sick sav

fluffy · #1 (**permalink**) 05-05-2002, 02:17 AM

I just got a savannah monitor from someone who bought it at a reptile show and didnt take care of it I have no idea how old it is but its underweight ive been power feeding him and trying 2 get him 2 bulk up hes around 18 inches and i have found 2 ticks on him which i removed he doesnt have mites. i was wondering how much i should be feeding him and is there anyway 2 guess at his age im going 2 set up a photo album soon so check it for pics and im open 2 any suggestions you have thx
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talon · #2 (**permalink**) 05-05-2002, 02:47 AM

feed him every day. you can't really powerfeed a malnurished monitor until he has good weight, get him a good mineral supplement (miner-al and herptivite). makes sure you have enough heat and a good basking spot for him to digest all of his food your feeding him. also consider purchasing a full spectrum light that gives off uvb and uva light. benifits the color of your monitor. when he gets older make sure he gets alot of excercise and make sure to vary the diet. (insects, mice,goldfish...etc) feel free to aske me any other questions [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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CaptainHowdy · #3 (**permalink**) 05-05-2002, 02:47 AM

My first piece of advice would be to get him to someone who is used to taking care of sick herps, preferably varanids...My next bit of advice is to take him to the vet, and get a fecal done....and go from there.
If you really want to fatten up an underweight sav, feed lots of chicken livers [cooked and uncooked]....they love liver, and will eat it in mass quantities. If he's 18 inches, you should be OFFERING food every day...monitors usually won't eat if they're not hungry. I'd also try giving him some rat pups every couple of feedings or so, and make sure to suppliment his food with a vitamin suppliment!
..good luck..
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CaptainHowdy · #4 (**permalink**) 05-05-2002, 02:52 AM

Okay, I just saw that in Talon's reply, he said to consider maybe getting a full spectrum UVB bulb...there should be NO maybe about it...they are diurnal, and require UVB. Some say monitors can do without UV...but I'd rather be safe than sorry, ESPECIALLY if you're dealing with a sick lizard...sick/underweight monitors aren't always the easiest to rehab, and do require quite a bit of work some times....if you feel that you're not going to be able to provide the care required, then it would be best to give the sav to someone who can. I'm not saying you're not qualified, but I figured I should have said that just the same....keep us posted....
oh yes, and make sure it has a nice BIG water dish to soak in, as it will aid in digestion/defication....good luck once again..
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fluffy · #5 (**permalink**) 05-05-2002, 03:16 AM

ok the sav isnt malnureshed he just hasnt really been fed enough so hes underwieght hes active and pretty healthy hes just a little skinny hes prob the most tame and docile monitor ive ever seen also ive been doing some reasearch and alot of websites say that canned cat food in small amounts is a good way 2 fatten a sav up is this healthy? or do u have any opinons on that? ive just been feeding him 2 frozen fuzzys a day im going 2 give him some dusted crickets soon 2 vary his diet ill try the livers
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CaptainHowdy · #6 (**permalink**) 05-05-2002, 04:17 AM

Okay, my rescued sav was really docile when I got him too....but then, he was infested with worms. A naturally docile sav isn't always a good sign, especially a young one. you need to get it to the vet for the fecal...trust me.
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talon · #7 (**permalink**) 05-05-2002, 10:11 PM

well i have full spectrum bulbs on almost all of my reptiles including my boas. but i didn't want to cause controversy since there are so many people that say you don't need them. second if your baby monitor is skinny he is malnurished because he is in his rapid growing stage. my monitor got alot more aggressive after he was given a proper diet. note: make sure you don't forget to feed insects! i wouldn't reccomend any kind of cat or dig food because thy are for just that cats and dogs insted feed rat pups pinkies and other "baby" types of rodents because they have highercalories/fat content. a healthy monitor is not a fat monitor but if you give it enough excercise you can't really overfeed it (within reason). oh yeah night crwlers from bait shops also make excellent choic of food fo savanahs.
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#8 (**permalink**) 05-06-2002, 01:18 AM

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> second if your baby monitor is skinny he is malnurished because he is in his rapid growing stage. </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

I was thinking along the same lines..if it is underweight...then it is malnourished also. Malnourishment would come in this avneue from not being fed enough. It doesn't always come from being fed and not getting the correct nourishment [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] It could even be HUGE and still be malnourished too.
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talon · #9 (**permalink**) 05-06-2002, 06:56 PM

thank you for the reinforcement [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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savannah_babe · #10 (**permalink**) 06-26-2002, 01:43 AM

savannah monitors are garbage disposals...try soft cat/dog food..some seem to like it and it is very fatty..it will put a lil weight on him till u get him on a stable diet...dont keep him on it he will get too big and fat

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