Sloughing problem.....Swollen finger?

I adopted a hatchling Savannah monitor about 2 monthe ago....he is growing quite well and slowly beginning to tame but is having quite a bit of trouble sloughin his skin. I also noticed today that one of his fingers has become swollen. I clean his cage daily as well as his water, he has a UVB light, plenty of heat 90-92 degrees during the day, 75 is pretty steady at night, he is eating regularly and getting calcium dustted prey as well. If anyone one can help it would be very greatly appreciated!

un-shed skin.....

...is the most common cause of lost digits in lizards, you'll need to take a close look at the finger to see if there is an un-shed ring of skin on it, and if so, give it a good soak in soapy water (the foot) and try to gently remove it with your fingernails or possibly tweezers (being careful not to damage his finger). If there's no dead skin there, then your best bet is to get him to a vet to have it checked out, just in case there's an infection present that will need treatment. Hope this helps, good luck!

Ideas?

Any ideas on curing the shedding problem? Is this common in young monitor babies? Just stress maybe? Thank you for your advice.

My first thought...

...would be to raise the humidity level in the enclosure. Regular misting, making sure you have a water container big enough for your monitor to fit into in case they want to soak themselves. Stress could cause problems too, so make sure he has enough hiding spots in both the hot and cool end of the caging.
Cheers!

I have that problem with some of my ackies. I find that giving them a good, long soak helps alot during sheds.

Jamie

skin it is...

It is skin however i can't seem to get at it with tweezers....how long is too long to soak him to try and soften it up a bit more?

A half-hour should be sufficient. Just keep an eye on him, and add warm (not hot) water as needed.

Jamie

Right on....swelling is going down...seems to be working thanks so much guys!

Wonderful....

That's excellent news Tony, good luck!!

Insufficient housing

Based on your description of your monitor and the tempaeatures I can tell it is improperly housed. You need three temperatures the first is a basking spot, a basking spot is a surface temperature, not an ambient or air temperature. It should be around 125 degrees farenheit. The next is a warm area. The warm area should be around 88 at most. The cool end should be around 69 degrees or so. In a properly designed and executed set up soaking is unnecessary. A screen top is usually not a good thing for monitors. What you need to do is also get it substrate. Dirt that it can dig in and create burrows. Dirt that can hold moisture without getting soggy. you are also better off with smaller wattage basking bulbs arranged in a row. Like say 2 40 watt bulbs adding more as the lizard gets larger. This allows you to get the bulbs closer to the animal, creates a longer more usable basking area, and eliminates risk of burns if the savannah monitor comes in contact with them. of course if an animal has been received in poor condition or with stuck shed then it is necessary to soak. Also check to see if it has been running around on carpet. Fibers can wrap around cutting off circulation.

In closing close off at least half if not most of the top to seal in heat and humidity. Create 3 temperature zones as indicated: cool end, warm end and basking spot. Add substrate that allows for burrowing and can hold moisture without getting wet.

Digby Rigby [email protected]