Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am leaning more and more on my sav being pregnant. I posted last week with questions about this if you want to read that, but she is getting even more temperamental, she is not eating, but still looks healthy and almost 'fat', and when i checked on her yesterday there were holes all in a number of different locations throughout the enclosure as if she is looking for a good place to lay them?

I have no experience with this situation whatsoever and any advice or help on what to do would be appreciated.

I did fill up about a foot deep x 3 feet wide thing with some dirt/sand mix and soaked it with water so maybe she would take interest in digging there, since it appears she doesn't like any places in the enclosure, but so far there is nothing.

Should I be worried about her not eating? she has had about 3 mice this week i would say, and she usually has 3 every other day...

Thanks for any help-
D

A foot of substrate is inadequate for a 3-4' monitor to dig and lay eggs. I'd suggest placing a large rubbermaid with a hole on the top in there. Pack it to the top with slightly moist dirt. Cut a hole on the top of the rubbermaid just large enough for her to enter and start digging a nest. This box should have substrate temperatures in the mid 80's*F. If it's colder than that in there, put a heat pad on the bottom or side of the box or place the box under a red lamp, but get the 'nest' up in the mid 80's. Also lay a few boards on the substrate surface to trick her into tunnelling under these.

If she is unhappy with nesting she'll either 'test dig' all over the cage, scatter eggs on the surface, or can even die from holding them in.

Good luck on this cycle. Get the substrate deeper next time around.

Cool. Thanks.