Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey,
I have a two foot savanna monitor. What do I need to know about deworming her? She was found in a yard in freezing cold Montana. Poor Girl...I adopted her from a pet store shortly after she was found. We are working on a bigger cage for her. We have a heating pad, heat lamp, big water pan, and some fake leaves. Any suggestions to make her happier? She seems a bit lethargic the last few weeks. We feed her small mice, raw beef heart, raw chicken liver, beef liver, goldfish, with some jump start and vitamin dust. I think I need to deworm her. What do we use and how much? Hard to find a reptile vet in Montana.

Thank you very much dudes!!!

If she's eating, and keeping or gaining weight, there is no need to deworm her

I wouldn't deworm it unless you see signs of parasites, such as the monitor not able to put on condition or evidence of parasites in the faeces. Lethargy and lack of an appetite may be due to a number of things aside from parasites, and I'd rule those out before using worming medication.

In the meantime, use a couple of flood lights instead of a heat lamp (I presume you mean one of the red ones?) and aim for a surface temperature of around 120F below the lights. Make the mice the main part of the diet, with the other items an occasional treat rather than the bulk of the diet. Make sure the animal has a choice of secure hide spots. When it is healthier, try using some deep dirt as a substrate for it to dig in (make sure your designs for a larger enclosure include a high 'litter dam').