Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone ever had a monitor get tetanus, or know of one that did? Can they get it?
I know it lives in dirt/soil and so do they, so I was just wondering if a monitor had an open sore, or scratch and got dirt in it(as it probably would) could it get tetanus?

Susan.

of course Susan, anything COULD happen, but what happens is another story.

Like most animals, if monitors are kept in conditions foreign to them, they lose their immune system and die from ANYTHING. Respitory infections and mouthrot are causes by common bacteria thats everywhere, etc etc etc.

They animals are designed to live in dirt. I would imagine they have strong defenses against such things as you mentioned.

I would not worry about tetanus, or any common bacteria. I would worry about making sure your monitor is strong and healthy.

The real actual truth is, once they are strong and healthy, they are so very very hard to kill. They are kinda like flatworms, cut them in pieces and more monitors will grow out of the pieces. OK, thats a lie, but they are indeed incredibly strong and hard to kill.

The point is, GET THEM STRONG. Cheers

I've seen my niles get some pretty good gashes from periodic scuffles and just plain getting into things in general.The wounds always become packed with dirt. I've cleaned them out only to find them all dirty again. They always heal quickly so I figure theres no point in messing with them unless the injuries were to require stitches which has never been the case so far.

Never heard of one. Ive had them get injured in ways that resulted in profuse bleeding, open wounds, missing claws, etc, they dive right back into the dirt and heal fast. In fact I found that if you leave them alone they heal alot faster than if you mess with them to clean injuries.
Stress causes more problems than bacteria ever could.

Okay, thanks to all for the responses. It's not something I was worried about, as much as curious.

Bottom line seems to be - give them what they need to be strong and healthy from the inside out and don't cause them unnecessary stress, then they should be able to take care of themselves.

Thanks!

Susan.