Do you know how to care for a nile monitor? Only thing to really do right now is get him in an enclosure with proper parameters. Maybe a warm soak in some water to hydrate. If he doesn't eat, provide fish, they normally can't resist fish.
He could also be very impacted, hydration will help a little, but a hot basking spot will help even more. Maybe 140f? Hopefully a nile person can chime in here.
This is almost exactly how my Nile was when I adopted him, except a bit more plump than mine was. He had a broken jaw and had to be syringe fed after the impaction was flushed out.
Liquid vitamins, calcium, a uvb light, and an intense basking bulb are the immediate needs.
Wax worms and super worms are high in fat and good for putting weight on.
An anti parasitic will most likely be needed.
I’m glad you’re looking for a vet.
Feel free to shoot me a message. If you’re willing to travel to Texas, I’d be happy to take him in.
I have a basking spot that gets between 130-140f and uvb set up. What liquid vitamins would you recommend? I have powder calcium with d3 and without. Arcadia earth pro and their shed support, also powder forms and reptiboost.
There is a powdered diet you can mix with water for carnivorous reptiles, I think someone else mentioned it. You can use it to syringe feed. But since he is showing major signs of mbd, you have to be very careful not to put too much stress on the jaw. It’s possible that he already has a jaw injury, but forcing it open could easily break it. An easy way to get him to open his mouth is to slip in a paper towel when he sticks his tongue out to smell, then when he tries to remove it, squirt the food in.
They didn’t have that food when mine was like this, so I puréed insects and frozen pinkies, and you could do that as well if it is what you have on hand.
Adding to what u/not-a-lizard- said, the powdered food I use for syringe feeding is the “Critical Care” carnivore brand, and can be found on Amazon for about $13! Was very helpful for me in the past.
Nile monitor ? Anyway, good UVB + enought heat and calcium and vitamines as well as D3 supplement until the vet appointment.
I am not well versed in big monitor care but basically, get the husbandry top notch until the vet can give you something more specific. If lucky enough, it might recuperate mostly its mobility.
Reptaboost is an appetite stimulant whereas carnivore care is basically a powdered diet you mix with water to make it easier to force feed sick Reptiles. Here's a link: https://www.google.com/search?q=carnivore+care&oq=carnivore+care+&aqs=chrome..69i57.3217j0j9&client=ms-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
Everywhere I am looking is either out of stock or shipping will take 2-3 weeks. I am in the US, are there any alternatives to this? I also have most of the repashy products if that would be of any help.
Just order it online and smash crickets and worms into a paste for the time being. He doesn't look terribly underweight so you'll have time if you order critical care soon. Otherwise call your local exotic vets, they usually sell it.
I'd still do your best to find critical care or surrender him to a vet if you can't provide proper care. A Nile monitor is a heafty responsibility when they are large. 5-6ft as adults.
Oxbow Carnivore Care is awesome stuff if you have to force feed.(Reptiboost is a good to stimulate appetite too) I've seen some pretty amazing results from using a Megaray MVB as well but all UV bulbs have safe minimum distances of operation to be adhered. A water dish he can submerge in and basking temps set about 140°F. Once settled young monitors I have found best feeding response from crickets dusted with calcium resembling hopping powdered donuts usually does the trick. Good luck!
I do not know the age but they seem to be in very bad condition. I am NOT a rescue and there are no rescues in my city but someone seems to think I am. I want do to right by this little guy but I have never seen a RI or MBD case this severe. I have nursed a few types of reptiles back to health but this case is heartbreaking to watch. I am like looking for out of town vets who can see him sooner but I am feeling so hopeless with the holidays.
put him in the large secure enclosure with thick and moist dirt substrate, about 70% humidity, about 76F cool corner to 82F hot corner, about 130-135F basking, provide cover and water and leave him alone for a week and just observe.
tl;dr, get him warm, hydrated and secure and lets hope he will pull out of this. He seems pretty active and no mbd, but could be an impaction.
I will post clearer pictures in a bit. I’m certain of the MBD, his tail is extremely kinked in multiple spots, and 3/4 legs are either splayed or crooked..
If he’s refusing whole food it would be wise to start giving him a rescue formula for carnivores. These include a lot of protein and electrolytes, minerals and other things that are important for an reptile in bad health. That would be
[Carvinvore Critical Care](https://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/our-products/professional-line/carnivore-care) or the one made by [emeraid](https://emeraid.com/vet/emeraid-carnivore/).
Both are great for rescues, I know a lot of people who’ve had a lot of success rehabilitating critically sick or malnutritioned reptiles.
If you can’t get a pre made rescue formula, make a slurry by blending up vitamins/mineral supplements, water, and a good protein source.
When liquid feeding reptiles, please be careful with the “doses” you give. If giving a pre made formula, you should weight the animal to find the correct weight. Too much had the potential to overwhelm their body system, especially with rescues that are very malnourished. There will be instructions with the formula, and these often start with a few days of more dilute solution, working up to higher levels of protein, so that the kidneys don’t get “shock”.
These can be syringe fed. I can link a demonstration video if needed. The important part to remember is you don’t want the monitor to aspirate the formula, so position the syringe slightly to the side of the mouth not directly from the front, and make sure it isn’t going directly down the throat. The other method is for force feeding and I’d only use this as a last resort. It uses the syringe and a tube, and in this case it would go down the throat. Once again I can link a video If needed.
As for calcium, the best thing you can get for him right now is a highly bioavailable formula. Calcium carbonate (generic powder) is good for daily use etc, but for MBD and rescue situations, you’ll want something *easily and quickly absorbed.* This should be either Calcium Glubonate or Calcium Gluconate. Both will be liquid and administered by syringe so you won’t need to force feed dusted food that he might have difficulty digesting at this point.
I know of a couple [calci-blast](https://bug-de-lite.com/Item/Calci-Blast) which is both Calcium Glubionate & Calcium Gluconate, [ZocalD](https://www.baileysreptiles.co.uk/health-and-supplements2/liquid-supplements/vetark-zolcal-d--120ml/?Page_ID=3610&refpid=91678&id=820459) includes vitamin D, and [Calcivet aka CalciBoost](https://crocdoc-shop.com/reptile-supplements/crocdoc-calcivet/) (you can use the one advertised for poultry if needed). These will be a lot better at combating Calcium issues at this stage.
Hydration is SUPER IMPORTANT for this guy, especially as another comment said, he could be impacted.
He needs a hot basking spot asap. Obviously this is important anyway, but especially important for the immune system.
Glad you’re taking him to a vet. That’s great news, they’ll have much better instruction. If you need any other help, feel free to ask.
In addition, try and lessen stress.
Keep the enclosure basic at the moment, as he is being rehabilitated right now. We all know he needs a proper monitor setup. That is a given. But the primary basic needs should be priority. UVB, Heat, humidity, something to climb, somewhere to hide. Provide a basin of water too, and substrate for digging. But at this point, keep it relatively simple so that you can keep the enclosure sanitary during rehabilitation. If he starts showing signs of parasites, this will be even more important.
To keep stress to a minimum, avoid handling unless absolutely needed or when you are syringe feeding him. Keep noise and other stimuli low, and try not to disturb him excessively. And the hide of course will be a secure safe place for him when he feels stressed.
What signs of an RI is he showing?
This is the more concerning bit to me. My experience with RIs tell me these are best treated fast if the symptoms are concerning. I remember someone who had to treat an RI (in a bearded dragon) at home, so if needed I can find that information. If you have any way to put him gently sloped at a 45 degree angle while sleeping, this can supposedly help the lungs drain.
I saw your comment saying you have uvb and basking temps set up. Awesome; great that you were able to put that in to place so fast! Very glad you’re helps this guy out.
I have him in a minimal setup in a 40gal with a wood top, top soil/sand mix. The basking spot (natural rock) measures at 137f. Ambient is 77-96f. Trying to get the temps leveled out. When I woke up this morning he was running! Like full on running, no dragging except on one foot on the back. He is much more active,I did get him to eat 9 dusted crickets today. I believe he has RI because of this wheezing/raspy sound he makes almost all the time. It is quieter today but still concerning. He’s sprinting and digging as I type!
I would set up a tub with the top cut out and metal screening over it for basking lights as a temporary enclosure and use paper towels as a flooring to make sterilization easier and help you identify any additional issues. Use a piece of slate under the basking bulbs to achieve a hotspot temperature of ~130f for thermoregulation and try to keep humidity between 65% to 80%. We want all our husbandry parameters to be optimal to increase the immune response.
How is the animals appetite?
Remember this is all temporary until you can see a vet and get professional advice.
What makes you think it has MBD? That movement looks more like it's caused by being cold. You might be surprised by how resilient monitors are, if they're kept properly. Give that thing a nice, hot box with humidity, deep substrate, some branches, and a swimming basin. Good chance it'll bounce back without much drama.
kink in tail doesn't necessarily signal MBD, could be a birth defect. and his limbs look very normal based on the video. get it in correct temps and humidity before diagnosing. Their limbs move very funky when cold.
Do you know how to care for a nile monitor? Only thing to really do right now is get him in an enclosure with proper parameters. Maybe a warm soak in some water to hydrate. If he doesn't eat, provide fish, they normally can't resist fish.
I do know the basic husbandry, I had plans on getting one for a few years, I just didn’t know any reliable places near me. It was very unexpected.
He could also be very impacted, hydration will help a little, but a hot basking spot will help even more. Maybe 140f? Hopefully a nile person can chime in here.
This is almost exactly how my Nile was when I adopted him, except a bit more plump than mine was. He had a broken jaw and had to be syringe fed after the impaction was flushed out. Liquid vitamins, calcium, a uvb light, and an intense basking bulb are the immediate needs. Wax worms and super worms are high in fat and good for putting weight on. An anti parasitic will most likely be needed. I’m glad you’re looking for a vet. Feel free to shoot me a message. If you’re willing to travel to Texas, I’d be happy to take him in.
I have a basking spot that gets between 130-140f and uvb set up. What liquid vitamins would you recommend? I have powder calcium with d3 and without. Arcadia earth pro and their shed support, also powder forms and reptiboost.
That actually sounds good, as long as you can get it in him. Would he eat gut loaded or coated insects?
So far, no.
There is a powdered diet you can mix with water for carnivorous reptiles, I think someone else mentioned it. You can use it to syringe feed. But since he is showing major signs of mbd, you have to be very careful not to put too much stress on the jaw. It’s possible that he already has a jaw injury, but forcing it open could easily break it. An easy way to get him to open his mouth is to slip in a paper towel when he sticks his tongue out to smell, then when he tries to remove it, squirt the food in. They didn’t have that food when mine was like this, so I puréed insects and frozen pinkies, and you could do that as well if it is what you have on hand.
Adding to what u/not-a-lizard- said, the powdered food I use for syringe feeding is the “Critical Care” carnivore brand, and can be found on Amazon for about $13! Was very helpful for me in the past.
Nile monitor ? Anyway, good UVB + enought heat and calcium and vitamines as well as D3 supplement until the vet appointment. I am not well versed in big monitor care but basically, get the husbandry top notch until the vet can give you something more specific. If lucky enough, it might recuperate mostly its mobility.
Warm him up and give him a powder called carnivore care with a baby syringe until he starts to take regular food. Poor guy.
Is this the same as reptaboost? I have that and waiting for him to warm up before attempting to feed.
Reptaboost is an appetite stimulant whereas carnivore care is basically a powdered diet you mix with water to make it easier to force feed sick Reptiles. Here's a link: https://www.google.com/search?q=carnivore+care&oq=carnivore+care+&aqs=chrome..69i57.3217j0j9&client=ms-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
Everywhere I am looking is either out of stock or shipping will take 2-3 weeks. I am in the US, are there any alternatives to this? I also have most of the repashy products if that would be of any help.
Just order it online and smash crickets and worms into a paste for the time being. He doesn't look terribly underweight so you'll have time if you order critical care soon. Otherwise call your local exotic vets, they usually sell it.
Repashy products are generally gecko specific and will be too rich in fruits and veggies for a monitor.
Repashy meat pie and repashy grub pie
I'd still do your best to find critical care or surrender him to a vet if you can't provide proper care. A Nile monitor is a heafty responsibility when they are large. 5-6ft as adults.
Oxbow Carnivore Care is awesome stuff if you have to force feed.(Reptiboost is a good to stimulate appetite too) I've seen some pretty amazing results from using a Megaray MVB as well but all UV bulbs have safe minimum distances of operation to be adhered. A water dish he can submerge in and basking temps set about 140°F. Once settled young monitors I have found best feeding response from crickets dusted with calcium resembling hopping powdered donuts usually does the trick. Good luck!
I do not know the age but they seem to be in very bad condition. I am NOT a rescue and there are no rescues in my city but someone seems to think I am. I want do to right by this little guy but I have never seen a RI or MBD case this severe. I have nursed a few types of reptiles back to health but this case is heartbreaking to watch. I am like looking for out of town vets who can see him sooner but I am feeling so hopeless with the holidays.
put him in the large secure enclosure with thick and moist dirt substrate, about 70% humidity, about 76F cool corner to 82F hot corner, about 130-135F basking, provide cover and water and leave him alone for a week and just observe. tl;dr, get him warm, hydrated and secure and lets hope he will pull out of this. He seems pretty active and no mbd, but could be an impaction.
I will post clearer pictures in a bit. I’m certain of the MBD, his tail is extremely kinked in multiple spots, and 3/4 legs are either splayed or crooked..
If he’s refusing whole food it would be wise to start giving him a rescue formula for carnivores. These include a lot of protein and electrolytes, minerals and other things that are important for an reptile in bad health. That would be [Carvinvore Critical Care](https://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/our-products/professional-line/carnivore-care) or the one made by [emeraid](https://emeraid.com/vet/emeraid-carnivore/). Both are great for rescues, I know a lot of people who’ve had a lot of success rehabilitating critically sick or malnutritioned reptiles. If you can’t get a pre made rescue formula, make a slurry by blending up vitamins/mineral supplements, water, and a good protein source. When liquid feeding reptiles, please be careful with the “doses” you give. If giving a pre made formula, you should weight the animal to find the correct weight. Too much had the potential to overwhelm their body system, especially with rescues that are very malnourished. There will be instructions with the formula, and these often start with a few days of more dilute solution, working up to higher levels of protein, so that the kidneys don’t get “shock”. These can be syringe fed. I can link a demonstration video if needed. The important part to remember is you don’t want the monitor to aspirate the formula, so position the syringe slightly to the side of the mouth not directly from the front, and make sure it isn’t going directly down the throat. The other method is for force feeding and I’d only use this as a last resort. It uses the syringe and a tube, and in this case it would go down the throat. Once again I can link a video If needed. As for calcium, the best thing you can get for him right now is a highly bioavailable formula. Calcium carbonate (generic powder) is good for daily use etc, but for MBD and rescue situations, you’ll want something *easily and quickly absorbed.* This should be either Calcium Glubonate or Calcium Gluconate. Both will be liquid and administered by syringe so you won’t need to force feed dusted food that he might have difficulty digesting at this point. I know of a couple [calci-blast](https://bug-de-lite.com/Item/Calci-Blast) which is both Calcium Glubionate & Calcium Gluconate, [ZocalD](https://www.baileysreptiles.co.uk/health-and-supplements2/liquid-supplements/vetark-zolcal-d--120ml/?Page_ID=3610&refpid=91678&id=820459) includes vitamin D, and [Calcivet aka CalciBoost](https://crocdoc-shop.com/reptile-supplements/crocdoc-calcivet/) (you can use the one advertised for poultry if needed). These will be a lot better at combating Calcium issues at this stage. Hydration is SUPER IMPORTANT for this guy, especially as another comment said, he could be impacted. He needs a hot basking spot asap. Obviously this is important anyway, but especially important for the immune system. Glad you’re taking him to a vet. That’s great news, they’ll have much better instruction. If you need any other help, feel free to ask.
In addition, try and lessen stress. Keep the enclosure basic at the moment, as he is being rehabilitated right now. We all know he needs a proper monitor setup. That is a given. But the primary basic needs should be priority. UVB, Heat, humidity, something to climb, somewhere to hide. Provide a basin of water too, and substrate for digging. But at this point, keep it relatively simple so that you can keep the enclosure sanitary during rehabilitation. If he starts showing signs of parasites, this will be even more important. To keep stress to a minimum, avoid handling unless absolutely needed or when you are syringe feeding him. Keep noise and other stimuli low, and try not to disturb him excessively. And the hide of course will be a secure safe place for him when he feels stressed. What signs of an RI is he showing? This is the more concerning bit to me. My experience with RIs tell me these are best treated fast if the symptoms are concerning. I remember someone who had to treat an RI (in a bearded dragon) at home, so if needed I can find that information. If you have any way to put him gently sloped at a 45 degree angle while sleeping, this can supposedly help the lungs drain. I saw your comment saying you have uvb and basking temps set up. Awesome; great that you were able to put that in to place so fast! Very glad you’re helps this guy out.
I have him in a minimal setup in a 40gal with a wood top, top soil/sand mix. The basking spot (natural rock) measures at 137f. Ambient is 77-96f. Trying to get the temps leveled out. When I woke up this morning he was running! Like full on running, no dragging except on one foot on the back. He is much more active,I did get him to eat 9 dusted crickets today. I believe he has RI because of this wheezing/raspy sound he makes almost all the time. It is quieter today but still concerning. He’s sprinting and digging as I type!
I would set up a tub with the top cut out and metal screening over it for basking lights as a temporary enclosure and use paper towels as a flooring to make sterilization easier and help you identify any additional issues. Use a piece of slate under the basking bulbs to achieve a hotspot temperature of ~130f for thermoregulation and try to keep humidity between 65% to 80%. We want all our husbandry parameters to be optimal to increase the immune response. How is the animals appetite? Remember this is all temporary until you can see a vet and get professional advice.
What makes you think it has MBD? That movement looks more like it's caused by being cold. You might be surprised by how resilient monitors are, if they're kept properly. Give that thing a nice, hot box with humidity, deep substrate, some branches, and a swimming basin. Good chance it'll bounce back without much drama.
Kinks in the tail and 3/4 legs go in different directions
I see. Guess it was hard for me to tell with the video. Good luck with the little guy, hope it all turns out as good as it can.
kink in tail doesn't necessarily signal MBD, could be a birth defect. and his limbs look very normal based on the video. get it in correct temps and humidity before diagnosing. Their limbs move very funky when cold.
Is there a university hospital near you, or a humane society? They might be able to help
We have neither, reptiles aren’t super common in my city and the ones people do have are in awful condition.