New monitor (salvator)

[Pirarucu]

Sorry to be a letdown, but that cage will probably kill him just as surely as he would have died otherwise if it isn't modified soon. First off, bark is not a suitable substrate. He needs soil that he can dig burrows in, and he needs a lot of it. You need to give him a deep layer of loamy soil, as thick as possible.
I don't see a basking area, what heating do you have in his cage?
Don't bother putting calcium and vitamins in his water, the supplements on his food are plenty, and you shouldn't need them at all, really.

[Kimmie]

Originally Posted by Pirarucu

Sorry to be a letdown, but that cage will probably kill him just as surely as he would have died otherwise if it isn't modified soon. First off, bark is not a suitable substrate. He needs soil that he can dig burrows in, and he needs a lot of it. You need to give him a deep layer of loamy soil, as thick as possible.
I don't see a basking area, what heating do you have in his cage?
Don't bother putting calcium and vitamins in his water, the supplements on his food are plenty, and you shouldn't need them at all, really.

Thanks I will get soil as soon as I go to the shop, tho I had no problem with my tegu on bark, he is digged now and my tegu did the same, I will get soil tho, his temp is 28, atm which said on Water Monitor & Black Dragon Care Sheet should be 70-80. I live in belgium so my temp is different. I will just dust or leave them undusted if he don't like them then.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by Kimmie

Thanks I will get soil as soon as I go to the shop, tho I had no problem with my tegu on bark, he is digged now and my tegu did the same, I will get soil tho, his temp is 28, atm which said on Water Monitor & Black Dragon Care Sheet should be 70-80. I live in belgium so my temp is different. I will just dust or leave them undusted if he don't like them then.

Hi, you basically need to know two temperatures; the lowest ambient (air) in the coolest parts @ approx. 24c, then the SURFACE temp at the basking site @ between approx. 50 to 60c.
The humidity should range between approx. 50 to 80%+ (the lower figure will be around the basking area).
Any water that the monitor can soak in MUST be heated to between approx. 28 to 32c, the reason being they may spend extended periods in there and you don`t want the monitor`s core body temp to drop too low.
There is no need to dust vertebrate prey, but inverts can be, and it`s important to gut load them before offering as food.
A rodent and fish based diet is appropriate, though obviously you should also offer invertebrate prey such as insects, crustaceans, etc.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by Pirarucu

Sorry to be a letdown, but that cage will probably kill him just as surely as he would have died otherwise if it isn't modified soon. First off, bark is not a suitable substrate. He needs soil that he can dig burrows in, and he needs a lot of it. You need to give him a deep layer of loamy soil, as thick as possible.
I don't see a basking area, what heating do you have in his cage?
Don't bother putting calcium and vitamins in his water, the supplements on his food are plenty, and you shouldn't need them at all, really.

Hi, it`s perfectly acceptable to use bark on top of a soil/playsand mix, it holds humidity quite well itself, it will also stop the soil drying out too quickly.

[Pirarucu]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi, it`s perfectly acceptable to use bark on top of a soil/playsand mix, it holds humidity quite well itself, it will also stop the soil drying out too quickly.

I was saying that bark alone is not a suitable substrate, of course it is fine as long as there is soil under it.