sav having trouble shedding

[xdiversichicx]

my sav is having major trouble shedding. she's been rubbing against things in her cage to get the shed off. i didnt think anything of this because all of my herps do that. when i got her out today i noticed a spot on her back that is pink. looks as though she's scratched down to the hide, but its not bleeding. i put some triple antibiotic on it just to be safe though. she got most of whats on her stomach and sides off, but around her legs, tail, part of her head, and the middle of her back just doesnt seem to want to come off. looks as though its more of a scab than shed, but its not. ive tried everything that i can think of to help her, but nothing seems to work. any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[kap10cavy]

Have you tried letting her soak in the tub? If not, just fill it as high as her shoulders with room temp water and put her in for about 1/2 hour a day. What are you using for substrate? Is it deep enough for her to burrow in? you might also want to check your humidity levels.

Good Luck
Scott

[xdiversichicx]

we let her soak in the tub everyday anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. we also have a plastic tub in her enclosure for her to soak in. her substrate is a mixture of sand, organic soil and clay on one side, river rock on the other near her basking spot.

[xdiversichicx]

just and update on my girl
she's doing much much better now. almost all of the shed is gone now. the triple antibiotic that i used on the sores has healed them quite well. she's back to her natural self now.

[V.hb]

It sounds like you're using a tank for an enclosure.. To much air flow in them. Dries out your animal very quickly.. which leads to sores, bad sheds, even loss of digits.

If you can't make a custom tank right now, I recommend either using plexi-glass, or glass for a lid to keep ventilation at a minimal. Also, either use dirt, or cypress mulch. Dirt - outdoor dirt... It works extremely well, and holds moisture even better.. Cypress does the same, just hard to burrow in. Good luck.

[reptiguy123]

Or use plywood with driled holes. Plexiglass is probably your best bet with moisture, though.

[xdiversichicx]

um she does have a custom tank. top and front panels are plexiglass.

[V.hb]

ummmmmm well theres obviously something wrong with your tank then. You shouldnt have to soak your monitor in order to help it shed.

Not many savannahs soak in the wild.

[dave68]

Hey V.hb Savannah monitors are from Quite arrid environments in the wild they most definately need optimum airflow. Stopping the airflow to allow more humidity will cause way more problems for a savannah than low humidity.xdiversichicx I would check very closely for mites on your monitor,that could be a reason for excessive rubbing and poor shedding.As well they aways shed in bits and pieces unlike snakes. Hope that helps a bit

[V.hb]

dave, by minimal airflow I didn't mean completely drenching your substrate. If you get it to the point where its dry on the surface but moist below your humidity levels are usually pretty good. Ive never kept any species in a tank it just doesnt work. What I use basically is a box, with a vent (much like home heating vents) on the side, that I can adjust to change the amount of air that passes through.

I keep my ackies which are from extremely hot, arrid areas in a very tight sealed enclosure. The inside is still dry, not humid unless i spray the surface of the dirt to keep it burrowable. Once again, using a heating vent.

[reptiguy123]

Savannahs aren't necessarily completely arid. The environment the boscs live in isn't as dry as an argus monitor's environment.

[kap10cavy]

When I changed my substrate to plain yard dirt and my monitors started to burrow, all the shed problems went away.
Hope this helps.

Scott

[reptiguy123]

That's good.