Water monitor care?

Question

i own a savannah monitor so i have some what experience with monitors but i just purchased a water monitor i do know they can grow 7 feet and they are from a more humide home than the savannah but lately my monitor has been sneezing during the night i have the light off should i get a heat pad or vitamins is he to cold please help??

Answer 1

Your monitor's sneeze should worry you. It could be as simple as having too dusty a substrate. If this is not the case you should probably check the temps to be sure his gradient is not falling below 80 degrees and take him to the vet to have a throat culture done to cancel out the possibility of an upper repiratory infection.

Answer 2

Water monitors need very high temperatrues or they can easily get respiratory infections. The ambient temperatures at night should never drop below the low 80's and they should have a hot basking spot during the day. Here's a care sheet from Reptiles magazine:

http://www.proexotics.com/water_monitor_...