no weight gain

[Greywolf]

I have a problem , i just inherited a nice savannah monitor , she has been fed solely on chicken livers , ,chicken , beef , rodents and dog food for the last 7 years (from what i was told) each time she was fed she received nekton-rep vitamin /mineral supps as well , i have this lizard now and have her on rodents , but she seems to have no weight gain at all , and she is verrrrrry thin , but has a ravenous appetite, any suggestions from anyone please ?

[SHvar]

It should start to gain weight, this is why people are told constantly to use a diet that works, not human or dog/catfood. Being that its supposedly that old it may not grow or gain much but its worth a try, feed as amny whole animal foods as it will eat for a while, see what happens.

[Greywolf]

fed it prob for 2 months now on mice it eats 2-3 at a shot 3 times a week , still very skinny in the hips and tail and legs not really looking all that6 good atm also i think it was stunted since it is around 7 yrs old and only about 30 inches long , how long do they live and any other ideas, as food doesn't seem to be the prob i think now i am guessing maybe parasites of some kind , the guy who had it before didn't take vewry good care of it and let it drink watter that had lots of it's own feces in it etc....

[crocdoc]

" i think now i am guessing maybe parasites of some kind , the guy who had it before didn't take vewry good care of it and let it drink watter that had lots of it's own feces in it etc...."

Take a fecal sample to the vet for parasite testing.

Make sure the female has access to water for drinking. Thin hips and tail base can be due to dehydration as well as malnutrition.

[V.hb]

I agree with Crocdoc on this one completely.

I'd like to add, if the animal is 7 years old I would assume it would have succumed to parasites (if they were present) years ago on such a harsh diet. Now that you have her on rodents and she hasn't gained weight, I would also say it's a dehydration problem.

Of course, I would also stil get a fecal exam done. You also have to check your husbandry. Dehydration being a big problem but also you must check for heating problems as well. Not enough heat won't allow the animal to absorb its food and metabolise it properly. You have to make a gradient for the animal ranging from a hot spot to a cool end. Usually a 130 or so hotspot, an for the middle of the enclosure to a cool end in the mid to high 70's.

[JimmyDavid]

A strong infestation should result in vomiting at some point. Pay atention to that. It's a clear indicator of internal parasites.

[bear24]

When I need to put some weight on my monitors I feed them whole boiled eggs rolled on the counter so the shell is all cracked up.