Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my savannah monitor about a week and half ago from the pet store I work at. Everythings been good he has great inclosure, and he's very healthy. The only problem is that at night he usually goes straight into his water bowl and sits in there. I know hes gotta be cold because the cage is around 70-75 at night. I have a seperate lamp with black light for night just to keep it alittle bit warmer but I stopped using it a couple days ago now that I bought a heat rock and put it under his substrate so he doesnt get burnt. Ive tried with the black lamp, heat rock, and nothing but he still goes and sits in his water bowl. Ive been taking him out of it and covering it until the morning because he is cold when I take him out and so is the water. Is this normal, should I let him be in there or just remove the water at night. Also is there any way to get him to eat the frozen pinkies. He eats alot of crickets but wont touch the pinkies I think because they dont move. Thanks-Ryan

I had this same problem with my first monitor. A beast of a critter known as a nile.
It all came down to my husbandry. I didn't have things set up quite good enough and the lizard was dehyderated.
It is soaking for a reason, not because it thinks it's fun.
I fixed the humidity problem and went to 24/7 basking lights.
I would dump the heat rock and the blacklight and just leave the basking lights on.
You are accualy defeating the purpose of substrate by burying a heat rock in it.
Substrate, or what I call dirt is there for a reason. It is a way for the lizard to exercise by digging, it is used as a burrow to get cool and hide, and it is used to hold moisture.
Check you humidity levels and basking temps and go from there.
As far as getting it to eat F/T, thats a no brainer, either chop it up or dangle it with tongs.

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

I will bring this up to you because you have taken the difficult task of trying to help others.

In this case, my first question would be, do you have a screen top? My bet is yes they do.

That is why savs soak, they are dehydrated. They also do it at night, because thats when the people are not around. Soaking in cool water compromises their ability to excape.

That is the first place to start. Fix the dehydration problem. Good luck with your task. Cheers FR

Sometimes I wonder why I even try, but I'm an old softy for these scaley critters.
I will continue to try, it is the readers job to follow up on the advise given.
I do get aggravated by people that post the same question over and over hoping for an answer they like.

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