Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello. i am not new to reptiles but am looking for any ideas or tips that can help this poor savannah. he was on display at a pet grooming place.it was my first time there and i was horrified when i saw this poor creature. they ended up giving me this guy and i rushed him to my vet but we dont know if he will make it or not. he has a terrible infection, burns, dehydrated and is off feed.

he didint hardly move had no energy. the vet gave fluids and a baytril injection. he smelled HORRIBLE nearly made me gag the smell coming from him and his oozing wounds.
a adult rat had been left in his cage over night and chewed a hole in his side and it doesent appear any medical treatment was given. i had found out this injury happened in the spring of 2011 this pic is after much seaking and cleaning you can see the dirt stuck in it and its oozing a foul smelling liquid
he has wounds all over and his skin is splitting on his tail


right now we are treating with baytril injections.and force feeding a chicken baby food mixed with pedialyte mix. he has no intrest in eating on his own. he is thirsty though. i have been soaking him in a edialyte solution for a minimum of 30 minutes everyday and he seems to enjoy that and has perked up quite a bit

we are also putting a cream from the vet on the wounds. any ideas or tips that can help us?

Hi, the first thing I`d advise is to stop force feeding, so long as the monitor`s properly hydrated, food isn`t the most important consideration (I know, it would offer energy), but there are other methods besides doing that.
Tell me how you`re keeping the monitor just now; enclosure type, temps/humidity etc both ambient (air) and basking spot (surface). You need a cool side with an ambient of approx 80f (27c). (It can be lower, but raising them slightly will help at this time), then a basking spot (surface) of between approx 120 to 140f (50 to 60c). Keep the heat on 24/7 for the time being...

i know the set up i have right now is not ideal and too small i wasent expecting to come home with a big monitor!. my emegency set up is a 40 breeder. i have a reptisun 10.0 on him and a heat lamp. i use ceramic tile on the floor becuase it absorbs heat kinda like a heat rock without the risks. ambiant is running 78 and the basking area is at 97 under the light. i am working on a much better set up.hope to have it done by the week end. where i am located you cant just go and buy a decent set-up you pretty much have to make it. the new cage is going to be 4x8 and and allow for at a minimum of 1 1/2' of soil he can dig in. not sure what i can do right away for him to dig with the open wounds on his back and side. i dont want to make things worse for him. i also have a small kitty pan for water so he can soak in the water

That is so unbelievably awful. I'm glad you're able to give him a fighting chance.

I agree with murrindindi, though. Feeding should probably be low on your priority list right now. Getting his wounds treated and keeping him warm AND hydrated should really be top priority. Since you're keeping him without substrate, you should probably get him a humidifier.

As far as the bulb goes, you said it's a 100w regular bulb. That's using alot of wattage and not outputting much heat where you need it. You would be better off getting a spot lamp with lower wattage to get the directional heat that you need for a basking spot. The better setup would be two or three 45w bulbs arranged to create a large basking spot that he can fit his entire body under. Those dome fixtures are cheap at the Walmart, and so are the spot lamps.

wanted to say i do know he needs a hotter basking temp but if i raise that temp he wont go near it. i think it may hurt him with all the burns on his back with the heat.

O.k, tell me what type of heat bulb you`re using to get the surface temp, and what`s the SV length of the animal? You MUST provide proper basking temps, the monitor`s metabolism needs to function efficienty in order to heal, they are much too low just now.
I thik you`ll have a problem maintaining humidity with no substrate, but I understand about keeping the wounds clean.

right now i have a 100w regular household bulb on the cage

O.k, you need to get 2 or 3 low wattage halogen (flood) lights, put them in a row, that means the animal`s whole body gets heated (most important). also, you can move them closer to the basking spot without them burning (I`d suggest 40 or 50w), if three makes the whole enclosure to warm, use two.
That`s the problem when you only have a small tank, not enough space to get a decent temp gradient.
As I mentioned earlier, keep the heat on 24/7 for now, obviously making sure there are cooler, darker places to retreat to...

Thanks for the advice. I will plan on that with the new cage with this one it's just too small to put multiple lights on it. I had to put weights on it because he can lift the top. It's only for another day or so this weekend he will be in a MUCH better set-up!

Did the vet debride the wound? That wound from the bite NEEDS to be cleaned and good. If it has an odor, it may already be septic. If the vet did NOT do this, call them and ask them to do it
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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
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Unfortunately he is going to need surgery to clean that wound as it's been allowed to heal since spring2011 and the dirt is trapped. In his current state he won't survive it. I am hoping that he will recover enough with the baytril to be strong enough to be put under to get that cleaned and fixed as much as possible. I have been soaking him in pedialyte along with the baytril. He's a nice monitor I am very saddened that anyone could allow this to happen to a living creature. I guess it angers me even more that he's been made to suffer for so long. Please say a little prayer for poor mort.

well unfortunatly he has developed breathing issues. last night he threw up a bunch of water. hes a bit drooly. and he is now making a noise like a panting dog when he breathes. he also opens his mouth when he breathes. the vet said theres not much i can really do other then keep on with the meds hes already on. she is honestly suprised hes even still alive she didint expect him to make it through the first night.

Hi, these are really tough animals, but there`s a limit to how much mistreatment they can endure.
If this is the end, good for you for trying you`re best to help. VERY sad....Just another statistic....

Hi, and I do wish you the best of luck, if you indeed "rescue" this individual, then indeed its a rescue.

First, I have no idea what the outcome will be with your monitor. But most folks do not understand the abilities of healthy monitors. Use those abilities.

Both you and Cindy prejudice your statements. That is, it "needs" this or will perish without that. Those statements are not accurate, but of course not necessarily false either. Any and all monitors can perish.

The reality is, reptiles and monitors can survive servere physical impact. they have an incredible ability to heal and regenerate.

As an example, I have seen many varanids of various species in nature, that survived burns that included burning the tail off, and most the the skin on the back was burned off. These species ranged from small, ackies and brevis, to V.p.rudibis(argus type)

In captivity, we have unfortunately experienced burns much worse then those on your Sav, they can have full recoveries.

The point here is to support the immune system. This is of prime importance.

The fact that that individual is still alive with that type of serious burn, even after kept poorly, indicates its a strong individual.

I recomend supporting that individuals immune system with proper temps, most importantly a high basking temps, and proper cooler choices as well.

In this case, you really need to understand, that 99% of temperature regulation occurs while inside and not exposed to direct heat. of course a hot bulb would not be comfortable with those burns. But gaining heat while under a board or in a burrow, or hollow, is what is REQUIRED in this case and as normal husbandry.

Of course I am not saying do not take the Sav to the vet, I am saying, start with proper conditions, then if necessary, have the work done. If you provide good choices, that individual could heal in a few weeks and will not require a vet visit or surgery.

Please understand, I love Cindy, I do. hahahahahahahaha don't tell Virg. The key is indeed education. To fix or rescue an animal, you really need to have a model to work from. Or a goal to work to. Their natural abilities are both the model and goal.

The key is understanding how to support the amazing immune system these monitors have.

Also, this is the part thats most commonly left out, even by vets. Vets are famous for doing what they understand, the use of meds etc. As a keeper, you are required to be responsible to stand up for your charges and their abilities. Then balance the two, to a successful result.

Its after health has been restored that you can then clain a RESCUE. OH and finding a supportive home. Good luck and best wishes.

And Cindy, I meant what I said.

>>Hi, and I do wish you the best of luck, if you indeed "rescue" this individual, then indeed its a rescue.
>>
>> First, I have no idea what the outcome will be with your monitor. But most folks do not understand the abilities of healthy monitors. Use those abilities.
>>
>> Both you and Cindy prejudice your statements. That is, it "needs" this or will perish without that. Those statements are not accurate, but of course not necessarily false either. Any and all monitors can perish.
>>

Actually, I wouldnt endorse surgery here. In fact I would personally take a scalple and open that section allowing the infection to drain itself. But I have the ability to do that. However, sepsis is very common when wounds are left this long. It is amazing how quickly recovery sets in once you break that infection loose. That and getting the animal to proper temps will go very far. The biggest mistake I see people make is offering a temp of 90 and thinking that is enough.
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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
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i too rescued a very sick sav whos previous keeper thought it should eat doritos and chicken from kfc and wonderd why it wasent eating. i brought him home put in a warm tub of water to soak and he started drinking immediately so as a recomendation from previous experience keep him warm because they fight toxens in there body with heat. soak him like twice a day for ten to fifteen min keep with the antibotics and when he seems to liven up try feeding a small feeder mouse or even a hopper so he dosent have to exert to much energy and like the others said do stop force feeding they go for good periods of time without eating and his tail looks sorta healthy so he has a fat reserve good luck hope this helps