help monitor sick

rabryant73 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-25-2006, 04:07 PM

Our Savannah monitor is about 3 yrs old. He has been eating regular food not live prey for about 10 months now. He has been fine up til yesterday, he has been shedding regularly. He started staggering around and falling over and when he eats he acts like it is alive by swinging it and being aggressive with it. Very strange and when i said staggering I mean it is very bad. Anyone have any comments on this it would be very helpful. Thanx again.

toker · #2 (**permalink**) 07-25-2006, 04:33 PM

How about a little info on your critter?

What type of cage is he living in?

What temps are you keeeping him at?

What food has he been eating and how often?

The more information you can provide the more we can help you.

rabryant73 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-25-2006, 04:56 PM

he is currently in a 50 gallon aquarium. He currently has two heat rocks and I just read that was bad so I am going to get something else. It is about 88 degrees in the tank. He eats canned monitor food, lean hamburger, chicken, ect. He always eats good, when he gets hungry he tries to climb the cage and that is when we feed him, usually every other day. We dont really handle him often due to he is very aggressive and always has been, he belongs to my b/f and they moved in about 10 months ago, he was aggressive then and I figured by then it was too late to tame him. We give him a bath in the tub once a week and let him soak and swim for awhile and we have a water dish in his cage that he gets in.

NicoleRussell · #4 (**permalink**) 07-25-2006, 08:08 PM

What is your basking temp? Any monitor needs a powerful basking spot of at last 100f--I would keep it at 120. A cement slab with a day cycle bulb--UVB preferably although some feel UVA is enough. At this point I would provide him with a MVB (or at least a day basker)of 100 watts (for a 50 gallon). A paver-- that you could buy at a garden store-- that would fit in your tank directly under it will provide the belly heat he needs. And that should be on top of a moist thick substrate like soil or cypress.
Stick to whole prey items too--mice, rats and chicks (or quail).
How large is this animal? A 50 gallon seems small for a savannah. I use a 75 for my beardies.
Right now you need to change your setup asap...get rid of the heat rocks...you'll never own an animal that will benefit by them so just throw them away.
Things you need yesterday:
*diet change
*bulb change
*basking spot adjustment
*substrate
Remember this animal needs extra care because he isn't well. Try not to cut corners some would for healthy monitors. A great bulb--whole food diet (no canned food at all and no supermarket meat)--and a basking spot that will help him digest and function are things that really will contribute to him getting better and in the end --tamer.

amercnwmn · #5 (**permalink**) 07-25-2006, 08:10 PM

I agree, although you dont have to ditch the heat rocks, just cut the cords and use them as decorations..

I place mine in the warm area of the cage and they bask on them

LS84 · #6 (**permalink**) 07-27-2006, 04:48 PM

Yeah...50 gallons is too small of a cage! A 50 gallon is a only 4 feet long, and if yours is full grown, it could be right around that length. Hes got nowhere to move, no wonder hes cranky! Also, they should be eating rodents, but you can use frozen thawed. The canned lizard foods they sell in stores should never be used more than a extra to add to real food or for emergencies. Ive never heard of someone feeding chicken and hamburger, thats bad.

He is sick and NOT tame because he's eating food thats no good for him, he has no where to digest it after he eats ( at LEAST 110 like nicole said) its far too cold for him in there now. 88 is good as a normal tank temp but he needs a basking lamp, and hes in too small of a tank.

Dachande · #7 (**permalink**) 07-30-2006, 03:48 AM

the hot side should be about 110F air temperature. a surface temp in the basking spot should be 120-130F. i use 45-50watt outdoor halogen flood lights. no "special pet store bulbs". with correct diet it is not required. high wattage burns out humidity fast and just elevate the basking sot to get the temperature desired (in this case over 100F). and a custom built enclosure at least 7-8ft in length by 3-4ft in width should be acquired. minimum requirement.
it's diet is unhealthy and could be the cause of the behavior problems. hamburger meat is produced for human consumption like chicken, and any canned monitor food doesn't hold up to a solid whole mouse or day old chick. things in the processed beef are probably to blame. get frozen prey items and stick with those. nothing else. they offer everything; bone, eyes, organs and muscle tissue. go to www.rodentpro.com
use topsoil as a substrate. no additives like fertilizer, pesticide or manure or compost. just plain topsoil from a home/garden store. make it about 1-1/2 ft deep minimum. my argus has 2ft of soil and uses every bit of it for burrows and tossing around the cage. keep an eye on the soil and add water by spraying down the enclosure when it gets dry more than 3 inches below the top.
and i am usually the bearer of bad news. so here it goes:
there is no such thing as tame with reptiles. they may tolerate handling or interaction, but they can never be like dog or cat tame. you can tame a horse, but not a monitor. learn to work with it, don't expect it to work with you. and if soakings and handling, cleaning or feedings go without incident; be grateful. they will eventually learn you are not a threat. and things will get a little smoother. patience is key. nothing in the diet or lights will help get it "tamer". some stay wild and aggressive all their life. monitors are individuals just like us. the only way it would get "tamer" is if diet and temps were incorrect; thus making the monitor sick and too weak to put up a fight. it would only seem "tame" and in reality just be sick and dying. i could go on and on about the "taming" vs human tolerance theory. but you get the point.

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