Mangrove Problem

I recently got a juvenile mangrove(about 17 inches long) and he is eating well and loves to borrow. But there is one problem, when i wake him up to eat or to let him swim around the tub he gets sudden bursts of energy in the cage and slams his head into the sides of the glass and this has created a raw spot on his nose. I was wondering if this is normal mangrove behavior because i have never seen my savie do that and also is there any medication or anything that i can put on it
Thanks-P.J.

That is absolutely normal for mangroves - they are high energy, flighty creatures. They are totally different animals than savannahs, and you really can't make comparisons between the two. One thing to consider is changing the way you do things - there is no reason to "wake him up" to eat or to swim...you are probably scaring the heck out of him when you do it. Work around what he is doing. If he is hiding, leave him alone. You can put food in without him being right there watching; though depending on the cage setup and the prey offered, it may not be the best idea. How big is the tank you have it in? One thing that may help is putting some kind of covering on the sides and back of the tank - they aren't really good with the concept of clear barriers. I'm not really much for putting things on abrasions/raw areas, I think it is easier to keep them clean without any gooey stuff. If you really want to put something on it, you could lightly dab with betadine. (I'm sure that somebody will recommend antibiotic ointment, my problem with that is that the petroleum base holds dirt and whatever other nasties the monitor sticks his nose into)

The only reason i do wake him up is because when i just leave his food (ground turkek, chicken, and boiled egg) it just sits there and starts to rot in the heat and stink up my room so i figured waking him up would be the only way to get him to eat.

oh and he is in a 30 gallon breeder for now.

Originally Posted by p2daj21

it just sits there and starts to rot in the heat and stink up my room

I can see where that would be a problem, lol.

btw - as you probably know, monitors get alot of the nutrients they require from the gut of their prey...ground meat and boiled egg don't make a complete diet. (understanding that the fact that you did not mention other foods does not mean that they aren't offered)

Yea i forgot to mention that he gets pinkies also.