Savannah monitor won't eat.. Please help

I will stay updated about him. Thank you be the info and the site. I will post more this evening after I try to feed him

Originally Posted by Wolfy-hound

You came to ask about your monitor NOT eating. That's serious. People are trying to help you get your animal set up correctly and that means that everyone is just "telling you what you're doing wrong"?

Come on. Monitors should not need to soak, much less every day. He needs dirt preferably. Proper humidity, temps(including the basking spot) and substrate are extremely important. People here tend to care about the ANIMAL first.

If you want good advice from people experianced in monitor care, you're getting it. If you want someone to tell you garbage like "Oh I'm sure he just wants to watch Golden Girls instead of MTV! He's fine!!" then I'm sure MySPace friends would tell you that.

Monitors need specialized care to thrive. Most savannahs do not survive more than a year after being bought and then kept improperly. People who love the species want to help keepers KEEP THE ANIMAL ALIVE AND THRIVING. That's why anyone bothers to asnwer threads asking about care tips. Please listen to advice and fix the issues rather than just getting mad that people are telling you what is best for the species.

It might not be as fun to listen to "You're doing this part wrong, you need to change to use this instead". But it's WAY less fun to look at a dead lizard. DO you want a thriving pet that's healthy and able to live stress free it's slanted lifetime?

Ditto. You asked for advice and you got it. If the advice received isn't something you wanted to hear or maybe implementing is just a little inconvenient for you...then maybe you should reconsider owning a monitor if you cannot adequately meet one's husbandry requirements.

Forget what pet store caresheets have told you. These are actual monitor enthusiasts that are trying to help you and give you sound advice based on their own knowledge and experience.

Any update??

I set him up in a 55g tank with peat moss in one corner. He had to lamps on a heat spot to warm him self. He lays on a rock under the lamps. But hasn't ate just letting him het used to it.

Actually the tank is a 75g. But he is the most nervous monitor I have had. I have plenty of experience with reptiles , it just every now and then you get an animal that acts different than the rest

An aquarium won't work, you need a wooden box. What are your temps now, basking, warm side, cool side? What is the humidity? How Deep and what are you using for substrate? What othe reptile experience do you have?

I'm sorry if an aquarium won't work. I don't have extra cash for a wooden box. But his temp is 80-90 amb. And around 110-120 under the lamps. He has half dirt and mulch for bedding that was for large monitors. Cool side of tank hits low 80s. Humidity is tropical I make sure it's up. The tank is about 2-3rd deep and bedding is about 6inchs to a foot. I have worked with ball pythons, leopard geckos, and own and breed alot of them. I have worked with many other reptiles too.

Any chance you can post some pics of the setup? What are you using for a top?

Originally Posted by Pinky gecko girl

I have worked with ball pythons, leopard geckos, and own and breed alot of them. I have worked with many other reptiles too.

I'm not planning on harping on the monitor care thing, but just in general terms...just because you've had experience with this or that species, doesn't mean you automatically are equipped to know everything about all. I know many people who are uber-knowledgeable about breeding pythons, but they don't know jack about lizards. And I know some who are very experienced with monitors, but are absolutely clueless about say, turtles and tortoises.

There are simply too many different species of herps for everyone to be an expert on all of them. And there is no cut-and-dry formula for husbandry you can just apply across the board.

How is your Savannah doing?