Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello I recently acquired a 2 foot savannah moniter from a friend, who unfortunately took terrible care of it. It eats well and my cage is up to par, per the proexotics caresheets and everything I have learned from many hours surfing the net. problem is I know the poor thing is severly dehydrated as it hasnt gone to the bathroom in a while. I have taken it to the one local vet who does limited work with exotics and they couldnt do anything for me. I have my humidity levels at about 50 percent so that isnt my concern, I was just wondering if there was any way to get my moniter back on track a little bit quicker.

well im not an exspert as im new to monitors myself but depending on its size I would say Soak him to rehydrate.. put him in a bathtub or tank with that that comes up to his shoulders and just let him soak for 2 hours.

just baout every care sheet ive read on monitors so far says that soaking is a good thing to keep your animal hydrated.

if its baby pro Exotic's talks about putting in a tank that is full of Papper towls tha have been soaked heavily..

thats all i can sujest but like I said in not an exspert.

Justin.

well im not an exspert as im new to monitors myself but depending on its size I would say Soak him to rehydrate.. put him in a bathtub or tank with that that comes up to his shoulders and just let him soak for 2 hours.

Don't put him in the bath tub.If the humity levels good and they have a deep burrow able substrate and you cover the top of his cage,just provide him with a water dish large enough for him to soak in.He will be fine.Monitors do not like to be handled moving him from his cage causes stress,if stressed out he could stop eating and drinking.

greg

Sometimes what looks like dehydration can be a sign of underlying issues such as protazoans [treat with Flagyl] and even panacure a much safer medicine used for worms also does knock down protazoan numbers. These problems often occur under stressful conditions such as a new home or more comminly seen in WC imports. The good thing about monitors is being able to inject the meds into the prey item like a FT rodent. I would try and take a stool sample if you can and get any Vet to put it under the scope, it is very affordable [10-15 bucks] and can tell you alot. Coccidia is usually the one that shows itself by the monitor looking dehydrated and is cured with another drug called Albon. All of the above are very treatable but like anything catching it in time is key.
Good luck, Robert
www.herphatch.com

Thanks I will give it a shot.

Soaking will work well for rehydrating, but if it is a chronic issue, there could be lots of underlying problems.

Soak for 30-60 minutes, no more, and change the water if it gets fouled. Soak two or three times in a week, and then reevaluate.

In the meantime, have a vet do an evaluation, including a fecal.

Terrific husbandry is going to be your best bet to getting the animal turned around.

Get a copy of the Savannah Monitor book by Bennett and Ravi, available here on the classifieds, and follow it closely.

Check out our site for more info, in the caresheets and FAQ.

Best of luck.
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robyn@proexotics.com

ShipYourReptiles.com
Pro Exotics Reptiles

Im going to have to disagree with you on this one.What is the point of soaking?Monitors do not absorb water though there skin,they have to drink it.Now a stressed out monitor is not going to drink in a bathtub.So what is the point of soaking him in?The first thing that needs to be done is get some pictures of your set up or give detailed description so we can help fix the problem(ie screen top high watt bulbs)

I f you set them up properly,give a good range of temperatures and humity,and give the monitor time to settle in he should start drinking on his own.Moving to a tub 2-3 time a week will only cause more stress which could lead to more problems

greg

no screen top or high watt bulbs, plexiglass lid, basking area is 120 to 130 degrees. soil is moist, but not soaked adequate hides and humidity is around 50 percent. He eats well, has great color bright eyes etc. problem is he came from terrible living quarters as in glass tank, screen top, high wattage bulbs. So im pretty sure he is dehydrated as hell.

It sounds like you already know what you are doing.If he is dehydrated make sure the soil is deep enough that he can burrow in(the deeper the soil the higher the humity at the bottom)If you can mix the soil with play sand,as this way it will hold a better burrow.What I would do is provided a water dish big enough for him to soak in,make sure the substrate deep enough for him to borrow in and leave him alone and he should bonce back.

greg

I usually see a much stronger drinking response when soaking as opposed to offering a water bowl, for dehydrated animals.

Soaking also helps to loosen up sheds on overly dry toes, tails and scales.

It is not necessary for a long term properly setup animal, but it definitely comes in handy for trouble cases.
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robyn@proexotics.com

ShipYourReptiles.com
Pro Exotics Reptiles