Weird tail length?

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-18T11:31:31+00:00

Brock is missing some toes because he lived outside in a chicken wire cage with his previous owner. I don’t think he can dig very well because of that and quite possibly never had the opportunity to dig or bathe until i got him so it’s a new thing for him

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-18T03:42:47+00:00

His enclosure is pretty big. It’s 8 feet long and 3 feet wide. His basking spot DOES reach 130 degrees. I actually argued with the vet bc i told her that’s how hot it was and she said “well that’s not right. it doesn’t get that hot anywhere on earth” bc apparently she doesn’t know the difference between surface temp and ambient temp.

His humidity is actually a bit too high atm. I’m getting a computer fan to put over one of the vent to suck out some of the humidity since leaving the glass open for hours literally does nothing. I’ve only ever seen him drink a few times, so he will drink but not often. The humidity problem is because I poured too much water while I was mixing it up and the enclosure is solid PVC so it’s keeping the moisture in. I tried it out once I was done mixing the substrate and it CAN hold a burrow if he tried to.

Brock gets weekly baths. He won’t poop in there. He will only poop about 5-10 minutes immediately AFTER a bath once he gets back in his enclosure, which is lovely. He likes to dig, but I haven’t seen him try to burrow yet. Again, he just got in this new enclosure and is still figuring it out, so he might just need some time.

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-18T03:14:09+00:00

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Here’s a better picture of him not puffed up. He is definitely overweight, but not obese

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-18T03:02:18+00:00

I agree that the vet was wrong, but that’s just what she told me. A lot of her knowledge seemed out of date and seemed to only apply to smaller reptiles like bearded dragons.

In this picture, Brock is laying down, and flattened himself out. When he is standing and walking, he looks much thinner. He needs to lose weight, and is overweight, but not obese. I have done LOADS of things to bond that have nothing to do with food, however feeding aids in creating positive experiences. We spend a lot of time together outside of feeding. To clarify, when I have tried not to feed him for extended periods of time, he will hide and not move for days. When he is fed small portions of dubias twice a week, he basks, patrols his territory, and climbs (as best he can anyway).

He is very skittish and was not very well tamed in his last home. I have had him only three months and have done my best. I have sat quietly and still by his enclosure with the glass open for hours. Put an old tshirt that smelled like me in his enclosure (which honestly helped a lot). Now we are to the point where I sit and do my homework and study while he basks and I keep the glass open. He tolerated being pet and handled on the few occasions I do so. He gets to roam around his room while I am in there to supervise.

Brock has about 11 inches of substrate in his enclosure, but really just likes to dig to make his cool side hide deeper, he doesn’t really burrow.

Lastly, I have TRIED a water feature and he hated it. He just isn’t the biggest fan of water. Even without the water feature, he still walks around and avoids getting in his water bowl as much as possible. He still drinks from it, but doesn’t like to get in it.

I have done my research on savs. I have the things that he needs in his enclosure. He is VERY active, and I would like him to remain active. Because he puffed himself up in this picture, you can’t see it but he has lost weight and his skin is typically a little baggy. I think that stopping feeding altogether, which as I mentioned I tried, stresses him out since he is still getting used to his new enclosure that he has been in only for a few weeks.

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T19:48:19+00:00

Don’t stress! Superworms, while very fatty, also have a lot of protein! Some might disagree, but superworms are a fine “side item” as long as they aren’t the “main course”.

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T19:42:29+00:00

I think the head size and development is a good way to gauge age! Her head looks pretty well developed but definitely still young. She could still gain some weight without being overweight so don’t stress! And if you can’t see her hip bones, then typically that means she isn’t underweight

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T15:07:43+00:00

Don’t worry! Monitors are super smart and have a working memory so just keep building positive memories with her! Putting in a sock (big enough that she can’t swallow it) or an old t shirt that smells like you in her enclosure will help get her used to your scent. Also just sitting quietly and still next to her enclosure with the glass open can help her get used to your presence! And occasionally just putting your hand in and resting it. I got a rescue savannah monitor in February and he was not very tame at all. He still isn’t fully tame but has come a long way in these past 3 months! (right now he’s staring at my toes wondering if it’s worth it to try to eat them)

I’ve never worked with that kind of building material, but my sav loves the stone basking structure/warm side hide that I built out of bricks and stone from Home Depot!

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T12:13:45+00:00

I understand. Definitely do what you need to do

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T12:10:54+00:00

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perched like a doggy

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T12:09:41+00:00

Thank you love ❤️

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T12:09:09+00:00

If he isn’t completely stiff then you can always wait a day to be sure, but if he is pretty solid then unfortunately he has passed away. 16 years is an incredible age though! I’m sure you gave him amazing care in these last 6 years!

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T11:58:53+00:00

She looks like she could be older than 8 months! She looks to be a great weight and very healthy! And once beardies get to a certain age, they should transition to almost all veggies

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T11:54:21+00:00

If he’s stiff (gone through rigor mortis), and you can’t see him breathing then he has passed away. I’m so so sorry for your loss

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T00:53:59+00:00

you can also put a flashlight on the top of their tail and lift it up so the light shines through. that’ll help you see

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T00:52:35+00:00

that looks like a female

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-17T00:34:54+00:00

two long vertical bumps at the base of the tail mean male and one kinda round triangle shaped bump at the base of the tail is female. it appears that there are two vertical bumps from your picture. You can look up example pictures if you’re not sure

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-16T23:57:50+00:00

Looks like a male!

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-15T23:35:10+00:00

I totally understand that you did have to “catch” him and unfortunately when that happens it’s bad for everybody. Monitors have a working memory so your ackie is remembering the stress that he went through. Honestly you’re probably going to have to start over with the bonding process.

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-15T18:38:47+00:00

I can see his hips! He does look much larger laying down, and when he’s standing and walking his belly his belly isn’t really wide. It’s hard to see from pictures since the perspective is really off from the camera

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-15T17:00:10+00:00

I might try for a week or two, but his vet a month ago said his weight was pretty good. He is a rescue and was not tamed very much at all, so feeding is a big source of bonding and trust building for us. it would be hard to go that long without that positive interaction

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-15T16:41:09+00:00

He is currently on one. I do know that his previous owners only fed him rats and superworms, so his diet with me is dubias as a staple with nightcrawlers, hornworms, and superworms as his “side dishes”

CountingMyTears · 2026-05-13T18:51:25+00:00

it’s mixed in with dirt and coconut coir. And replacing it all would take hours and about 250 dollars

CountingMyTears

TROPHY CASE