Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, Sorry if this is a silly question but I rescued a small savannah monitor(very small SV length is only 4in or so) today that was "dumped" on my cousin (who thought it was a desert iguana). I own 2 iguanas but have no monitor experience at all and just went thru hours of "crash course" online and have him set up pretty well for the night. My one question is, somewhere i read that his inside mouth is suposed to be a healthy pink, well he just yawned and his mouth is definately black inside. He also seems to swollow very hard ocationally. Other than being dehydrated and taking a big drink when I got him settled, he is actively exploring his new surroundings and has no visible discharge or signs of illness.

Is this black inner mouth and swollowing pattern normal? he was previously in a filthy 20gal tall tank, with a dirt substrate full of morphing uneaten mealworms and crickets, with 2 green iguanas, 2 local lizards, and no real bottom heat source (he was cool and unresponsive when I removed him and has definately perked in the last few hours)and no water.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, so far ive found alot of info on habitat and feeding but very little on common ailments and thier symptoms.

Thanks

Yes, some of them do have black colored throats - don't worry, be happy....as long as it is eating and pooping well, and all other good signs of health, enjoy...
cheers,
mbayless

Well he eats great, and I really have no idea what monitor poo is suposed to look like, but his was somewhat undigested, probbably from the low temps he was in previously. I have no idea how MUCH to feed him tho, he gobbled up 10 small, well loaded crickets today is that way too few? I have scanned the web and the boards but cant find any listing of "how many" he should be getting at his age/length (just over 9 inches including his tail) If anyone can give me a rough estimate I would really appreciate it. Or do I just feed him as many as he will eat in one sitting? I've included a picture and would love some feedback if anyone can help clear that up.

Picture

As they say at Pro Exotics, keep em hot feed em alot.
Give the little bugger all the dusted crickets it is willing to eat. You might want to try pinkies too, it looks like it could stand to put on some wieght. Good luck

Scott
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.