Baby water monitors

CLYDEtheTEGU · New Member Joined: Oct 24, 2005 Posts: 3

Hello everybody, I recently got a baby water monitor, and all I can say is WOW! Though he is reasonably docile he stresses constantly then throws up. When I brought my first water monitor home he ate a few crickets and then just explored his new home, things were goin fine. but the next day he was goin nutts and stressin out bad and then threw up. after that he would not eat. So after about a week of that I took him back and got another baby w. monitor. I brought him home and he did almost the exact same thing stressed and threw up. I've did alot of reading up and havent heard of this but i dont know. So I'm just going to leave him alone for a few days and hjope he calms down and starts eating.
I also have a juvie B&W tegu and he is much more relaxed and easier to take care of. If any body knows anything about water monitors please tell me if this normal and what I should do.

Teiidae · Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 8:09 pm Post subject:

Eating and than throwing up could be a sign of internal parasites, and with 2 of them doing it which came from the same place, to me seems more probable...
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nogard · Member Joined: Dec 11, 2004 Posts: 33 Location: Mesa, AZ

Virtually all water monitors are all imported and only a few dealers take care of them, the same with niles, savannas and most other monitors. Pro exotics is a fantastic place to buy waters from, and with waters you get what you pay for, PE holds theirs for three months, deworming them, handling them and making sure they are completely healthy and feeding before they go on sale. In my experience with monitors, they are ussually very resistant to internal parasites, and when a monitor regurges and stops eating it may be the temps. What are the temps in the cage? What sort of substrate? I am just curious as to what may have caused it the vomiting and see if we can help you out, if both monitors were ill then it is probably and internal parasite or internal infection. Let us know ASAP.
thanks
tony butler

Nate · Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 10:12 pm Post subject: Throwing up

how long after you got this guy did you start handling him? How soon after feeding to you handle? WHY do you handle? sorry bout that last one. Anyway the throwing up is most likely a result of stress especially if your handling him, at all. You need to get your enclosure set up right. temps, substrate, humidity, and hiding places. Once it is all set up right and you've checked your temps with a temp gun leave him be. Don't mess with him. Change his water, spot clean for feces, and feed him. That's it. don't mess with him for at least a week straight better would be 2 weeks, but I know it gets irresistable to hold those cute little monitors.

Most monitors especially freshly imported as norgard said or even freshly arrived at your house will vomit when handled.

Ambient temps should be high 80's to low 90's on warm side and mid 70's on cool end of cage.

He should have a basking suface temp of 130 or higher. (check this with a temp gun)

substrate should be plain old dirt, or dirt/topsoil mixed with leaf liter or some people use straight leaf liter.

Don't need UVB

DO NOT use a majority screen top, won't allow for proper humidity

lay off an all cricket diet and start offering pinkies or fuzzies, whichever are more appropriatly sized.

Do everythinh right and you should have at the very least a 4-5 foot monster on your hands in a years time.

For the best salvator info on the web go to CyberSalvator.com

And best of luck.

it is a possibility that he may have internal parasites but medicating is usually (for monitors) not advisied. Boost his basking surface temps up 130-140 and if that's the issue should clear right up.
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nogard · Member Joined: Dec 11, 2004 Posts: 33 Location: Mesa, AZ

So what is the word on those waters? Any success with the info anyone provided? Just curious, I am wondering how much you paid for them, if you paid the same that I paid from PE($235) then I would skip the water and go for an ackie, I just got my first trio, and wow, I love these guys more than tegus, all of the monitor personality in a user friendly size and they are always U.S.C.B they can not be imported from australia, so they are all healthy
Let us know how your water is doing
thanks
tony butler

CLYDEtheTEGU · New Member Joined: Oct 24, 2005 Posts: 3

Bare with me, I'm new to the site and I'm not sure that Im replying the right way. Anyway so about my baby water monitor, the basking tempature is 105 I dont have any kind of uv lighting, he's in a 40 gallon terrarium with a hide box large water bowl and reptile bark as substrate. I mist the cage twice a day for high humidity... I am glad to say that yesterday I offerd some shredded chicken dusted with calcium and d3 supplment and he ate almost all of it, even though it wasnt very much. So that made me hopeful and happy. On some of the replys I got alot of them mentioned internal parasites. Can internal parasites kill my monitor? And if i rase the tempature to around 130 140 will it kill them? Let me know? Thanx

nogard · Member Joined: Dec 11, 2004 Posts: 33 Location: Mesa, AZ

Good at least he ate something try to get him to get some crix or mice instead of chicken, Also the internal parasites can be worrisome, but most monitors seem to be able to bear with them, I would recommend taking him to a vet, but most vets will not medicate monitors, I have no Idea why they just dont, and the 130 degree hot spot is surface temps, NOT AIR TEMPS, to get a surface temp at 130 it ussually only makes the air temp at 90-95 degrees, get a temp gun if you dont have one, you cant guess with monitors they have to be completely perfect. I also wouldnt hold him for at least 2 weeks just to make sure he is eating right, I dont hold any of my monitors or tegus for the first year, alot of times people will say their tegu hatchling is so tame, but he wont eat, that is from STRESS and almost anything will stress out a baby water monitor, ditch the reptile bark and get some top soil that holds burrows and humidity, make sure is doesnt have any pesticides or anything not natural in it or get some decomposed granite fill, that works great. Try and follow most of the stuff listed, and slowly start getting the monitor used to and a year from now you should have a fairly gentle giant, or a demonic monster it could be either or, take care and keep us updated. Hope fully others will help you out also or at least correct any mistakes I have made.
thanks
tony butler

Nate · Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 7:31 pm Post subject:

yep you seemed to have echoed everything I said Tony, sounds good.

Yes up those basking temps(like tony said, check with tempm gun, not air temp, surface temp) 130 is the preffered average basking temp. Air temps that high will kill though so make sure it's surface.

Whole food items are the best so like he said again try to work on that. If it's a whole food item like mice you don't need to dust them.

you said he's in a 40 gallon. I'd look for a bigger cage that you can set up a better thermogradient in. Also do you have a screen top on that 40? if so cover the screen with plexi or even saran wrap.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Nate Danforth
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