could any one give me a bit of advice ive had my monitor for about 4 month now and all he seems to do is sleep is this normal behaviour?
His tank is 4ft long by 3ft deep plenty of rocks two hiding caves a bathing area 2 large water bowls and a few bits of wood and still a lage free area just for basking under the lights with a rock hide. he seams to just sleep under the rocks am I doing some thing wrong....
I fed him last night two pinnkys he would not put his head out untill the pinnky was near him when I tryed coaxing him out he would go back under and close his eyes only if I left it at the front he would come out he has locust crickets and mealworms to give him exercise but picks them off when they go passed the hide even when ive changed the tank around he still does it.
Also when I try to get him out he hisses every time. he is ok when he is out but its just getting him out I dont like to get him out much as I dont want to upset him as I know hissing is a way of warning but I dont want to make him aggresive by not getting him out I really need some HELP please any advice would be appreciated

Is the rock hide in the basking area? If he's hiding under the rocks it could be that he is not getting enough heat. Do you have any pics that you could show us of the enclosure?
What type of bulb are you using in the basking area?(Wattage and distance from bulb to the bottom of the basking area) Are you using a Night time bulb(Infrared or black light)?
I handled my monitor frequently when I first got him as a hatchling. He would hiss all the time. My stategy was to pick him up and hold him and as soon as he would settle down a little, I would put him back in his tank. Then I would give him his supper. It didn't take too long for him to realize that when he sees me coming to his tank and removing the top that means FOOD. He doesn't hiss at me anymore but he doesn't like to be grasped in my hand. When I pick him up he squirms, But if I let him lay on my forearm he's OK. I bought a "Lizard Leash" a while back so if he jumped(And he has a few times) I can keep him from running away. I also use it because from time to time I take him outside for a walk in the sunshine. It's actually a leash and a harness that can be somewhat frusterating if you have to put it on yourself with no help.

In trying to make an educated guess about what I read in your post, I'd say that unless he's sick, He's not warm enough. He should be jumping all over the place to get those crickets.

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Git'er Done!

I agree with what Og said. You are forcing your monitor to find security in what could be an inapproprate temperature. If you have room there should be multiple areas to hide throughout the enclosure. Do you have a temp gun?

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

yes its at 90 in the day but at night it only goes down to 70 ive been told it needs to be abiout 15 is this true

From What your saying it seems like common sav. behavor. I would get the day time temps up to about 110F directly under the basking light. The night temp could be lower but really isn't needed if your using a heat sorce at night you could most likely turn it off unless your room is really cold.

Both my savs are fairly lazy when there not hunting for food. One has gotten used to me and won't run hidding, the other still perfers I not see it when I don't come with food. The hissing should pass, I had the best results by not handling too much at first but feeding from forceps. After a bit they've gotten used to it and don't mind me picking them up, though as OG said they really don't like to be held around the body.

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well thanks to all who have helped out he has been a bit more lively the past few days I dont handle him much at the mo but when I do he falls a sleep in my hands so I think im slowly getting it Thanks again BarbWire