bathing a sav

LORI34205 · 07-08-03, 08:21 PM

I havent bathed my sav yet and i do it with my iguana but i was wondering if i could put a couple of inches of warm water in my bath tub and let the sav crawl around in it?
thanks

V.hb · 07-08-03, 08:34 PM

That is a very beneficial thing to do for your sav, nice to get them on that habbit.
Since hes a newly acquired animal, I would personally wait a week or two before doing this if hes already been set up in his enclosure. Usually before setting up any animal i acquire i bathe it in luke warm water for an hour. But this is before they have begun to adjust to their new surroundings. Good luck

LORI34205 · 07-08-03, 08:51 PM

ok
thanks for the info
any other opinions are wanted
it was wierd,he was in his enclosure and he was in there for 2 days and didnt drink from his bowl but i think he was drying up and possibly dying of dehydration because he just curled up in his cave and slept alot. i put him by his water dish and i guess he just noticed what it was and drank for about 2o seconds.

V.hb · 07-08-03, 09:08 PM

he's stressed.. have you checked all your temperatures?? make sure his hot spot under the lamp is around 120 degrees or more. You can achieve that high temp by getting 100 watt halogen flood lamps. They work extremely well. If you find it too hot, just move it higher from the basking spot.

Is the sav eating??

LORI34205 · 07-08-03, 09:10 PM

its at 98
ill run to walmart and pick a bulb up
any other ideas
hes just not as active as i thought he would be, what would he be stressed by?

LORI34205 · 07-08-03, 09:13 PM

he ate 6 crickets the first day 0 the second and today i gave him one to show a friend
he wasnt as intrested as he was for the first ones, he is about 7 inches long

V.hb · 07-08-03, 09:35 PM

grab the light, get him nice and hot. once hes eating, bathe him.

To be honest, if hes not eating thats a bad sign. while you're out getting the light throw him in a secure rubbermaid with some warm water, set the light up then take him out and put him back in, leave him alone afterwards. let us know how it goes,

LORI34205 · 07-08-03, 11:04 PM

he only lives in a 10 gallon aquarium so i really couldnt fit a rubbermaid in the cage,right now i have a small dish thats about a half inch deep.

markb · 07-09-03, 04:10 AM

GIve him a deep substrate to dig in, a good secure hide spot, the temp is fine, show him/her where the water bowl is, and leave him be for awhile so it can acclimate and reduce its stress....its in a new bizarre environment, with some HUGE creature hovering over it constantly, picking it up (to eat it??), soaking it, handling it = give it time to get used to its environment, and if stress is reduced, it may be ok. Cover 3 sides of cage with newspaper, to reduce stress and exposure of animal....
good luck,
markb

Dragoon · 07-09-03, 11:25 AM

LORI
A 100 watt bulb with a 10 gallon tank, could fry your baby in no time. This all depends on what lid you are using.

98 is too high for an ambient. Death will result.
98 is too low for a hotspot. Death will result.

You want room temps on the cool side, and 120++ under the hot spot. A 10 gallon tank does not give you much room to play with, but here is my recommondation.
Tape and cover up the lid if it is open mesh. All the humidity will escape. Use a LOW wattage normal houselight bulb. Build a platform, or stacks high enough that the baby monitor's back is a few inches (4 or 5) from the light. To measure, use a probe placed placed on a chunk of wood, etc, at BACK height, not platform height.

Your goal is to let the monitor warm up and cool down as needed. Give it the choice of doing so. It also must be able to bask with some privacy. How you achieve this, is up to your creativity. If it won't bask, it does not feel secure enough. Without access to a 120 or higher area, it will not digest its food, and appetite will be poor.
Death will result.

Keep in mind, monitors like to heat up when awakening, then may hide the rest of the day. This is normal, especially with a baby. When it grows up, you will see it more. Be patient.
Also keep in mind, savs are not comfortable in water. It is adapted to drier habitat. Keep the soaking water at a low level, please be kind to it.
Good luck. D.

V.hb · 07-09-03, 07:22 PM

Sorry, If i had known the tank size, i wouldn't have recommended a flood. A towel over screen (kept moist) works pretty well to keep the moisture from escaping the tank.

Soaking an animal in a level where its head isnt submersed but the rest of the body is, is a good way to rehydrate it. sometimes a simple water dish doesnt do the trick. (for the first little while)

Use a few pieces of wood like dragoon said to raise the basking spot closer to the lightbulb. Kind of like what i said with moving the light closer or further. good luck.

LORI34205 · 07-11-03, 04:31 PM

I just set him up in a 55 gallon aquarium with a good baskiing spot for him he also has a shallow tub he can go in, i have two hides for him one on each end of the tank for him.hes feeding well now and i think hes on his way to being a good sized long lifed sav.

V.hb · 07-11-03, 05:52 PM

great news lori!! glad to hear hes doing well, and that you set him up in a larger enclosure. best of luck with him, they're alot of fun.

LORI34205 · 07-11-03, 09:00 PM

sometimes he acts wierd by walking around and when he stop he opens his mouth and puffs up, i dunno if he is trying to hiss or something but i do not hear a hiss.
any advice? i dunno if thats normal

V.hb · 07-11-03, 09:48 PM

if he stops puffs up and opens his mouth hes trying to look big and intimidating to you, its a defence posture nothing to worry about, in fact its a good sign of health!!