Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted about a week ago with concerns of my monitor not eating and not being very active. I took the advice of those who gave it to me. His eating has not improved, nor has his activity. He now refuses to eat! I talked to a vet about it and he said it sounded like he was getting dehydrated, or already had done so. He gave me some things to do, that was a few days ago. I have started doing them. Things like soaking him for about an hour in water and moistening his soil to raise the humidity.
I am in a dilema here. I told my sister back in june of last year that I wouldn't mind having another snake again, when I finish college! I had one a few years back. Well, she got me this monitor for a late Christmas present! I do not know were she got it. Anyway, I didn't know what to do, so I decided I would try and raise it. I am not doing a very good job as of lately. The real problem is I have no time to properly care for a reptile, which is what is needed for a reptile, no matter what it is.
I do not want this monitor to die! I need to find a way to get it to a place that can properly care for it. There are no rescues around where I live. I do not trust anyone I know that could care for it properly. Could anyone give advice on this situation? Would anyone on this forum be willing to take him in? I would even pay for proper shipping. I feel horrible about the whole thing! I knew I couldn't let my sister keep him or he would already be dead! My sister meant well, but sometimes things that are meant well, don't always go well. Thanks for any advice you all can give me.

I am sure there are a lot of people that would be willing to take the monitor in. I could take it if you couldn't find anyone.

My guess is that is was wild caught, full of parasites, and stressed. The vet could give you medicine to take care of the parasites. It seems that you have kept it hydrated.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had a BT that had similer issues. I took it to the vet and after a few weeks of treatment he started putting on weight and became more active.
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Ed

These heat lamps make my electric bill to high.

Ok, heres what i would do. Monitors somtimes just get dehydrated, who really knows why, some say it's stress or cage conditions or even food. Doesnt really matter, if hes near death and hes really skinny in the tail deworming meds can kill it easy.

What i would do is go to the store and buy some pedialite (baby water). Go to a feed store buy a syringe or maybe you have one (larger, the a diabetic syringe. Usualy you do not have to stick it down the throat, dont even try it. Fill the syringe with the pedialite and insert it through the side mouth of the monitor, like where the back teath are. Usualy it slides in the mouth, dont force it. Then inject the water into the mouth. The monitor will squirm a bit so be prepared, he probably wont even try to bite you if hes really in bad shape. I would do it 2 times a day about 8cc's.

If you dont like the syringe idea, somtimes you can get a squirt bottle and slowly squirt the front part of the mouth and they amazingly will drink it, they think its rain water (my oppinion). Use half the whole bottle and dont stop slowly squirting it in the front of his mouth. You may think none is getting in, but you will know if it does when the monitors head starts to point to the sky,(he/she is swallowing the water, its a good sign)

I dont know why but somtimes monitors even when being soaked and submerged under water dont drink it, sounds weird but its true. Soaking is good, but it doesnt get into the organs like through the stomach.

I was having the same problem with one of my croc monitors, it took like 2 full weaks to get him moving and eating again, he still will only drink from a water bottle not while soaking.