[silkk801]

Hi all you guys and gals, I just found this forum and had wee look through and I have to say there seems to be some educated people on here, so I hope someone can help me out here.
So here goes.

About two months ago I bought a young bosc, its about 18 maybe 20" from snout to tip of tail now. He(?) isnt eating like a bosc should. He was eating fuzzies for a while then just stopped, Iput 6 large locusts in the viv about a week ago and still one remains. Last night I got him out and managed to get him to open his mouth, popped a fuzzy in there and he through it down his throat no problem, so I done that twice so he had 2 fuzzies and he seemed to enjoy them but had no interest until I put them in his mouth?!!!

Now heres my setup.
For now hes in a 30" square viv till i build his full size viv. Substrate was wood chippings until today when i changed to newspaper so I can see better when he defecates. There is no uv light but I give him trex solardrops once a week, is this ok? Light and heat is provided by a 60wtt spot - usually in the mid 30's in the warm side and mid 20's at the cool end.


Are all boscs dustbins when it comes to food or do you get the odd picky eater?

Please help Im starting to worry!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers

 

[Blazey]

My bosc stopped eating for a well, think he went on hunger strike. try him with a few different things but if he doesnt eat for a while, i wouldnt worry about it, as boscs in the wild naturally go without food for quite some time without suffering for it. give it a week, two at most and tempt him with a variety, give him a bath and just see how he goes for now. he isnt going to suffer rapidly for not eating.

Keep an eye on the bulge at the top end of its tail, nearest to his bum bum, and if it seems to lose weight here, i'd get him to the vet as weight change usually shows there first.

think in all don didnt eat properly for well over a month.

 

[silkk801]

he gets a bath everyday for about an hour at a time, he loves it. He doesnt seem to be losing weight either. Ill keep an eye on him and hope he snaps out of it. Sjould I still try to feed him as often or withdraw offering for a week or so then try again?
cheers

 

[Blazey]

yeh i kept trying but i got fed up with him as he was wasting rat weaners and pet shop raised prices at the time.

he eating really well now so its not affected him and he got weighed at vets other day and was 1.2kilo which is a nice balanced weight in my opinion.

wouldnt worry about it at all, try himon something with a stronger smell maybe to get his taste buds tingling

 

[silkk801]

wha would you suggestfor a nice strong smell? I brained a couple of fuzzies but they still didnt interest him. what about a goldfish or the likes?

 

[Anthony]

wha would you suggestfor a nice strong smell? I brained a couple of fuzzies but they still didnt interest him. what about a goldfish or the likes?

Maybe try scenting with chicks or gerbils etc
tbh i wouldn't worry... only start worrying when he start losing weight.

 

[Art_Gecko101]

I've read that alot of boscs seem to like hard boiled eggs? Maybe you could try those?

 

[Razaiel]

Hi

Welcome to the forum.

First of all, I would really recommend using topsoil/sand mix with some cypress in it for the substrate. Monitors like a lot of this (in your final big vivarium it should be 1 1/2 to 2 ft deep) to do their natural monitor stuff (digging and burrowing) in. It also keeps humidity at a good level - it should be at about 60% - newspaper will not hold humidity and won't be nice for the monitor. They will often make burrows in this and use them to hide in - but you could also provide him with a couple of nice identical hides for each end of the viv. I have some really big ones each side of my viv and he uses the hot side one to hide in and bask in.

The temps are too low in your vivarium - optimum AMBIENT monitor temps should be approx 80 cool side and 90 hot side -with a BASKING temp (the rock or whatever he sits on under the light) of 130. Without the basking temp they cannot digest their food so well and that could well be causing it not to eat as well as stress (I'll come to that later). The basking area should cover the length of the monitor's body from head to base of tail.

I also think your monitor could be stressed from all the handling, bathing and force-feeding, which shouldn't be required (stressed monitor=unhealthy monitor). I don't know what you've been advised to do by the reptile store (I was told to get my monitor out every day and if it struggled, bit, tail-whipped or crapped on me to keep on force-handling it for a minimum of 15 mins twice a day). It didn't work - all I had was a monitor that would hide and run in fear every time I entered the room. I was then fortunate enough to find a monitor forum who told me to just leave him alone and only enter his viv for cleaning and stuff so he would get used to me and not see me as a threat and get stressed - so I left him alone. Now just over a year later I have a monitor that is extremely tolerant of handling and eats like a pig (well a monitor )

Try going to repticzone for some caresheets - I recommend this one particularly http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/642.html - the only thing I'm not sure about now is the UVB as I'm currently researching into that and will probably go for an MVB in our new viv.

Best of luck and I hope I don't sound too preachy but that all worked for me and my sav

Just a though - the best thing to measure AMBIENT temps (if you don't have one) is a digital in/out thermometer (best ones also have humidity reading) - for the basking temp an infra-red temp gun is best.

 

[basky]

i was told to handle bosc everyday till he kept still etc and i have to say i dont like doing it and it doesn't really seem to be getting me anywhere. think i may try your method now

 

[Razaiel]

Well I must say I don't have a "tame, puppy dog" sav - but then I've already got a tame, puppy-dog (spitz) - but I do have a nice big, healthy, monitor and am enjoying him for what he is - a monitor. He knows I'm not going to grab at him every time he sees me so I'm not perceived as a "threat". There's a guy I know on another forum who works with perenties as his job (Sydney zoo) and he also breeds lace monitors - these lacies are rarely handled but he lets them out in his place and they're so used to him they'll even "do their thing" right in front of him on his rug :lol:

 

[basky]

lol

 

[silkk801]

cheers Razaiel. again i was told by the pet shop the only way to 'tame' him was to keep force handling him every day. so you reckon i should leave him alone for a while, bar maintainence of course. he spends alot of time in his hide, could this be stress? ill get on to the substrate and sort out a proper basking spot for him too.
cheers

 

[Razaiel]

Yes - most monitors (99.99% so I understand) are wild caught/wild farmed - there are some sav breeders out there but the majority are brought straight in for the pet trade - most of which die before they even get here

These poor little critters see us humans as big, scary predators and it is natural for it to run away and hide - if a new baby monitor doesn't and just sits and lets you pet it it's likely to be sick - so it's always good to have one that runs like hell whenever it spots you and bites, tail-whips and poops if you get it out :lol:

I've just dug this out - it's a really good article somebody wrote on Kingsnake a while back - check out those teeth :shock:

http://forums.kingsnake.com/viewarch.php?id=1110696,1110696&key=2006

 

[basky]

brill cheers

 

[basky]

that is a brilliant site. since i got him i've asked loads of ppl if i can do it that way cause i hate grabbing him and waiting till he has calmed down to put him back. it's always felt like im getting him to loose his personality, wearing him down. everyone always said to do it the horrible way but now i'll try it that way yipeeeeeeeee
makes me feel loads better, thanks

 

[Razaiel]

I'm glad you like

Another good forum for monitor info is at repticzone - there are a few good, solid members there that have been keeping various varanids for years (not sure if I should mention names) but beware there are also a few newbies on there who've been keeping them for a few months and think they're instant experts - but hang around it a while and you soon get to recognize who the real experts are. It's a good forum to look through all the old posts and archives for info. Also varanus.nl is where a lot of the breeders hang out and reptilerooms used to be a good place but not many people post in the monitor forum now.

 

[basky]

i'll have a look, cheers

 

[silkk801]

outstanding article, its been saved in my favourites! I think this is where i've been going wrong. when i got him he ate and ran away every time i opened the cage, he even bit me once. now though he sees me, goues to his hide then i havebeen lifting it and he just lies there and lets me lift him without a fuss. glad i found this forum, as now i know he's extremley stressed out. gonna leave him a few weeks, just feed water him and clean his cage when needed then ill try the method in that article.
i'd rather spend the time and have a happy relaxed animal rather than a stressed one that thinks im gonna kill him and doesnt seem to care anymore.

cheers

 

[Blazey]

i didnt agree with the force handling everyday either, i just got him out mainly on tuesdays to watch Lost and gave him a bath and bundled him in a towel. He's only a year and a few months old but he doesnt show much agression to me and he has come on really well. When Don stopped eating me were having varying weather locally, one day it was hot, next day cold and i think it was strange for him to adjust to but he started eating once the temps starting regulating out a bit more to coldness. Just got my new bosc, never had a proper baby one before, i feel like a newbie

 

[Razaiel]

Aw - sweet - can't wait for the piccies You must live in a really big house to have room for all the vivs

I feel like a newbie too, but at snakes - we got this little spotted python just before christmas and it seems demonic and a lot scarier than my sav :shock: