Rescued Nile Monitor. Need advice. - Page 7

Lankyrob · 01-23-13, 03:31 PM

In our zoos over here the animals normally have a "back room" to their enclosure which has much better husbandry than the public display, mostly the animals can choose which area they stay in, tho some are locked into the public area during the day then shut into the back at night

infernalis · 01-23-13, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vegasarah

Too scary! I'm not going to risk it lol. Haven't seen much of him today, he is camped out in that burrow all the time now.

Okay, weird question time!

When I go to zoos, they don't have enough substrate for the monitors to burrow in, but I imagine the humidity is very high because the glass is usually fogged and the monitors look healthy to me? If they are living long lives like this what are they doing differently? Is it the increased space? Access to a perfect diet? The san diego zoo runs sonic foggers in their enclosures, is it just the high temps and humidity?

I have a research paper done on Varanid mortality in Zoos, and over the years the Bronx zoo has lost a number of monitors to Gout, so even the zoos are still learning what to do.

Monitor husbandry has moved forward by leaps and bounds, but only recently.

They lost one once due to a drain backing up and water from a turtle enclosure flowed into the monitor enclosure, something in the turtle water infected the monitor..

Private individuals are not the only ones learning here.

I just feel blessed that this information gets shared so we can apply new tactics based on their failures.

Pirarucu · 01-23-13, 05:00 PM

Agreed, even zoos are still learning. Monitors unfortunately are so tough that they can appear healthy yet be dying inside. It takes an experienced eye to spot anything wrong, and even then it can be tough or impossible. I saw an Ackie Monitor at a zoo which I'll not name that had a dirt substrate, but it was bone dry and only a few inches deep. The monitor appeared healthy, until it moved... Most guests don't pay attention to these things, but I did and sure enough, it only flopped its back legs, it did not bend them at the joints much, if at all.

infernalis · 01-23-13, 05:15 PM

Most guests wouldn't know what they were looking at was abnormal anyway.

Vegasarah · 01-23-13, 05:33 PM

I'm thinking about volunteering at my local zoo, it looks good when I apply for graduate school. Only problem is that I haven't been there since I was a kid, and even then it was depressing. Of course I would love to go and possibly make a difference in some of the animal's care (I only have a lot of knowledge when it comes to reptiles, so that would be my main focus). I just wonder if it would lead to more heart ache than anything else. They might not have the money to do things correctly, or might just not care. But I do know that they have a savannah monitor at the zoo, so maybe I could offer some insight to it's care now that everything is still fresh in my mind. I really never thought I would have a monitor but I find them really delightful. I didn't think I would get so into them so quickly!

Django is becoming a master at hiding, he's eating food out of the dish and messing in his water so I know he's out. I just never seem to catch it! Oh well, maybe I should spend more time in my room where the tank is.

Still waiting to see if I will be getting some of my tuition back this week. If I do, I'll start the larger build this weekend. If not, I'll just rig up the plywood top on the tank and start saving money each paycheck. How much would it be to build something large like that? I'm thinking close to $250 if I can't get anything on sale etc. I should go to the lumber yard and see if they have anything cheaper than Home Depot's plywood that is 8x4 at $17.

EmbraceCalamity · 01-23-13, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vegasarah

I'm thinking about volunteering at my local zoo, it looks good when I apply for graduate school. Only problem is that I haven't been there since I was a kid, and even then it was depressing. Of course I would love to go and possibly make a difference in some of the animal's care (I only have a lot of knowledge when it comes to reptiles, so that would be my main focus). I just wonder if it would lead to more heart ache than anything else. They might not have the money to do things correctly, or might just not care. But I do know that they have a savannah monitor at the zoo, so maybe I could offer some insight to it's care now that everything is still fresh in my mind. I really never thought I would have a monitor but I find them really delightful. I didn't think I would get so into them so quickly!

If you do, the worst that'll happen is you'll be disappointed; you can't do any harm for the animals. So even if the chances are slim, I'd say at least try if I were you.

~Maggot

Vegasarah · 01-23-13, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmbraceCalamity

If you do, the worst that'll happen is you'll be disappointed; you can't do any harm for the animals. So even if the chances are slim, I'd say at least try if I were you.

~Maggot

I just don't know if I could stomach it if it did turn out to be an abusive type situation with terrible husbandry and no want to change it. I think I could take it, and hopefully the benefits will outweigh a heavy heart at the end of the day.

EmbraceCalamity · 01-23-13, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vegasarah

I just don't know if I could stomach it if it did turn out to be an abusive type situation with terrible husbandry and no want to change it. I think I could take it, and hopefully the benefits will outweigh a heavy heart at the end of the day.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."

~Maggot

Vegasarah · 01-24-13, 06:42 PM

The burrow digging was in full swing today! Dirt flying all over the tank, and this new burrow is cool because it's close to the glass so I can see him snaking through the dirt when he's in there. Awesomeness.

Still pounding down pinkies and fuzzies like a champ, doesn't want anything to do with the nightcrawlers, though. But maybe I should START with those when I know he's hungry. I'm just tong feeding him twice a day, and leave some of the worms or roaches or meal worms in a big dish, which he gets to later in the day or at night between feedings. And he always acts like he's starving.

I keep seeing on all these care sheet (not on here, just other sites) where people are saying that feeding 2-3 fuzzies a week is good for a monitor his size. He eats that amount twice a day! What's the deal with that? Such a difference!

infernalis · 01-24-13, 06:46 PM

It's all nonsense.

When kept properly, it's nearly impossible to over feed a monitor lizard.

They are smart enough to know when their belly is full.

Some of them consume 80% of their own body weight in a single meal.

The authors of those "care sheets" or "Care guides" need to look to nature for the answers and stop forming imaginative hypotheses based on rumour and speculation.

Vegasarah · 01-24-13, 06:52 PM

Okay, that's what I figured. He seems to be doing great with his mission to eat me out of house and home lol. Not that I mind, feeding time is my favorite for all my babies!

Another question (I know, I'm full of them). I had him eating just pinkies with an occasional fuzzie, but I know that pinkies are higher in fat. He seems to like them just the same, so should I stick to fuzzies? They are still pretty big for him, but he seems to get them down just fine. Is there a danger of him choking on a fuzzie that is too big? I could request smaller ones to avoid this, or just stick to the pinkies. What do you guys think?

infernalis · 01-24-13, 06:58 PM

Have you ever seen that chasm called a throat on a monitor?

If it fits at all, it will go down.

It's not so much the fat, but fuzzies have more skeleton structure, more bones equals more calcium.

dinosaurdammit · 01-24-13, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

Have you ever seen that chasm called a throat on a monitor?

If it fits at all, it will go down.

It's not so much the fat, but fuzzies have more skeleton structure, more bones equals more calcium.

A treat i like to give pajaaamas- oxtail. The smallest vert they have is pretty boney and has a good layer of meat. He gets one once a month. I imagine the bone coupled with the marrow might actually be beneficial?

Vegasarah · 01-24-13, 07:51 PM

That's what I figured. I had one in my bag today that was very large, I probably would have asked for a smaller one if I had seen it sooner. I still offered it to him and after he banged it against a grape vine a few times, he decided he would knock his head back and choke it down. I watched this with some apprehension, ready to grab that little pink leg sticking out if he looked like he wouldn't be able to get it down. He was fine, of course. Though he kind of had to turn his neck side to side a few times to work it down lol. I figured that if something really was too big he could thrash it down to smaller bits if he wanted to.

infernalis · 01-24-13, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinosaurdammit

A treat i like to give pajaaamas- oxtail. The smallest vert they have is pretty boney and has a good layer of meat. He gets one once a month. I imagine the bone coupled with the marrow might actually be beneficial?

Yes, good stuff, I would like to find a place that processes rabbits for consumption, the feet would make a treat, bones, toenails and all.