Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey,
today at the malls pet shop i bought my first monitor. I brought him home made him his 4 inches of sand(playground type) with a hollow log and his water dish. I told the guy that 12 crix would be ok for tonight but instead he gave me 30 free of charge. Anyways I noticed that these fellas adapt fast or maybe the shop didnt feed em enough. But the hatchling ate every cricket. I noticed as he struck at them that he owuld get a little sand in his mouth and after a cricket would sorta... look agitated maybe by the sand? Should I be worried about impaction? What I also noticed was him wanting to rub his neck on his hollowed out log. Is this a sign of shedding in monitors? Also are fish a viable prey item my mom and i are gonna go get him a buffet of foods to pork him up cuz hes a little thin right now. Fattening him up won't be a problem rgiht? Sorry this is so long I had a few questions...well maybe more then a few.
Tnnx
Tito

How big exactly is the animal? If its a baby feed it as many dusted crickets as it will eat daily and 2-3 times a week feed him a pinky or 2 and that will help fatten him up..... buying crickets by the dozen at the local petshop is going to be expensive as hell due to how much they eat.... your best bet if finding them somewhere online and buying them in bulk (you can probably find 1000 for 11 or so dollars).......... if cypress mulch is available in your area go get some... its cheap and holds a burrow, sand dont.... if not go dig some dirt out of your backyard but just make sure it hasnt been sprayed with pesticides.... so i guess my advice is give him plenty of space, a hot basking area (wood or rock under a lamp), and plenty of food.... my savannah grew about a little under an inch a week until he reached about 2 feet and then he slowed down...... i got him at 5 inches and now hes 42 inches...... if hes skinny now dont hold him at all until he plumps up...... if he was just now imported chances are hes full of parasites, if you stress it out too much the lizard will die....they are hardy animals and are alot of fun, but they are also alot of time, money, and space.... if you need more help, email me.... lightgreen085@yahoo.com

I'd say he was about 6-7 inches though I didn't wanna handle him yet. I was at home depot and they had italian cypress mulch, same thing right? I can't keep crix alive for more then a week i bought flukers feed and gel water stuff nothing worked for me. Any substitute for crix or should I order in the masses Ive got an extra 10 gallon or 2 that would probably hold them in my garage. I think I'm gonna go ahead and start ordering f/t mice in the masses for him instead of the smelly mess. prolly cheaper. he does seem sluggish when hes not hunting or is it just the first few days?

thnx so much you've helped alot,
Tito

i dont know about the italian cypress mulch...... but dont switch him over to mice until hes bigger, insects should be a staple diet until he gets bigger, then you can switch him to mice..... i dont know about the italian cypress, where are you from??? when you buy the crickets throw in different kinds of fruit with them, that should keep them alive..... i know they stink, but if you do it right youll be switching him to mice in no time... i suggest a feeding cage for him so the crickets cant hide anywhere and you can monitor how much he feeds....... what are your cage temps???? get a good theremometer...... you need a hot basking area (120 degrees or so) and the ambient air temp to be 80's on the hot end 70's on the cooler end so he can thermoregulate.... also what size cage do you have? minimum should be a 55 gal....... well i hopes this helps more....

i just bought about 120 crix to last him about a week. They have sandfiresuperfoods gutloading stuff apples flukers feed and lots of dark egg crates. They in a 10 gallon. As for him he is in a 30 gallon but I know for now its fine but as soon as I kick the snakes out of their current cage and into their big one Ill have him in their then I start his cage project. Im from el paso TX and at home depot I saw them advertising the italian kind. Temps are approx. 120 in the warm area 85 in cool zone. He is picking up a little weight. Do you think the crix are too big? They are a little less then an inch. Could this be the weird gesture every time he swallows?
thnx,
Tito

i just bought about 120 crix to last him about a week. They have sandfiresuperfoods gutloading stuff apples flukers feed and lots of dark egg crates. They in a 10 gallon. As for him he is in a 30 gallon but I know for now its fine but as soon as I kick the snakes out of their current cage and into their big one Ill have him in their then I start his cage project. Im from el paso TX and at home depot I saw them advertising the italian kind. Temps are approx. 120 in the warm area 85 in cool zone. He is picking up a little weight. Do you think the crix are too big? They are a little less then an inch. Could this be the weird gesture every time he swallows?
thnx,
Tito