I feed my guy a diet of insects, rodents, and fish and rarely ever see pieces of exoskeletons in his feces- its usually some white chaulky stuff and a brown turd. His little poo varies in size depending on what type of meal he's had the few days before (he poos a few times a week).

Not always. I feed mine on rodents, uncooked shelled prawns occasionally, locusts, worms, bettles and morio worms and have yet to see an exoskeleton. He also deficates almost daily.

[infernalis]

How many of us have actually placed the feces in a screen and washed it to see what is in it?

I have not. Biologists do for dietary studies.

If you really want to know what's in that poop, you are going to have to spend time getting close to it. ;)

[KORBIN5895]

Not always. I feed mine on rodents, uncooked shelled prawns occasionally, locusts, worms, bettles and morio worms and have yet to see an exoskeleton. He also deficates almost daily.

What do you mean by shelled? A shelled shrimp would mean peeled where I'm from.

[fuzzhc]

What do you mean by shelled? A shelled shrimp would mean peeled where I'm from.

It still has the shell on it lol. Probably should have said whole shrimp. Im not often the best for wording things :P

[Pirarucu]

What do you mean by shelled? A shelled shrimp would mean peeled where I'm from.It depends on where you're from, I've ordered "shelled" crabs/shrimp/etc. and in different places it can mean with or without the shell. In this case I believe it means with the shell on.