New and thought I'd introduce myself

Lori · 01-05-13, 01:28 PM

Hi everyone,

I wanted to introduce myself and give you a bit of my story. I'm located on the south coast of BC, Canada and I'm fostering a Savannah Monitor. A very good friend of mine runs a reptile rescue here and this past October, just a week before she was due to go on her first holiday in 12 years, she got an urgent email to take in a severely neglected Sav. To make a long story short, I offered to foster him so she could still take her vacation. I have been keeping snakes for a few years and was completely uneducated with Sav's but with her help I thought I could take this guy in until she returned.

From what the rescue was told in his surrender form, he was bounced around from at least 3 different homes, none of which gave him proper care and his diet consisted of being thrown a hard boiled egg once in a while. This guy was so emiciated the base of his tail was shaped like a toblerone bar. I got him into the local reptile vet and his prognosis was severe pnemonia in both lungs, severe dehydration and emiciation. The vet said I could do 2 things, which was euthanasia or try getting him back with tube feeding, baytril and heat, heat and more heat. I hated to think this poor monitor's life came down to dying from this abuse so I offered to try giving him a fighting chance.

He responded pretty good, and it only took 6 days of tube feeding to get him strong enough to take food on his own. By the time my friend came back from holidays I fell hopelessly inlove and wanted to continue fostering him and she also didn't really have the space for a monitor in her rescue. What made us all decide to give him a chance instead of euthanizing him was because he still had lots of fight in him even when he was so malnourished and dehydrated. Its been just over 2 months since he came here and he's doing so much better, but still a long way to go. His lastest vet visit showed he had arthritis in one of his knees

I don't know his age, but after catching him in the act I do know for certain he is indeed male. He is about 35" from snout to the tip of his tail so just about full grown (?) He is very food aggressive and already bit me once when I was stupid enough to give him a bit of a head rub when I thought he was sleeping :P He is fairly docile but will only tolerate so much.

I've spent almost every waking hour on the internet trying to absorb as much as I can about the proper care since he came here and I always come back to the website infernalis made. My reptile rescue buddy also regularly directs people to his website for care info. The cage I built for him is not adequate I know (its 7 x 3 x 3) but it was something I could throw together quickly. I need to get him a much bigger cage with deeper substrate, but first I will have to get a home inspector out to check if my house can sustain the weight of a cage filled with the proper depth of substrate. Or I need to figure out a way of still providing him the ability to burrow without the weight or have the rescue find him a home that can provide the care he needs. I really hope there is a way to make it work here because he definitley rules the house

Anyway, I joined to be able to take part in the forum.

Thanks for listening

Lori

Donnie · 01-05-13, 01:50 PM

Hello and welcome
Good on you, I hope he continues to prosper with you

infernalis · 01-05-13, 01:51 PM

Hi Lori.... I am impressed with what you have done so far.

One thing, if you can afford it, the next vet visit, ask for a uric acid test. (Checking for proper kidney function)

Prognosis will be depending on the uric acid levels.

When Chomper got sick, the first vet diagnosed it as a respiratory infection and gave Baytril, I was not happy with the outcome, so I went to a different vet, she did blood work, and his kidney's had been shut down the whole time.

Without a bacterial culture, Pneumonia is just a speculation on the vet's part.

Lankyrob · 01-05-13, 01:53 PM

Welcome to the asylum, thanks for doing your best to help andif you follow waynes (infernalis) guidelines you wont go far wrong

. Oh, and we NEED pictures

infernalis · 01-05-13, 01:55 PM

Oh, I wanted to point out... "Nippy" is a good thing. Once they stop reacting at all to people, it's over.

No matter how much we love these lizards, we have to remember they are wild animals, and will behave like wild animals.

EmbraceCalamity · 01-05-13, 02:00 PM

Welcome. It's so nice to hear something good like this for a change.

~Maggot

jarich · 01-05-13, 02:23 PM

Good on you for trying to do what you can to get him healthy. Its absolutely amazing what these animals can live through. Like Wayne said, I fear for the health of his organs after all that, and their continued function. Id get it tested, if you have the means, and soon. In the meantime it sounds like you are giving it what it needs to recover.

Do you have space in your basement? With proper insulation its a great place to have the enclosure without having to worry about the weight issue.

Lori · 01-05-13, 02:42 PM

Thanks everyone for the welcome.

Yes I would like to get a uric acid test done because that's one reason I kept coming back to your website Wayne. My heart breaks for your beautiful Chomper to have had a well meaning keeper who didn't know about the dangers of dehydration. I'm so sorry for that huge loss but your new babies, Cera and Littlefoot, are living healthy lives in his honor.

The first vet visit and prognosis on pnemonia was from an xray of his lungs. He was open mouth breathing the second day of being here and getting enough heat to actually move himself. His vet is one of the few in the lower mainland who are experienced enough with reptiles and exotics but he is also ready to listen to concerns so I have made an appointment to have the bloodwork done this Friday. I'm actually surprised he didn't suggest I do this in the first place.

I'll take some pictures of Jerry when I take him out for exercise today. I mostly have video's of him and I don't know how to upload them to this forum (I have a macbook).

Again, thanks for the welcome. I will be asking lots of questions when they come up

Lori

infernalis · 01-05-13, 02:47 PM

The whole reason I said anything about the uric acid, Chomper started wheezing, mouth gaping open, and that was what prompted the first vet visit, then it all went downhill from there.

Gungirl · 01-05-13, 03:01 PM

Hi Lori, Welcome to the forum. I am so happy you took on this guy. I can't wait to see pics and I can only hope that the uric acid test turns out ok.

Lori · 01-05-13, 03:37 PM

I don't like the sounds of that, but Jerry has not done the open mouth breathing after having a week of baytril doses. As for his breathing...I don't hear any noise unless he hisses at me. But I have made the appointment so he will get his levels checked. Thank you for making this point and he will have blood work done this coming Friday.

Although I didn't want to, I disturbed him to take a quick picture and he was really unhappy about having his cover taken off.With my inadequate caging right now his way of burrowing is to hide under a blanket and there was lots of huffing about being exposed.

This cage was just a throw together with his health being questionable, which is why I haven't spent the money for an inspector or went all out with the proper caging to begin with right from the start. This cage will be refitted to house one of my boa girls if Jerry continues with improvement. It will be even more important to either build the proper cage or rehome if his uric acid levels come back ok (which will be a small miracle in itself).

Here is the picture I just took. I will update everyone after his results come back.

SnakeyJay · 01-05-13, 05:32 PM

I know absolutely nothing on savs so can offer no advice... But I wish you goodluck, you and your sav

Lori · 01-05-13, 06:11 PM

Thanks, that's why I've come here

I need the best advice and help possible to make sure I can do right by this guy

BarelyBreathing · 01-05-13, 08:16 PM

Welcome!
Savannah monitors need:
-A custom built 8x4x4 enclosure made from wood, 100% sealed (no screen, no open vents)
-2 feet of sandy soil. I use and recommend a 60/40 mixture of Eco Earth and children's washed play sand for monitors. Substrate should be moist at depth.
-60% ambient humidity measured several times daily with a DIGITAL hygrometer
-A basking spot of 130F or higher, measured several times daily with an infra red TEMPERATURE GUN
-A cool side of 75F measured several times daily with a DIGITAL thermometer with a PROBE
-Plenty of hides
-A water dish that is large enough to soak in
-A diet that mostly consists of invertibrates

Hope this helps.