In the event that your Savannah Monitor becomes unhealthy, it is important to know what is wrong and what to do. In this section the following health issues are addressed: Colds, (Cuts, Burns, and Abrasions), Ticks, Mites, Worms, Protozoa, Abscesses, Metabolic Bone Disease, and The Veterinarian.
Colds
If a Savannah Monitor has a cold, it will lose interest in food, spend a lot of time with its head held up or elevated, cough, and if you press on its throat, mucus may bubble out of its mouth and nostrils. Colds are respiratory infections and if untreated a they can be fatal.
If a Savannah Monitor has a cold keep it at elevated temperatures of about 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and eliminate drafts by putting blankets over the cage. If these conditions are met and the cold is not too serious a Savannah Monitor should be able to recover on its own.
Cuts, Burns, and Abrasions
Treating a wound on a lizard is not as easy as one may think. It still involves the basics, such as cleaning and disinfecting the wound, applying ointment, and bandaging, however it is hard to keep a bandage on a lizard. Bandaging may require creativity. Latex may be used on lizard tails, and liquid and spray bandage products are available for lizards who consistently soak off their bandages and on a reptile whose defect is so extensive that bandaging is not possible. Also keep in mind that water will not help the wound and may prolong healing because it loosens the wound whereas you want it to scab over. Therefore, You should prevent a wounded and bandaged Savannah Monitor from soaking in water. To help facilitate recovery one should maintain high temperatures, good nutrition, and keep the lizard's wound and habitat clean. If infection sets in and gets serious you may want to see a veterinarian because if untreated an infection can lead to worse problems and maybe even death.
Ticks
Ticks are common on Savannah Monitors, like mites they are eight-legged, blood-sucking organisms. Fortunately ticks are easy to find and remove.
Three suggested ways of removing a tick are to:
1. Smother the tick in Vaseline for about 10 minutes. If the tick does not release automatically, twist it off counter-clockwise with tweezers.
2. Burn the tick off with a hot needle or knife, and be careful.
3. Apply "Mite Rx" or other commercial removal products to the reptile, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for the product that you are using.
After removing a tick disinfect the afflicted area of the lizard.
Mites
Mites are very common tiny eight-legged, blood-sucking organisms. They are barely visible to the naked eye, and they can be a major nuisance to lizards. Fortunately they are not that much of a problem with Savannah Monitors.
There are medical supplies you can buy at your local pet store such as "Mite-Off," which will get rid of a mite problem. Bathing the lizard also helps get rid of some mites. If your lizard and its environment are kept clean you shouldn't have a mite problem.
Worms
Worms are very common in imported Savannah Monitors and can be seen in their feces. Of the worms that infect Savannah Monitors, Tapeworms, which are long flat and ribbed, are probably the most common. If you are positive that a lizard has worms it will be much cheaper to treat the animal yourself. Medication for worms can be bought at a local pet store for five dollars or so. Make sure to read the bottle if administering the medication, since too much medication can be fatal. If a Savannah Monitor has been treated results will soon be very obvious, as dead worms become more evident in the lizard's feces.
Protozoa
Protozoa are microscopic organisms that are hard to detect. If you suspect a serious internal problem with your monitor, and its feces are more foul smelling than usual or otherwise irregular it may be a good idea to get a fresh sample of lizard droppings. A veterinarian will probably tell you to "collect it in a clean plastic bag, seal it, label it with the date, your name and phone number and the monitor's name, and take the fecal sample and your lizard to a veterinarian who is experienced with reptiles." Ask that the sample be tested for protozoa. If the test is positive, your monitor will be given medication that you can administer to the lizard later at home. Unfortunately in the United States the medication for protozoa, called "Flagyl" can legally only be obtained by prescription.
Abscesses
An abscess is a severe infection. It occurs when the immune system becomes stressed and loses its ability to suppress bacteria from a previous infection. This results in an internal infection where a lizard will rot from the inside out in the area local to the infection.
Abscesses in areas such as jaw, eye areas, or joints may cause further problems, especially if left untreated for some time. Not only can they affect the mobility of the joint and adversely impact the animal's use of that limb, it can eat away at bone and cartilage; this can get very expensive surgically and radio-graphically.
Usually to get rid of an abscess one must perform surgery and cut into a living animal through skin, fat, and muscle tissue, so it is a good idea to take your afflicted lizard to the veterinarian. Successive treatments may also be necessary to eliminate the abscess infection as well as antibiotic treatment.
Metabolic Bone Disease
Metabolic Bone Disease refers to the inability of the body to properly materialize bone. It is caused by a lack of required nutrients or a disease that prevents the body from absorbing nutrients correctly, and is the result of mismanagement of diet, environment, or both. Metabolic bone disease is generally caused by too little calcium, too much phosphorus, too little or too much vitamin D3, too little ultraviolet light, too little protein or a combination of these factors. Less common Metabolic Bone Disease caused by disease of the kidneys, liver, small intestine, or of the parathyroid or thyroid glands, or some other related organ dysfunction.
There are many forms of metabolic bone disease, and all of these diseases cause severe problems in the bones. Metabolic Bone Disease may result in soft, swollen, thin, weak, brittle, deformed, or any other kind of unhealthy bone. Other effects of metabolic bone disease include lameness, partial paralysis, death, and painful movement.
Treatment in most cases (other than those resulting from other diseases), are changes in the animal's diet and environment. Switch to the proper foods, provide better lighting, and take better care of your lizard. Unfortunately if your lizard has metabolic bone disease because of an organ dysfunction, there is not much one can do besides take the lizard to the veterinarian or let the lizard die.
The Veterinarian
Hopefully veterinary care never becomes an necessity, because it is really expensive. Veterinary care can cost hundreds of dollars. Sometimes it is more economical to buy a new lizard.
If you decide to go the veterinarian, make sure that the veterinarian examining the Savannah Monitor is experienced with Savannah Monitors. An inexperienced veterinarian can do more harm than healing.