Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What would be the cause of a savannah monitor having a very thin and kinky tail? His age is unknown and was recently donated to an organization. His body (minus tail) is about 9 inches long. Also, he is kind of lathargic and rests all day. Any input at all is greatly welcome.

I have a blackthroat with the kinkt tail problem.
From what the vet told me it was due to malnutrition and dehydration.
Fluffy was 18 inches when I got him, he is, or was just over 4 feet until pieces of the tail started dropping off.
He was kept in a small aquarium with a screen top, no heat source, just a florecent light, news paper for substrate, and fed canned cat food.
He now eats 5 adult mice every other day with some dusted roaches thrown in. The vet tell me that the fat part of the tail will be ok, but he will lose the tip that isn't thickening up.

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

well mine lays down a lot but that is just basking is he sleeping or basking . and i don't know about the kinky tail , that could be a messed up tail . i would take him to the vet and see what they say about it .

The reason he has the kinky tail is because he did not get enough calcium,and the thin tail is because hes malnurished and dehydrated.He might not be active because hes malnurished and dehydrated,or just cause hes a lazy lizard.GOOD LUCK.reptileGOD.

What evidence or experience you have to say that it is from lack of calcium???? What would make you think that? Have you seen this before, and have lack of calcium be proven to be the culprit??

There could be many things that can account for a crooked tail, and I would say the most common cause of these kink tailed monitors, is dealers and keepers thinking that they can 'pop' their monitors hemipenes out like they can with snakes... In this process they end up damaging musculature, injuring the spine, and probably the reproductive organs, all in the same stupid procedure... But again, it could be a dozen other things..

I posted my experience with a kink tail on my blackthroat.
I also gave the info I recieved from my vet.
It pretty much came down to the previous owner was a dumb, lazy bassturd.
I spent a lot of money, time and energy getting Fluffy where he is today.
To save the sav, you will have to do the same.

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

When it was imported and starved for a while then fed dogfood or whatever it used more calcium than it could take in, resulting in that kinked up tail. Thats a common problem with hatchlings that are not fed or kept properly. Ive seen water monitors with that problem, and many others, always tiny little hatchling sized animals that you dont know have any idea on the age, they could be anywhere up to a year old or more. Unfortunately imports can be a gamble if you get them from a source that doesnt give them a great start.

Hmm, well. I'm gonna let those guys go on about their kinked tail. My question is what type of substrate is he in currently? I ask because sometimes a monitor will be active when you aren't there. Or when you're sleeping. I can tell my monitor is trampling around his cage because his dirt is dug up(trying to burrow) or it's just flung all around from trying to catch prey, or chase my stupid cats. lol. Without 24/7 surveillance(sry bout spelling) it's hard to say a monitor isn't active. He could just be resting when you're awake, and awake when you're resting. Just my $5.48. =-O
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1.0 Savannah Monitor - Artimus
2.0 Emerald Swift - Jesus, unnamed
1.0 Baby veiled Cham - Sir August De Winter 1-20-05 RIP
1.0 Green Iguana - King Arthur
1.0 Rose-hair tarantula - Bill
1.0 Basilisk - Adam
0.1 Water Dragon - Lady

Sleeps all day underground, and comes out around 12am or so in most cases. This is why they have choices and options, you know 24/7 lighting. His old owner had lights on 12 hours, then cold and dark all night.

interjecting somewhat un-related... they really can be hatchling size when they are a year old? i'm really wondering because i was told thats how old my nile was when i got him... i decided the guy was nuts, because he (to me) was CLEARLY a hatchling. he also had some kinking on the tip of his tail, and an odd "bend" in the middle. its been growing and fattening normal-looking though.... If he is actually over a year old, will it stunt him any, or will he still grow to his full size? he's grown like a monster in my care, snout to tip of tail hes like 2.5 feet, give or take. i've had him since jan 5th. (just looked it up, i had no idea that much time passed already)
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1.3 Dogs (max, tasha, kaya, screw)
1.1 Corn Snakes (Ghost Faced Killa - Ghost, Tigera - normal), 1.0 Yellow Rat (Tornado), 1.0 Tiger Rat, 0.1 Central American Boa Constrictor (Achilla), 1.1 Argentine Boa, 0.1 Burmese Python (Big Bertha), 1.1 Ball Pythons (Dip, Dot).
0.1 Rose Hair Tarantulla (Grumpy) 0.0.1 Usambar Starburst Baboon Tarantula 0.1 White Knee / Zebra Tarantula 0.0.1 Avicular Versicolor
2 ferrets (Otis, Milo)
1.2 Emperor Scorpion
0.0.1 Nile Moniter 0.0.1 Tegu 1.0 Horned Mountain Dragon
Jack Dempsey Tank...

This child was about 7 years old, he had it for 7 months, it was 16 inches long when he got it, it was 16 inches long when he sent it to my friend who sent it to guy who really wanted it bad. The original owner told the kid it was 18 months old when he sold it to him.
I recieved one of my BT/WT crosses at 2ft long 2 lbs 2 ounces and 2 years old. One year later he was 4ft and 10.5lbs, hes a difficult feeder also.
I ordered a cape banded WT for another friend, he switched hands from the guy who bred him, to his orginal owner, to the guy who traded that guy for him, then sold him to me for a friend who paid me (are ya lost yet). Anyways he showed up at 18 inches total and he was 18 months old! He was 3 ft long at 3 years old and 4-6lbs, I recieved him as part of a debt back again, a few months later he is almost 4ft and hes about 9.5 lbs.
They can make up for growth when conditions allow for it. Sobek is a good example of continuous resources available as she aged. Ive not always offered the best conditions to her but she was 5ft long at a year old, 6ft long at 2 years old, now shes over 3 years old and 6ft 3.5 inches long and 29lbs.

Is he not a b/t

Shes a BT/WT/WT cross, shes actually 2/3rds banded WT. She took features of both BT and WT, color and pattern from both. A BT as an adult is very dark, dull pattern, not tan color with little to no yellow showing. Shes Shadows niece.

man, i dont like the idea of my little baby already being over a year old : plus now i feel kinda icky buying from that reptile shop, i mean, i know he buys them from other people.... but hte idea of knowingly getting an animal thats a year old and way, way, way too small? the little guy was pretty small, he didnt look 'overly' uncomfortable in the 10 gallon cage he was kept in at the shop. he's starting to calm down a little, soi might actually be able to get a real measurement on him, but he was a few inches longer than this board that is like, 2ft long when i sort of measured him through the pillow case. he didnt fight me too much puttin him in htere, and let me open a bit to look at him w/o thrassing for a few minutes. he was pillowcased because i moved his tank, didnt want him to be in there incase i dropped it, plus it gave me a chance to soak him, he's in shed. but, not bad for four months.
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1.3 Dogs (max, tasha, kaya, screw)
1.1 Corn Snakes (Ghost Faced Killa - Ghost, Tigera - normal), 1.0 Yellow Rat (Tornado), 1.0 Tiger Rat, 0.1 Central American Boa Constrictor (Achilla), 1.1 Argentine Boa, 0.1 Burmese Python (Big Bertha), 1.1 Ball Pythons (Dip, Dot).
0.1 Rose Hair Tarantulla (Grumpy) 0.0.1 Usambar Starburst Baboon Tarantula 0.1 White Knee / Zebra Tarantula 0.0.1 Avicular Versicolor
2 ferrets (Otis, Milo)
1.2 Emperor Scorpion
0.0.1 Nile Moniter 0.0.1 Tegu 1.0 Horned Mountain Dragon
Jack Dempsey Tank...