Aa
savannah monitor health
my savannah has not eaten for 6 days and all it wants to do is sleep and on the 6th day she starts to shiver or shake on and off. Her body appearance is still the same. she still looks healthy but she never done this before. I hope some one can help me and my savannah out.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Oh my . . . we definitely need to help your savannah monitor. The symptoms you describe (not eating, lethargic, not defecating, and shivering or shaking) warrant an immediate visit to your veterinarian. Please do not hesitate, as a young monitor can go downhill very fast, especially when they are not eating. Although I cannot tell you what is wrong without a thorough examination, I can tell you some basic husbandry needs for your monitor.
Your substrate of choice will give many herpetologist concerns. Brown butcher paper is actually the easiest and least expensive substrate and is very easy to clean. The problem most people complain about is that it doesn’t look nice. Another alternative would be Astroturf or indoor/outdoor carpeting. You can keep extra pieces cut to fit your tank, while you clean & disinfect the soiled one. The reason many reptile owners will avoid the loose substrate is the danger it may pose to their pets. There is danger that the small particulates can get accidentally ingested causing impactions that can be lethal! They can even ingest it while they are defecating. Monitors evert their cloacal tissue when defecating. Small particulates can stick to the everted tissue, and be drawn back into the cloaca causing injury and infection. The substrate is also very difficult to disinfect and clean completely to prevent other bacterial and parasitic infections.
Savannahs also like to soak in baths. This will help to shed their skin and give them the high humidity environment that they prefer. This water bowl or tub has to be large enough for them to submerge themselves. Also it needs to be cleaned often, as they will defecate in it.
As far as food, they need quite a variety. Although they tend to easily get overweight if fed a high fat food and not given much exercise; when they are young and growing (the first 2 to 3 years) they require the greatest amount of food. Going without food will emaciate them quickly and lead to illness or even worse. Hatchlings can be started on crickets, earthworms, and pinkie mice (when the monitor reaches about 2 months old). As the hatchling grows, you can switch to fuzzy mice. A small amount of high quality, low fat, canned dog food can also be offered to sick monitors that need the extra calories. Be careful though as too much dog food can be harmful and can lead to other health problems. Healthy pre-killed rodents should be the staple food source. Be careful about catching your own invertebrate prey (such as snails, worms, crickets, cockroaches, etc) as they may have residues of yard fertilizer, etc that can harm your monitor. Hatchlings up to one foot in length require one to four mice every 2 to 3 days. Juveniles up to three feet in length should be fed one to four mice twice a week. You can inject pre-killed whole mice with Nutri-cal or other high calorie supplement.
I am worried that your monitor needs veterinary help. She may be impacted if she is not defecating. She may also not be getting all the necessary nutrients for a healthy body. Please bring your pet to have a full physical exam with a veterinarian that is familiar with reptiles. Good luck!
Dr. Youkey
Your substrate of choice will give many herpetologist concerns. Brown butcher paper is actually the easiest and least expensive substrate and is very easy to clean. The problem most people complain about is that it doesn’t look nice. Another alternative would be Astroturf or indoor/outdoor carpeting. You can keep extra pieces cut to fit your tank, while you clean & disinfect the soiled one. The reason many reptile owners will avoid the loose substrate is the danger it may pose to their pets. There is danger that the small particulates can get accidentally ingested causing impactions that can be lethal! They can even ingest it while they are defecating. Monitors evert their cloacal tissue when defecating. Small particulates can stick to the everted tissue, and be drawn back into the cloaca causing injury and infection. The substrate is also very difficult to disinfect and clean completely to prevent other bacterial and parasitic infections.
Savannahs also like to soak in baths. This will help to shed their skin and give them the high humidity environment that they prefer. This water bowl or tub has to be large enough for them to submerge themselves. Also it needs to be cleaned often, as they will defecate in it.
As far as food, they need quite a variety. Although they tend to easily get overweight if fed a high fat food and not given much exercise; when they are young and growing (the first 2 to 3 years) they require the greatest amount of food. Going without food will emaciate them quickly and lead to illness or even worse. Hatchlings can be started on crickets, earthworms, and pinkie mice (when the monitor reaches about 2 months old). As the hatchling grows, you can switch to fuzzy mice. A small amount of high quality, low fat, canned dog food can also be offered to sick monitors that need the extra calories. Be careful though as too much dog food can be harmful and can lead to other health problems. Healthy pre-killed rodents should be the staple food source. Be careful about catching your own invertebrate prey (such as snails, worms, crickets, cockroaches, etc) as they may have residues of yard fertilizer, etc that can harm your monitor. Hatchlings up to one foot in length require one to four mice every 2 to 3 days. Juveniles up to three feet in length should be fed one to four mice twice a week. You can inject pre-killed whole mice with Nutri-cal or other high calorie supplement.
I am worried that your monitor needs veterinary help. She may be impacted if she is not defecating. She may also not be getting all the necessary nutrients for a healthy body. Please bring your pet to have a full physical exam with a veterinarian that is familiar with reptiles. Good luck!
Dr. Youkey
My savannah has an 75gal. tank with topsoil and playsand as substrate.
She has a basking lamp that keeps the tank at 90-98F and a spray botle to keep the humidity at 50-75%.
She eats a few mealworms and crickets every other day and a hard boild egg 2 times a week.
She has not sheded in about 3 weeks.
It looks like she has not used the restroom in a week.
She is 8 months old and about 11inch. long
She has a basking lamp that keeps the tank at 90-98F and a spray botle to keep the humidity at 50-75%.
She eats a few mealworms and crickets every other day and a hard boild egg 2 times a week.
She has not sheded in about 3 weeks.
It looks like she has not used the restroom in a week.
She is 8 months old and about 11inch. long
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi there...Savannah Monitors are such neat animals....I sure hope our veterinarians can help you.
Can you help by providing some more information for us? What kind of enclosure does she have and what kind of heat and light sources do you have?
What is her current diet and how often does she normally eat?
When was the last time she shed?
thanks...I think the answers to those questions might help our doctors.
Can you help by providing some more information for us? What kind of enclosure does she have and what kind of heat and light sources do you have?
What is her current diet and how often does she normally eat?
When was the last time she shed?
thanks...I think the answers to those questions might help our doctors.
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