The Savannah Monitor,
Varanus exanthematicus

Health – Dehydration and Gout

One of the health issues facing keepers of improperly kept captive monitors is dehydration, or the excessive loss of bodily water and fluid. The leading cause is poor humidity, too dry an environment. Though many other monitors will dry out in weeks and sometimes even days, the Savannah Monitor is built to weather the dry seasons in the African regions in which the monitor is found. As such, a dry Savannah Monitor in captivity can still live quite awhile, and be killed by its keeper on the installment plan rather than overnight.

Signs of dehydration

From a visual standpoint, you will notice a thinning of the tail base and back of the legs. Though this photo of a starving V. komodoensis was taken to emphasize emaciation, the animal is also severely dehydrated and is a great illustration of this condition 1.

Gout

Gout is a health issue that occurs, by definition, from a concentration of uric acid in the blood that is higher than the ability of the kidneys to adequately eliminate it. Uric acid is the product of purine metabolism, purine is a nitrogenous base associated with ingestion of certain animal proteins.

Buildup or high excretions of uric acid can be due to a range of causes including ingesting improper food items too high in purines. In monitor lizards, the primary cause of gout is chronic and severe dehydration.

Long term chronic and severe dehydration will result in crystalline uric acid deposits either in the joints (articular gout) or in major organs (visceral gout) and contributes to organ failure, including the shutdown of the kidneys.

Rehydration and stability

Though you will see discussed elsewhere how good husbandry will eliminate the majority of monitor health problems, severe dehydration will likely require fluids at a visit to a veterinarian with good reptile knowledge. Having the animal in an environment with good humidity and availability of water will sustain bodily hydration at a consistent level, but generally will not reverse the effects of dehydration. 2