You did better than most people on giving us info on your sav, setup, and problem, but we still need a lil' bit more.



Before I start askin' questions I want to say that based on what you've told us already, I don't think it's panic time, yet, but it is time for action.



My first question is: (1) Do you know for sure it's a male?



(2) What is the surface temperature of it's basking site?



I'm also interested in the Qs "holygouda" asked you; Temps? Humidity? Setup?



Both, "holygouda" & "newstorm" made good points you should look into. I don't mean that as if I'm more experienced than them, I'm not, I'm just making sure you don't overlook these things.



What I see here is that your husbandry has gotten your sav this far (1 1/2yrs & 2ft long), although it's growth rate is a little low. So there's definitely something you've been doing, or not doing, that needs to be changed. Could it be the reason for the problem you're having now? I don't know, you'll have to sort that out and hopefully we can help you do that.



I'm not worried about it starving to death anytime soon, based on your description of it. I feel a pudgy 2ft sav can go a few months without food. BUT, we need to figure out WHY it's not eating.



It could be intimidated by the size of the rats. Especially since it gave up on one during last feeding, even though it ate another.



Rats, at one stage of their life, are the same size as mice, but it's hard to find 'em in pet stores that size. I suggest trying a single mouse & see what kind of response you get from it. If the sav eats it, wait a few days & get 2 for it's next meal. For a 2ft sav, 2 - 3 mice would be better than 1 sm rat.



I also feel the same way as "newstorm" about feeding 3 sm rats once a week. I feel that a couple of mice spaced out over a few days during each week would be better.



Yeah, feeding it every day may be ideal but unfortunately most of us don't have ideal cage conditions that allow our monitors to burn off the calories. (break out the treadmill)



One other question: Have there been any recent changes in it's setup, such as location, new bulb or heat source, room temperature fluctuations more than normal, etc...?



I've read about some mercury vapor UVB bulbs causing eye problems in bearded dragons in close range of the bulbs. I don't know if it would have any effect on your sav or not but it's something you might want to look into, keep an eye on.



Please take your time & answer each question that you've been asked by others, and myself, so we can help you better.



Hang in there!

HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,

this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:

Appalachian American

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