Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know I shouldn't even post this on this forum because I will get flamed but here goes...

Can someone enlighten me with information on hibernation in monitors? One of my Argus that I keep in a cage to itself has gone into what I believe is hibernation this winter. He has burrowed into the dirt and is staying there. He hasn't eaten much in the last month or so.

His feeding had cut back and he stayed in his water dish most of the time up until 3 weeks ago when he ate 4 mice like he was starved. Then he burrowed down and has stayed there until I got him out the other day. He basked, soaked, and then went into the burrow. He didn't pay any attention to mice or rats that I put in his cage. He has lost some mass.

The Argus is about 31 inches long and has seemed very healthy. In the fall I got him from someone that had him for a year. He had grown 3 inches was doing great (active, very alert, and ate daily) until December.

His cage is 4ft X 2.5FT X 4Ft. The ambient temperature stays between 77 and 82 degrees. The basking spot is 150 degrees at the hottest, but he can move away from the direct light and the temperatures ranges down to about 95 degrees. The temperatures are measured with a PE temp gun. The humidity varies from 60% to 70%. This setup was working great for him until December.

My other Argus is healthy and doing great. He is about the same length but younger and less massive. He is in a much bigger cage and I see him, and he eats every day.

Does this seem like hibernation? I haven't had a monitor to act like this before.

Picture was taken on 11-5-04

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Ed

There are chameleons, pythons, and monitors in my jungle room.

Well there's your problem.... Your cage temps range down to 95?? You are baking the poor monitor.. He has no place to retreat to when he gets too hot... Monitors like to be 'cool' sometimes, so it is important that you provide them with temps down into the lower 70's, possibly even cooler, as long as there is a wide range of temps available.

Your monitor has been burrowed down in the ground all this time, because it is trying to get away from such a hot ambient temperature. He is not hibernating, he is trying to get cool. That is your problem, correct the ambient temps, provide a cooler 'cool' end, and you'll probably see a more active, happy lizard.

Cheers,

bob
TREEMONITORS.COM

I misread your post... I missed the 72-82 ambient thing,and thought that you said 95 as the low... sorry, now I honestly can't think of what may be wrong... Again, I apologize.. Best of luck,

bob

is your cage on the ground? Is it insulated and sealed?

If you live up north or where it is cold right now, he could be feeling the weather change. They are more sensative to these things then you or I. Do you turn the lights off at night? if so what do the temps drop to at night??

Thanks for asking for more information.

The cage is in my house in a room that stays in the 75 to 80 degree range all year. This part of the house is over a walk in basement and the cage itself is sitting on cinderblocks 2 high. This is the room my wife and I keep out herps in. I am in North Carolina and the temperature outside at 8pm tonight was 60 degrees. Even when we had snow on Dec. 26 and it was below freezing outside at night, the room never got below the mid to low 70s.

I do keep the lights on 24 hours a day now since it is cool at night. The cage temperature has never gotten below 70 to 75 degrees minimum since I put the Argus in it months ago.
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Ed

There are chameleons, pythons, and monitors in my jungle room.

Sorry, I forgot to say that even though I call it HIM, I am not sure that it is male. It is possible that it is a female. I got this Argus on 10-8-04.
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Ed

There are chameleons, pythons, and monitors in my jungle room.

well then it must not be going down to conserve heat, if it cannot feel any cold. Just thought I would check as I used to live up north and in the winter my monitors did strange things.

I have seen videos of biologists digging up argus out of the ground during studies. They did mention it was because of a dry spell. So maybe it is as Frank mentioned.

I'd double check everything and see if something isn't out of whack.

Argus live in burrows. They do not need to be hibernating to be in them. FR

I did not mean they were dug up during hibernation.

The show said they were in sealed burrows to conserve moisture caused by the dry weather.

I have never sean my monitors hibernate. I have only seen changes in attitude when living up north during the winter and prolonged periods of not eating and slowing down. Even when nothing changed inside of the cages.

Argus monitors, V.panoptes horni, are indonesian monitors. They are equatorial monitors and have no need to develop the ability to hibernate. They do become dormate during dry periods.

I have also kept bred and raised several generations of Argus and they have not shown any ability to hibernate.

At this time, I have other members of the gouldi complex outside hibernating, V.gouldi, V.flavirufus and crosses. We have tested Argus outside here and they simply die.

I am sure they will go down during storms and such, but I surely would not call that hibernating.

With that aside, why would you think an animals hibernating when the temps are hot(as you stated)? A reptile hibernates because the temps drop and become unsuitable.(same for moisture levels)

When I have a monitor, do down, I look at the cage and try and find out why its not suitable. Thanks FR

Thanks for the info Frank. I did think it was a stretch that it was hibernating. Heck Argus are from the opposide of the planet where the seasons are reversed anyway. This guy is supposed to be captive bred in the US though, and I did get him from someone that lived up north. Not that it matters.

The thing that made me think of possible hibernation was that he started acting strange as it got near winter. I will rethink the setup I have for him and may put him back in a quarentine enclosure to make sure he is healthy. I am getting low on ideas, though.
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Ed

There are chameleons, pythons, and monitors in my jungle room.

I am not sure its anything to worry about. Even indo monitors go thu seasons. Even if the seasons are not cold enough to make them hibernate. They do cause changes in behavior.

I have not problem seeing monitors have a different behavior in winter then they do in summer. For Instance, our lacies do not hibernate, but I do allow them to slow way down.

In the winter, the adults may feed once or twice a week and at times(cold fronts) go down for two or three days at a time, sometimes a few more then that.

Hibernation is only a behavior to avoid unsuitable conditions and in most peoples minds, cold. Its not needed for anything.

With that in mind, super hot summer temps are also not needed at all times. Or even wanted. I allow them to have different seasons, but I normally do not let breeders hibernate.

Of interest, smaller monitors like ackies and such, normally breed for me in the winter. The reason, its too hot in the summer. Kinda the same thing happens in nature for many of these smaller species.

Besides temps, won't daylight schedule influence hibernation behaviour (not referring to monitors). I'm asking because I have a box turtle who stopped eating and went into a complete hiding state as soon as winter hit, even though temps were the same. My light schedule was the same, though not sure if they sense change from the window, or other parameters such as pressure, humidity etc. Ball pythons also go off feed.

I think this was previously overlooked, but am I correct in that you are keeping the lights on 24 hours a day now? If this is the case, then you're monitor is going crazy. Some sort of non-light emitting heat source is best for night. I use ceramic heaters 24/7 to obtain a constant ambient temp. and then have my day lights on a 12:12 timer to add a daytime hotspot.