I got a new asian water monitor baby and I have a few concerns. The hotspot in the cage above his Retes stack is 128-132 and ambient temp stays between 85-86. My problem is at night I have a ceramic heat emitter to keep the ambient temps up around 85-90 and keeps the floor of the cage about 92 or so. The monitor sleeps under the retes stack in which I have sand and dirt mixture and under that stack it drops to about 70 and is very damp and the heat just doesn't get there. In turn the monitor wakes up up with foamy mouth and lethargic because the temp drops too much at night. I wanted to just block off the botton entrances to the retes stack and solve the problem but I want him to have the elavations to regulate his temp. Adding a more watt heat emitter will still not penetrate under the retes stack and the cold dirt/sand. I know that the new monitors must have a good hide spot to feel secure so I'd like to still have plenty of hide levels on the stack.
Does anyone have some good advice on what to change or an easy fix. The last thing I want is a lizard with a resp infection.
Also it has been throwing up it's meals, I was thinking this was because of the cold drop at night because it would happen in the morning afterr the day heat bulbs kicked on and it came out. It has another pinky in him right now and it is keeping it down. I am hoping it doesn't have some kind of parasite or internal problem. It is a farm bred monitor from overseas.
Thanks in advance for any help!
