Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[HenrikM.]

Hello everybody.

Just got a savannah monitor to holiday care. It's going to be here 3 weeks and it might stay here if my monitor accepts.

He/she has some problems which I'm a bit worried. She was a very small when the person who owns it bought it. It was only 78g and 35cm, basically only skin and bones a year ago. Now she's 47cm/387g but very sluggish. She won't chase her food, has a lousy grip when she gets a hold on something edible. She had escaped and got bitten to head by ferret quite badly but the wounds have healed. She still has scars on her head and on the jaw muscle so that might contribute to the grip problems. The scars have some odd dark growth on them so I started to clean it and it started to look a bit better. Also she couldn't hiss properly when she came so I thought it might have respiratory problems as she has been in quite dry environment, breathing was a bit like gasping every now and then. Upped the temps and humidity fri when she came and yesterday she really told me to f off with a loud hiss. She has 3 hides in her terrarium but she never goes anywhere from the warm end. Low end 24C basking site 45C, humidity 45-60%.

So am I worried about respiratory and skin infection without reason or do you guys think it could be those that effect the healthiness? I'm going to worm her this week. Pilvi Lassila a Finnish small animal vet said that sulfadiazine-trimethoprim (spelling?) containing antibiotics are suitable for reptiles so are they suitable for monitors?

With heaps of problems Henrik M.
Thank you

[HenrikM.]

Well, raising temps did the job. She's one mean lady I tell you, I'm almost 100% sure she is a lady. Much more slimmer head than my own has, no bulges at the base of the tail, hisses alot but runs away. Now she leaves the warm end and roams around the kitchen.

We just showed them to each other and were a little bit scared what would happen because she's so small. Armed with blanket and water we took a chance. It looked like my monitor was about to take a bite from back of her neck or head but then he moved on to rub his chin on her back and trying to grab her from the side with left forelimb. We took them apart at this point since I don't know what would've happened. Was this just dominating or would that lead to mating?

[Fixx]

The rubbing and clasping is mating behaviour.