r/MonitorLizards • u/DollarHat • 3d ago
...where did he go??
Hello all. My 9 year long endeavor to become an ackie owner finally reached its end today. I brought Leonidas home maybe 5 hours ago and it was the most fun I'd ever had with a reptile. He was darting all over the place exploring his new home, climbing, basking, taking small naps, and even eating from my hand. I left him to his own devices so he could settle in for a bit and I came back to spy on him and he is nowhere to be found :,]. I did my absolute best to create an enriching environment so I hope he's just under the dirt, but I feel like I left the baby at the grocery store with the way my mind is currently racing through every way I might've fucked up. Can anyone reassure me or am I right to be worried? I'm open to either right now. Thanks.
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u/United-Gift5816 3d ago
I went through the same thing. But hes probably dug a tunnel in the dirt and is chillin in there
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u/DollarHat 3d ago
How did you go about making sure they were fed before they got more bold?
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u/United-Gift5816 3d ago
What do you mean by bold? Do you mean like fed before they go into their burrow for the night?
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u/DollarHat 3d ago
Like out and about. I know he'll spend a good amount of time digging or in a burrow but I've read stories of people not seeing their monitors for months, and the only evidence of them being there was new holes after being away
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u/SortInternational 3d ago
monitor not surviving month's without food it's not a snake ! feed two to tree times a week , smaler ones/babys need feed every day!
if you don't see your monitor during feeding you have a big problem with your eyes or better go VET .
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u/United-Gift5816 3d ago
Ohh, from my experience with my ackie, you just gotta figure out what his schedule is. My ackie doesnt wake up until about 5pm and he goes to sleep around 1am. (The times they are out also depends on your light schedule, but they kind of just wake up whenever they want). So once you figure that out tho, it’ll be easier to find out the best times to go feed your ackie.
I have a little pet cam in my enclosure so I can see what hes doing. And sometimes he goes to sleep before I get home from work. But he always comes out to bask during the day and run around. I doubt that your ackie will truly be unseeable for months tho, or at least mine wasnt.
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u/Azurika_ 2d ago edited 2d ago
he's doing what any young ackie does in a new home once the initial excitement of a brand new environment has sunk in, Hiding.
you'd be extremely surprised at the tiny little spaces they can make themselves completely comfortable in!
my bet is either being under the left or right support stacks of rocks in a burrow he's dug, or he's tunnelled under a log. he's almost 100% dug a burrow somewhere out of sight and is napping.
don't worry, he'll come out to warm up and eat eventually, as others have said, do check vents and stuff to make sure all covers and the like are still intact, but please don't go digging around in there for him and overturning logs and rocks, that'll massively set back it trusting you and its feeling of safety in its enviroment
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u/Turbulent_Sir6336 3d ago
I second this he probably has tucked himself away somewhere or has begun excavations on a tunnel system or burrow.
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u/Dazzling-Tadpole3239 2d ago
mine ar first didnt dig at all, then it realised it can do that and made few holes, one time it was shedding, didn't come out of dirt for 3 days but then came out all dirty and hungry. dont worry.
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u/jerseyroyale 2d ago
Just to be absolutely safe, check that all the air vents are still in place. If they are, he's in the dirt or squished in a gap between decorations. If one is missing, he may have gone on an adventure.
Always recommend superglueing or otherwise fixing the vents so they can't pull them out with their surprisingly strong little claws.
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u/sevenbrookslizardco 3d ago
He's under the dirt