Savannah Monitor Help

I received a phone call today about a lady who has an adult savannah monitor. She told me she had to take it to the vet because it had sat soaking in it's water bowl and fell asleep for a few hours there, and then woke up and basked under the heat lamp and got blisters all over it's back. The vet is treating the blisters with betadine and some kind of cream. (the lady couldn't tell me what it was exactly). The vet told her to take out the water bowl and only give the monitor a bowl big enough for it to drink out of and put the soaking bowl back in after the blisters have healed. Now, this lady is asking me what to do cause she is afraid to put the soaking bowl back in for fear it will happen again. I don't know enough about savannahs to give her advice. I told her to ask the vet again, or possibly see another vet. Unfortunately, reptile vets are VERY scarce in this area. She told me her setup is a 4'x8' wood enclosure with 2ft of soil to dig in. She said the basking spot is 130F and the rest of the cage is 85F. I don't know what to tell her as I haven't ever heard of this happening. Any suggestions?

If the monitor has a habit of defecating in it's water bowl (like every savannah I've ever had), then it's good advice to keep the bowl out until the healing process is complete, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria if not cleaned immediately.

My first question would be are you sure your friend is reading the basking temp correctly? It wouldn't be too hard to possibly make a mistake reading the temp. 130 degrees sounds about right, but if the bulb being used happens to be a spot lamp as opposed to a flood lamp, there could be a hotter spot being created, causing burns.

Tell your friend if they still want to soak the monitor on a regular basis, use a separate container, or even the bathtub (as long as it's cleaned before and after), with constant supervision during the soaking sessions.

I wish your friend and the monitor the best of luck!

Just a thought, try taking the temp at the height of the back of the sav. I suggest placing a rock there the correct height, leaving it for an hour then use a temp gun on the rock.

I never thought about the different bulbs or the height of the sav's back. I will call the lady tomorrow and ask her about the bulb and also about getting a basking temp the height of the sav's back. That's an interesting thought. I guess if the sav had soaked for so long that he was water logged and then went under the lamp that might even be a little too warm, it could do a lot of damage. Do you think the rock though would give a higher reading than what the sav's back would be since a rock would absorb more heat...I think? LOL

I don't think the water in conjunction with the heat would be the cause (IMHO), just the heat alone. I'm guessing the advice from the vet about the water dish was based only on a sanitary consideration for the healing wound. John gave a good suggestion though.

Ok, so I went over to the lady's house. Nice setup and it seems like she is doing everything pretty well. The sav, however, not so good. I checked out her basking lamp, and she's using 50w halogen flood from walmart. She has the basking area elevated on a wooden platform. So, the lamp was within 18in of the platform. Now, that being said...I took my temp gun with me and took readings. The platform was indeed between 128-134, so I took a rock about 4 inches high (as her sav is pretty fat! LOL) and left it sit for half an hour and took temps again. Well, the rock was 152! I figure the mystery is now over. Her sav will be ok according to the vet, but it's going to take a LOOOONG time to heal those blisters. The poor thing. She was taking temps with a digital thermometer but suprisingly it was accurate! Not sure if the temps would be any higher after more than half an hour, but we raised the lamp up and she's going to be purchasing a temp gun too.

Fraggin-Yes, I believe all monitors are terrible for defecating in their water bowls. I agree that would only be a playground for bacteria. She actually had a small pond in the cage! I guess that's why she didn't want to take it away from him. She's going to wait until all the burst blisters heal before she fills it up again.

John-That was a good idea. I'm used to dealing more with beardies and such and never thought about how much bigger savs are in comparison.

I'd like to thank you both for the help. I told her about this site so she can come and learn and share as well. It's nice to know there are others out there that can help when you need it! Thanks from both of us!

It was no problem at all, glad to hear the monitor is in caring and capable hands (including yours)! I have a rescue sav named Lucky, and he's become more than a pet, but also an amusing and interesting companion.

Yes, I saw pictures of Lucky and he's quite nice! Very beautiful! I'm sure you will take good care of him!

For whatever it might be worth... Blisters with reptiles can mean a few different things, including one that fits the diagnosis that was handed down for this animal.

Mammals get blisters mostly as a result of heat damage (burns) or a result of pressure or friction causing subcutaneous damage that fills with liquid. Sometimes blisters can also be associated with localized exposure to toxins (particularly bad poison ivy exposure for example). These can apply to reptiles as well but...

Blister disease is a common name for a condition where an animal gets subcutaneous infections and the scales and skin bubble up. These are generally bacterial although fungal infections can rarely cause similar symptoms. Scales get worn out. They get scraped and touched and used and covered in microscopic abrasions and holes and damages even when they appear perfect to the naked eye. If bacteria gets in there and settles down, the localized infection can cause a bubbled appearance in some species. It's most commonly associated with soaking in water containing bacteria (often that's been defecated in) or when a species is kept in conditions that are too humid and wet for them for a prolonged period of time. Dry docking them during treatment is generally part of the process.

So... if a vet diagnoses blister disease and recommends pulling the water dish after they have seen the animal directly and formed a diagnosis... it's counterproductive and completely inappropriate for people who have never seen the animal in person to decide the vet got it wrong and that it's probably a heat lamp burn.

Seamus.....you are absolutely right. Just to point out though, neither I nor John said anything about the vet 'getting it wrong'. The OP didn't say anything about the vet diagnosing blister disease, just that there were blisters on the sav's back. The actual cause for the blisters was never stated. It was wrong for me to assume though that they were caused by overheating. I stand corrected.