New Sumatran Water Monitor

[yulyani]

Just a heads up on the minnows, they can carry some nasty parisites in them. Sorry after losing Bacardi due to a parisite have been doing research on the different methods of contraction to avoid my tegus getting anything. Having worked at a pet store rosy minnows are fithy fish, we would order 1000 and we would only get in maybe 500 of that because the rest would die. Feeder fish are just not healthy foods for reptiles or fish. I aggree with James that roaches would be a great place to start.

As for why he is the water all the time could be three main reasons; one there is no other place he feels comfortable ie no climbing areas or dens, it could be its too warm reptiles will soak when its too hot or another reason is the humidity is too low. I know come caiman lizard owners use to comment that their lizards were always in the pool and would never come out, turns out the humidity was too low. Bumping up the humidity made the lizards feel better and more willing to bask and leave the pools.

Just my two cents, these seems to be a long topic.

Chelvis do you think living Goldfish is also not good for monitor and tegu?

My salvator MJ (i named him after the king of pop because I also love both of them so much :shy: .... he is very2 fond of goldfish,....and everytime I came home from working he will be waiting beside the water pool begging for some goldfish,...if I don't give it to him,...he will be waiting still even until we shoot down the UV lamps...I just feel sad if he can not get anymore of it......

My other salvators don't like fish as much as MJ...so I don't mind to restrict goldfish for them....

 

[TegusRawsome80]

If you were to properly set him up you'd need between 12 and 18 inches of moist burrowable substrate which really isn't doable in a 6 by 2 by 2....

 

[m3s4]

If you were to properly set him up you'd need between 12 and 18 inches of moist burrowable substrate which really isn't doable in a 6 by 2 by 2....

Good point - I've been contemplating the idea of a totally new enclosure...or doing something with part of this one just for the time being.

That said, once he starts to really grow, everything is going to change.

 

[james.w]

If you don't get him set up properly now, you possibly won't have to worry about him growing.

 

[m3s4]

If you don't get him set up properly now, you possibly won't have to worry about him growing.

Very true.

At the moment, humidity might be a tad low...70% might be a closer number to achieve, but a constant 65% seems to be working for him.

His basking temps seem to be to "his" liking. When I tried higher basking temps (125-135) he'd lay on the edge of the bulbs footprint. At 115, he lays "in" the footprint. Kind of tells me what "he" likes - not just what ALL water monitors require or are supposed to like. Kind of like his food. He's telling me what HE likes and what HE wants. So, I'm cool with it.

Cool temps on avg. are 85/90 depending on time of day in my house.

The only thing I'm lacking at this point is substrate and I'm not even sure how effective that would be. Why? Because I have a good friend that runs a local rep shop and he has 2 personal water monitors. The conditions they live in at his shop are dry, substrate is dry and although they have access to a large aquarium with a caimen from time to time, they primarily roam the shop and share a heating pad/light set-up with his 5 year old male black-throat. They're both healthy as can be and they're conditions are nowhere near to what "most" would deem adequate. Kind of tells a story of its own, at least to me it does.

He had them shipped in as babies 4 months ago and they're already huge, friendly, eat like monsters and are doing just fine.

I'm no expert and don't claim to be, but sometimes I think "husbandry" goes beyond what people "think" an animal needs vs. what it's telling you it needs. That's part of it all, learning from them as they learn from us and finding a proper "balance".

 

[james.w]

The fact that your monitor is not eating everything that moves, should show you that something is wrong.

 

[Grendel]

That monitor should have no problem taking out a fuzzy and then another one and then a colony of crickets and roaches, if its acting tame, let's you pick it up, and not like a ferocious eating machine, then something is is not right.

 

[TegusRawsome80]

I don't want to be totally rude and upset you but you seem to have an extreme dislike for people who give you advice. Also, your "alternative" housing methods got one of your Columbians killed when it escaped from your house. I admire originality but not when it risks animals lives. Just being blunt.

 

[yulyani]

The fact that your monitor is not eating everything that moves, should show you that something is wrong.

james from my simple experience, a healthy monitor will readily eat mice or pinkies....for them it looks like fancy meal,...I never had a monitor reject them. Young Water monitor sometimes shy and takes time to eat the prey but surely they will eat rodents....

 

[laurarfl]

I've been reading this thread and thought that m3s4 and everyone else had been discussing things rather nicely when the subject came back up again.

 

[chelvis]

I have to agree with the last few post that monitors are really eating machines. You may want to get a fecal done. LLLReptile does not do internal parasite treatments, most places do not with imports. Even a shy skittish monitor will eat almost anything.

 

[james.w]

There really is no need to check for parasites, monitors can handle parasites if provided for correctly. The antibiotics given usually cause more problems unless the monitor is healthy.

 

[m3s4]

I've been reading this thread and thought that m3s4 and everyone else had been discussing things rather nicely when the subject came back up again.

It's all good, Laura. Seems there's quite a few artists in here; you know...the ones that love to draw conclusions.

I have people calling me out on one of my tegus getting out and dieing. I have people telling me the new monitor is going to die. I have people telling me his diet isn't right. I have people telling me his enclosure is all wrong. I have people that haven't even read all the responses in this thread, yet think it's their right to just chime in when they feel the need to do so - like they're experts in the field of Sumatran Water Monitor husbandy, biological studies and science.

I have a video I posted of this monitor ignoring pinkies and crickets in his enclosure, walking into his tub and stalking, then eating minnows. I edited the video because I thought it was irrelevant to show that he ignored the other food items and instead, went to his tub and gobbled up not 1, not 2 but 12 minnows. The video is self-evident, what are people struggling to understand yet again?

Somehow, that video isn't important to some people. But substrate is. Ok. So the simple fact he has no substrate and his humidity is a _little_ lower then normal somehow equates to an animal that eats minnows and not anything else? Are you kidding me?

Just because he isn't destroying every food item offered doesn't mean he's sick or the husbandry is wrong. Ever stop to think he has a choice in the matter and he wants to eat fish? Ever think he's an individual and based off of his individual characteristics he might be telling "me" what he wants to eat?

Any of you out there experts with Sumatran Water Monitors? Or tegus? Do you have a biological degree proving how apt your credentials are and why I should care what you think of my husbandry techniques? You think because you have some reptiles and raised a few different kinds you're now an expert on the subject of ALL reptiles, their habits, habitats, living conditions, foods, breeding behaviors and the vital, mandatory role they play in the ecosystem?

I'll leave you all with this: my thread started with PICTURES. I never asked for opinions or advice - not that I know it all, because I DON'T. I appreciate the ideas and opinions expressed in this thread and I've thanked plenty of you...That said, I figure out life on my own - I don't need anyone else to hold my hand - get it? Wrong or right, it's how you learn ON YOUR OWN despite what YOU think.

When he wasn't eating did you see me filling up the boards with questions on what to do? NO! I figured it out myself. So did the monitor.

I'm done. Consider my input on this thread a wrap, because it is.

 

[chelvis]

I only suggested due to the feeding response. If there are worms it can cause an animal to stop eating.

 

[james.w]

I understand your frustration with some of the responses, probably even mine. I don't care if you take the advice or not, at least I tried to help. On another forum I frequent a member was in the same boat as you and his water just died. Yours may live, but it won't on a diet of minnows and other garbage fish.

 

[frost]

its a forum, there are all kinds of people on here. it just so happens there are the people who think their advice is right and any other is wrong and should be met with aggression. im not targeting anyone on here with that tho. but there are those people on every forum and they seem to loose all manners and politeness on said forums.that is why i dont post anything on here if i can avoid it because im sick of those people. posting questions on here or other forums when you have a problem is just asking for those people to come out. i know you shouldn't have to worry about that when your just asking for help but thats how it is....

 

[james.w]

The problem is when people are wrong they don't want to hear they are wrong. They want to think something is wrong with the animal. This thread is a perfect example of that, his monitor isn't eating but the op is doing everything correct in his eyes. The animal is telling him things are off, but he doesn't want to listen. It isn't about anyone being an expert, its about common sense. Monitors eat like mad when they are provided for properly, and his isn't.

 

[chelvis]

I have a question, and this mind seem odd but could the monitor be taking fish due to a lack of traction? I only ask because I know Bosco when was young he did not like chasing down prey on the slippery linoleum, the bin was small enough there was no need for him to chase really. Maybe the flooring in the cage is too slippery for him to feel comfortable chasing down food, but in the water he feels comfortable doing so?

 

[frost]

well no one likes to think they are doing harm to one of their pets. if they chose to not listen then their pet is going to die.

 

[Grendel]

I feel like we are all just saying: "give him some substrate to dig a hole and hide and he will be fine".