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Thread: Asian Water Monitor - Feeding

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    28

    Default Asian Water Monitor - Feeding

    Hey everyone, I hope its okay to post about my water in this forum. I really couldnt find anywhere else that seemed more suitable (or at least from what I saw browsing quickly.)

    But...I have my hatchling water in a 120 gallon reptarium (if that is the correct gallon size of the second largest reptarium?) It is on its ide, I have deep substrate of co**** bark that you breakup in water. I have two large logs for basking...one with a 150 watt bulb over it and one with a 75 watt. I have a uvb fixture that stretches he length of the cage, with a climbing tree/branch below it which gives him access to it (about 6'' or so from it, and alittle higher.) I have a large water bowl for soaking and swimming, and some other rocks and hides for more security.

    I have offered him mealies, crickets, ft pinky, egg, and tuna. He did seem to enjoy the hard boiled egg and crickets, but really doesnt seem intersted in the mealies or ft pinky. What can I offer him that he will take readily so that he can start to gain weight, cause he seems to be getting skinny.

    I was thinking about some live pinkies, canned monitor food (my friend uses it and his sav is growing great.) ground turkey, and some feeder fish. Any tricks to get him eating good? I always dust his food a few times a week with calcium and repti vitamins.

    Any suggestions would be awesome, thanks
    Meyer Exotics

    1.1 Red Blood Pythons
    1.2 Reticulated Pythons
    1.0 Asian Water Monitor

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Milwaukee
    Posts
    351

    Default

    I have had monitors and currently have a 6 month old Ornatus.
    The husbandry for both is very similar.
    Kingsnake has great info on their monitor forum but they are very critical
    with newbies. Meaning, it is not the most friendly forum. Good place
    to lurk with lots of info from experienced keepers.
    Also, check out proexotics.com too. They have some care sheets, etc.

    So how big is your baby water and how long have you had it?
    It is probably still adapting to it's new surroundings since it is more than likely WC.
    Do you have more details on the enclosure such as length, width, temps?
    Like tegus, give it a range of temps, a high or hotter side and then a cooler side. Daytime temps should be 80 to 85 with basking spot of 115 to 130. Also, be sure the humidity is 50 - 75%. If you have an open or screen top be sure to cover open areas - tin foil works well for this.
    By covering open areas you are holding the humidity in.
    For substrate use cypress mulch if possible. It works great for retaining
    moisture and keeping humidity up. Also, the water may like to burrow in it as well. The deeper the better. Like tegus, offer it a hide box and leave him be while he is in there.

    If your temps were off, that could be why he isn't eating. He should
    be chowing down crx, pinkies or night crawlers if he is healthy and your husbandry is on. If you have no success getting him to eat you may want to consider a vet check. I would recommend this anyway since it is
    more than likely WC. They can treat him for worms, parasites and protazoa with flagyl & panacure. Be sure he isn't gaping (keeping mouth open) and also be sure there isn't any bubbles coming from nostrils or
    foam in mouth. Any of those symptoms are indicators or respiratory
    and digestive tract infections.

    Monitors are normally super hardy but the collection and shipping of them is very stressful. Normally, they can keep bacterias and protazoans in check when healthy but their immune systems are comprimised during
    this arduous process, especially the little guys.

    Feel free to ask more questions and post some pix of that little monster!
    Good luck,
    E

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Bay Area,Ca
    Posts
    339

    Default

    better watch out with that reptarium give hima couple months and he'll be able to rip right threw the screening

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Lake Havasu City AZ
    Posts
    83

    Default

    One of my two niles took about three weeks before I could get it to eat anything. About the only thing I can get either of them to eat now are F/T fuzzies. A wise man once told me the key to keeping monitors is to heat'em and feed'em. Now who could that have been? :wink:

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Lake Havasu City AZ
    Posts
    83

    Default

    OH yea, If when you take him to the vet and the doc(the only one in town that will even look at reptiles) says (while looking at your monitor) What kind of Skink is this anyway? Just smile, and keep looking for another vet.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    342

    Default

    I would get rid of the reptarium, in my experience, they don't hold humidity well. At least get a glass tank, and cover the top with foil. (Custom built monitor cages are best, however.) I tend to use a yard dirt or topsoil mix with better results than coconut. I can get 130-165 basking temps with 50 watt halogens, you can too. A 150 watt bulb dries out the tank usually. Are the "basking logs" those crappy habba huts? If so, get rid of them. Get a good hidespot, that allows for a wide range of temp gradients. A retes stack is ideal. Pics of them are below.

    http://www.proexotics.com/retail_pro...ack_double.jpg
    http://www.proexotics.com/faq_images...ose%204-05.jpg

    You do not need UVB for monitors. This has been pretty much proven in the varanid keeping community, though some still use it. Get the basking spot to 120-130 for a baby water, higher for an adult. Stick with WHOLE FOOD ITEMS, that means no tuna (I assume it is not the whole fish) canned monitor food, eggs, turkey, etc. Feed him only bugs and whole bodied feeders such as fish, mice and chicks.

    If you disagree with anything I say here, feel free to discuss it with the true professionals, such as FR, robyn@proexotics, JPSshadow, and MikeT. These people are usually on kingsnake.com, a link to the KS monitor forums is below.

    http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?catid=55

    This next one is for the specific water forum, but you will probably
    have more luck on the normal monitor forums.

    http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?catid=270

    This is a link to repticzone, which has many knowledgeable people, but they can be harsh at times. (Believe me, I'm one of 'em. :wink

    http://www.repticzone.com/forums/Monitors/index.html

    Last, but not least, is the link to the proexotics water caresheet, and varanus.net, which is the most advanced monitor forum out there.

    http://www.proexotics.com/care_water.html
    http://www.varanus.net/forums/list.php?2

    You will probably get more info at these places than here.

    Good luck!
    Animals: Too many.

  7. #7

    Default

    Any suggestions would be awesome, thanks[/QUOTE]

    I Have a Baby and in the past few months he's hit a growth spurt shooting up six inches and packing on almost a pound and a half.

    If yours is not eating it may be his temps in the cage. In which case I'd suggest a temp monitor that they sell in the reptile section of most pet stores. if temps drop to low it often makes them lethargic.

    I've found that my Kong eats better when the prey is active he rather likes the hunt. I offset 3-4 mice a week with 30 crickets to go with each mouse feeding. And try to regulate a schedule. Savannahs and Waters aren't the same you can't really feed them the same way. And whatever you do Don't feed them feeder fish that was one of the first things I learned. Since feeder fish live in cramped spaces and swim in the water that they use as a toilet they harbor some nasty viruses and bacterias.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Citrus Heights, CA
    Posts
    815

    Default

    Hahaha!! This thread has been dead since April of '07... sorry, I had to.
    "Why do blessings always come in disguises? If I were a blessing, I'd run around naked."

    0.1.0 Bearded Dragon; Spaz (aka "Monkey")
    1.0.0 Bearded Dragon; Leonidas (aka "Jaba" aka "Fatty)
    0.0.1 Ball Pythons; Lil' Bit

    0.1.0 Argentine B/W Tegu; Bozski - *rehome*
    1.0.0 Argentine A/A Tegu; Oscar - *rehome*
    1.0.0 Ball Python; Moose - *rehome*

    0.1.0 Bearded Dragon; Knuckles (aka "Kitteh"), RIP
    0.0.1 Baby B/W Tegu; unnamed, RIP

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    915

    Default

    Well...I didnt even look at the date. lol but wow this is old.
    1.0.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    0.0.2 African Pyxie Frog
    1.0.0 Blood Python
    1.0.0 Albino Burmese Python
    1.0.0 Blue Tongue Skink
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    Roaches (Dubia & Lateralis)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

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    Nordica, I thought the same thing.
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
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    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

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