Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all!
Some of y’all may remember me~ I got Rico (black rough neck monitor) last Halloween~ so he’s a year old now. He seems to be doing well~ He’s grown very large and try’s to eat me out of house and home! Little piggy is ALWAYS hungry!

Rico is the only lizard I keep~ and since I probably would not recognize a minor problem (I HOPE I’d recognize a big one!) I just want to check in and see if he looks okay to y’all. I got a couple good pics of him today~ so here they are.

Does he look over~ or under weight? I think his weight looks about right to me~ but like I said~ I don’t know much about lizards. He’s ALWAYS hungry~ and I am sure he would eat MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more if I would let him. Right now he gets two P/K crawler rats, or two P/K weaned mice a day (sometimes every other day).

What about that circle on his belly? Is that just from resting on his fat belly?

That kind of "puckery" spot on the inside of his right rear leg was a pretty nasty cut when we got him a year ago~ it's healed over~ but never got the scales back there.

And his eye~ it’s *odd*. He doesn’t act like it bothers him at all~ but for some reason he is missing some scales on his right eye. It’s been like that for a long time (maybe always? I’m not sure~ could that be old scaring like on his rear leg that I didn't notice when he was a baby?)~ you can see it in the first pic here~ the second pic is his left eye that looks okay to me (Like I’d know!) Anything to worry about~ or just part of Rico’s “handsome features”? (I believe the red on his lips is from his “killing” his pre-killed lunch today)

Opinions welcome!
Thanks!
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Cheryl Marchek
AKA JM
Check out my website at:
The Red Dragons Den

Hello, he looks fine, a bit of an infection on his lip(common, just keep and eye on it) and missing part of that eyelid, old wound. That is no problem.

Does he have a heat pad, could be reason for that circle on his belly. It its just a stain then, try painting a red S on it. hahahahahahahahahaha For SUPER rudi.

He looks heavy, but so what, increase the hot areas temp. Not restrict food.

Eyes are bright, thats a really good thing. Keep it up, FR

Thanks!
Infection on his lip? hhhhmmmm.... I will watch that~ what exactly should I be watching for? Or will it be obvious if it gets bad enough I need to take him to a vet? ~ thanks.

Heat pad? No~ but I suppose his set up kind of works like one. He has heat from the top~ on both sides of his enclosure~ You can see how it's set up in the pic

On both sides there is a basking shelf~ about 2 1/2 feet above the shelf are a ceramic heat emmiter and a light. The heat emmiters are on 24/7 the lights are only on from 6am to 10pm. The basking shelves have a ceramic floor tile on them to absorb the heat and give him the option of being on the tile for more hear or on the wood of the shelf shelf for less heat. And~ obviously~ the bottom of the cage is cooler than either of the basking shelves.

His preferred area to rest is either on the very bottom under some some fake plants I have down there~ or on the left hand shelf on top of the ceramic tile. Is that causing the spot~ and is it a bad thing?

BTW~ when I first built that cage he fell off those wooden branches I put in a lot. I think it was you who recomended I replace them with "something rougher for him to hold on to"~ I couldn't find anything that fit and wasn't nasty looking~ so I wrapped ropes around the branches and now he shoots right across the cage when ever he wants!! (He still falls down when he see's the hemostats come out and gets too excited about the possibility of a meal though!!)
-----
Cheryl Marchek
AKA JM
Check out my website at:
The Red Dragons Den

The Red S~ That would work~ thats another of his favorite things to do~ stand up like he is in the first pic and show me his very empty, starving lizard belly! LOL!
-----
Cheryl Marchek
AKA JM
Check out my website at:
The Red Dragons Den

Hi,
Offer him some shellfish = prawns, shrimp, crab, and watch him go crazy over it - its an enjoyable supplement to his diet... his muscularture looks ok as he is standing on his hind legs, not putting his weight on his pelvis entirely = the enclosure offers him climbing which help with exercise and reduces obesity... they Love water, so a water basin large enough for him to completely soak, even swim would enhance his life... throw some trout/fish in the (clean) water tank and see if he goes fishing?

Cheers,
mbayless

Reptilicus,

Where do you get the shellfish?

Hello Steve,

A friend of mine Ben Aller (= Tectovaranus on here) gets them by bulk - and you can post to him for that. I go to my local fish market (not a food-chain store), and tell them I have big lizards that eat shellfish - do they have any scraps/throw aways (that are fresh)? I clean them off (always!) with cold water and offer them to the lizards which appear to enjoy them very much.

You will notice that addition of shellfish diet will 'brighten' up their skin significantly - and supplemented with other food items, will enrich your animals captive care - my animnals seem to prefer them - and they know better than we do what they need/want/prefer than we will ever know....

Good luck,
markb

I'm curious because it seems like a lot of trouble for imaginary animals.

Im curious why you are so interested in what I keep - you have brought this up before? Im flattered you care, but do not care what you have to say/think about me or what I do Richard.

FYI: What works today also worked yesterday.

I'll take that as none, zero, no monitors at all. Strange, your post made it sound as if you were currently caring for monitors and having great success.

Yesterday (figuratively) you jumped up and down and hollered that our husbandry practices would kill our monitors, monitors can't multiclutch, and we were all liars (anyone with the inclination to search the archives can see for themselves).

Strange how you define what "works".

First, you say things like your monitor will become more vivid in color, Yet you offer no proof of that. You know, a before and after, comparision. More importantly, nothing of your own to show or compare or just for us to enjoy. Nothing.

You cite one fellas accomplishments, yet he comes here and can cite his own. He doing a great job, Did you include what he actually does, or your summary of what he does? In my conversations with him, he had more to offer then shellfish. By the way, what is shellfish? clams?

What about you? can you show any of your own results? Anyone can say whatever they want, but how many can show it?

Have others done a great job with the same species, using a different diet base, yes. Was Their monitors colorless or less vivid, I don't think so, thought its hard to tell with dums, hahahahahahahaha drab lizard as an adult.

You collect papers, what do you think of unsubstantiated papers? So then what are we to think of your comments, they are un-substantiated, you provide no support other then words. All the while, so many others provide pics and progress, etc etc.

In fact, you have provided no support for any past experience you claim. In that sir, I have no other recourse then to not hold anything you say as meaningful. I also have no recourse then to warm others of this. I would stop this if only you would substantiate your comments. All I ask, is what you asked of me.

Aboved I mentioned the forums are great because you can comunicate, first person, with someone doing the work. Not with someone who puts his own slant on others work the offers it as his own. Or has nothing of his own to offer. thanks FR

Without even knowing what JM is feeding, you always add your bit, and thats fine. But I would like to ask, why do you add that when the persons monitor appears to be doing very very well. Growing, bright eyed and healthy appearing.

My personal opinion is, if someone has had a monitor for a year, and its progressing great. Then just continue what your doing. No need to even ask what they are doing.

Considering, you offer nothing else to compare too. That is, you do not show individuals that were fed what you recomend. To be important, those individuals should look healthier. You know what I mean? You just offer up stuff, and it appears to be for no good reason.

You never show, how well yours did/do on such a diet or with such a swimming area. You only seem to offer what you think gathered from a bunch of other sources, but not from one concrete or real source. For instance, the best success for rudis, has been Goons and she feeds a mouse based diet with Crickets to her hatchlings.

I say this because there are so many failures, and many are from well meaning folks taking the wrong advice. Then theres a great example of success and you do not offer it. Why?

Then why don't you offer real support to your suggestions. You know, captive success to captive success.

Lastly consider, a forums advantage is to talk, one on one, with someone who has actual experience. We all know there are books and papers, we all know how to find them. As I mentioned before, if you know of a good paper that pertains to the subject of the thread, it would be wonderful if you would cite it. But to give advice about something you have not successfull experience with is very questionable. Thanks FR

How old? I have a year and three month old black roughneck. I feed mine the same along with some turkey.

Yours and mine seem the same size. I too would like to know if healthy for that age.

If no one else responds, I would think that he/she looks pretty good and healthy to me.