Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I recently got a new water monitor and he is not eating, or not eating as much as he should be. He kept to himself for the first 2 weeks and always hid, i found him wandering around when i came home from work and then would go back to hiding after he knew i was home. For the last week he was alert and trying to climb and explore his surroundings even when i was home, still not eating in front of me however. Now I found him wandering the cage with his eyes closed. I think he may be sick. I got him about 2-3months old and have had him for 3 weeks. The first two weeks I tried not to disturb him at all in his new cage cept when I cleaned it everyday and had to repair the plants he would tear down... Anyways I checked the temps I keep it at 85 all the time and the basking lamp on for about 8-10 hours a day (110-115). I mist him with a vitamin mist and dust his crickets. I have tried putting out ground turkey, pinkies, cockroaches, and meal worms and he isnt touching them. I think he may get a few crickets when Im sleeping but Im not sure most end up dead in his kitty litter bowl that I have filled with water for swimming... He has a four foot cage and likes to hang on the plants but now I find him climbing them with his eyes closed and walking around the cage that way. I tried to see if he was just sleeping and picked him up and he stayed like that even tried climbing up my hand with them shut. He opens them a little but just a crack. I am not sure what to do but I really dont want him to get worse and am trying everything I can to keep him healthy. Any advice would be appreciated.

your temps are too low.

how are you taking the temps?

the basking temps you mention are already too low. 120F should be the MINIMUM. 130F would be better. also look at your overnight low. use a min/max digital thermo for that.

the temps you mention are too low, if you measure them even more accurately, i wouldn't be surprised if they were actually lower still.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

I have two temp guns, I measured at the bottom of the cage for basking was around 110, he has a branch and tons of leaves hanging from the wall that bring him about 3inches from the screen where he hangs alot of the time. I am sure that is hot enough because there is a basking lamp and another heat lamp with a flourescent combo. I dont know how i would make the cage any hotter unless i put it in the garage. When I come home he is normally on the branch and at night I see him alot on the branches near the other heat lamp that i dont turn off.

temp guns are the right tool, but still, temps WAY too low. you can't just say "oh well" and leave the low temps. you'll have a dead monitor within two weeks.

don't forget to check your night time temps as well.

check out our site, specifically the FAQ section, for info on basking temps, elevated basking sites, and the Retes wood stacks.

i can pull 140F basking temps using a 50 watt Halogen Flood bulbs. it is all about your setup, it is far from impossible. it isn't even hard if you know what you are doing.

as for basking all the time, again, that is a direct sign that temps are TOO LOW.

really, your post is so easy to answer, it is super obvious. temps temps temps. get them up.

(get a copy of the Sav monitor book by Bennett as well, lots of good husbandry and temp info in there for you)
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

I sent you a email with pictures of my setup, I have been to your website many times, I actually was using one of your guides, I thought the temperatures were hot enough at the elevated spots so it was ok, I will fix it asap. If you could suggest what to do with my tank setup from the pictures I sent I'd appreciate the advice. Thanks.

~Matthew

While your temps could be the cause of no appetite I can't help but feel that the "closed eyes" is a whole 'nother issue, and one that needs prompt attention. Low temps won't cause a monitor to walk around with it's eyes closed.

I don't know if it's the "vitamin spray" or the type of lighting you're using, maybe even both. Mercury vapor UVB bulbs can cause eye problems in bearded dragons and I imagine in monitors, as well. Also, having any UVB light too close can do it. What kind of a heat lamp and/or basking lamp are you using? What type of fluorescent?

Definitely halt the vitamin spray. Use plain water if you need to raise the humidity. Any mold or mildew in the cage?

The closed eyes definitely concerns me. A great deal, too.

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

www.natures-signature.com

I have a 2 in 1 heat/flourescent that he is actually close to when he is basking, he climbs up to the top and basks under that directly, along with the other plain basking lamp. I dont think hes up there to much to get eye damage since his eyes are normally closed when he is basking but its something to look into. I will keep an eye on him after I get the temperatures up a bit more and discontinue the vitamin spray. He has a kitty litter size tub in there for swimming and the cage is about 4ft. here are some pictures-

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y275/S36637/PIC_1829.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y275/S36637/PIC_1826.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y275/S36637/PIC_1831.jpg

Well I thought maybe the mist I was using might be hurting his eyes and I thought the best thing to test that or help if it was causing his eyes to hurt would be to wash it out. I filled my sink with slightly warm water and picked him up ( he didnt move a inch just clenched my hand and kept his eyes shut... really starting to have doubts...) and after i put him in he laid there a minute and slowly started opening his eyes more and more. Finally he just burst with energy and started swimming about and then started opening his mouth when he saw me come over him. I had to get him back in his cage so i put some gloves on and he continued to open his mouth when I moved my hand close, I didnt back off but I stopped to show him I wasnt afraid... And it wouldnt turn into a reward for him. I slide my hand under him and gently put the other on top without restricting and brought him back to his cage where he went nuts trying to find a good place to climb or escape... I hope he stays this way but I still dont know about the food issue... There supposed to be little pigs and he isnt touching his food much or at all. I will keep leaving him alone now that I know he is a little better. And hopefully he makes a cricket sandwhich....

I saw the pics you posted above. there are a couple things you should change. First with the basking area. The plants are fine where they are and make good covering but add a couple branches underneath it (4 to 6 inches away). That will elevate him and make him closer to heat lamp and hopefully he wont have to bask soo much.Second you should ditch the betting you are using. To me it looks like "repti bark" which really sucks. It doesnt work to well holding moisture or tunnels for digging and when it gets dry it becomes really dusty. Hopefully after you've made some changes you'll see some spunk back into your monitor. I'd get something for it to bask on right away.

Robyn from PE suggested I use the Cypress mulch or a good soil so I think I will do that, when I had the bag it was wet with moisture and I thought it would be perfect since it had a lot of moisture... I am going to build a new setup and get him perched up close to the lamps on a solid flat rock so he can bask in 130 temps. I'll post some new pics when I get it setup tomorrow.
Thanks for the reply.

~Matt

That's to know you will cchange it's conditions.Hope everything will be okay w/ the young monitor. I'm sure you know how big they get but im not sure you know how fast. In about 2 to 3 months or so that 4ft tank of yours will be no good. i'm guessing you have just a little guy. Take care of it correctly and things should be fine. keep us posted and we'll see how big it mayy be in about 6 months.(by that time it should be the length of that tank.
Have a good one.

Yep I know they grow very fast, I will do my best to make sure he lives long and healthy. Went back to the store today they said it was probably dehydration with his eyes being closed and sluggish movement and to make sure I was misting the entire cage, so i am doing that now with just a water bottle instead of the vitamin spray directly on him. I got some rocks from out in the desert along with some from lowes for a flat top rock for him to be really close to the basking lamp. Now i just need to change out the bedding and seal the side screen so the heat isnt escaping.
Hopefully that will bring him back to life.
Thanks for the help.