sav shedding problem!!!!!

im very new to monitors(this being my first 1) and i bought a sav from petco where they told me nothing about it. i got a book that told me alot of stuff i needed. but nothing about shedding problems! so hes a baby in a 40 gallon tank with dirt and 3 hiding spots. he has a basking spot of 100F, the hot end is 90F and the cool end is about 80F. at night the hot end is 80 and the cool end is 70. his toes wont shed properly and the tip of 1 had fallen off! i tried soaking him in warm water for 40 minutes and i got most skin off after trying for an hour but 3 of the other toes are much darker(almost black) and i couldnt get the skin off there. please help! any suggestions at all please!!!!

thank u

If the digits are black or close to it, then necrosis has probably set in (the fingers are basically dead tissue) and they will need to be amputated before a serious infection can possibly spread through his body. I'd be willing to bet that the humidity isn't at a proper level inside the enclosure. If you're using a screen lid, then that's the most likely reason for the loss of humidity. You need to keep the substrate just moist enough without being wet (which will cause other problems). Check out the Sav care sheet and this FAQ page http://www.proexotics.com/FAQ2.html#19 concerning substrate for monitors at Pro-Exotics web site for good info on this subject.

alright thank u. i keep the humidity at 65% and i mist twice daily becuase i read they like it dry. i guess thats wrong so ill read that faq sheet and correct any mistakes i have.

thank u very much

Keep in mind that air humidity and the moisture content of the soil are two different things. They may appreciate the air being somewhat on the dry side, but they stay in burrows that are deep enough to provide moisture that keeps the shedding problems to a minimum. Kind of hard to do in a 40 gal aquarium. Good luck!

well he is only 4 inches long so the tank is fine for now. i have 5 inches of dirt in there for him. thank u tho ill try to keep the ground MOIST. im used to snakes, there so much easier.