Deer Meat and Monitors

[jblakehunter]

So I was wondering, can savannah monitors eat deer meat? And if so, is it nutritious? I deer hunt a lot and always have additional deer meat. Any info is appreciated.

[devine*]

savannah's diets should consist mostly of insects, I'm not the expert on red meat feedings so I won't say yes or no.

but if yes, deffinately only occasionaly

[darkhelmet]

their main diet in the wild consists of emperor scorpions, millipedes, giant crickets, giant african land snails, and some clams and mollusks.

traditionally in captivity they get fed mostly rodents, which is why traditionally in captivity they are huge and obese. a balanced diet is good, and some deer meat here and there will be good, but as devine said, occasionally.

all in moderation.

[darkhelmet]

Originally Posted by darkhelmet

their main diet in the wild consists of emperor scorpions, millipedes, giant crickets, giant african land snails, and some clams and mollusks.

traditionally in captivity they get fed mostly rodents, which is why traditionally in captivity they are huge and obese. a balanced diet is good, and some deer meat here and there will be good, but as devine said, occasionally.

all in moderation.

actually looking back in my reference material, clams and mollusks not so much, but more locusts and beetles and other bugs like that and some amphibians.

a quote from Bennett:

Mammals are eaten only extremely rarely - just one example has been found in over 1000 samples!

[Adrya]

I deer hunt also. In general, deer meat is very nutritious and very lean and would probably be another one of many nutritional items to feed to more flesh-eating monitors, but I do agree with the others about the natural savannah insectivorious/invertebrate diet.

[darkhelmet]

doing some more reading refreshed my memory about the importance of whole item prey. feeding beef and other meats straight up is okay if you don't have mice or chicks or bugs or whatever, but whole item prey (mice, baby chicks, etc) should be preferred.

again though, all in moderation, so a bit of deer meat once in a while is not going to hurt the animal at all.

[mrcota]

All monitors are best kept on a 'whole food' diet, meaning they eat whole animals or insects; their nutritional requirements demand this. It is best to stay away from feeding them portions of an animal (such as just the meat). Since your profile states that you have a redtail boa, think of it this way: should you feed your redtail boa deer meat? (I sincerely hope that you answered 'no' to that).
.
Michael

[jblakehunter]

Haha, yeah I definitely answered no about feeding deer meat to my boa. It definitely makes sense. Like I've stated before, just doing research about a monitor in the future. I know people talk about feeding turkey or canned dog food, so I just thought deer meat was a healthier alternative. I definitely appreciate the great feedback! As always, plenty of advice. Thanks again!

[EricIvins]

People "Talk" about Turkey, Dog, and Cat food all the time, but very few have had any kind of success with it. Contrary to popular belief, a Sav can be fed an all Rodent diet, as long as the means to process it is given. High Basking spots works wonders for all Monitors, provided common sense is used when applying that in a captive environment.

[razeraze]

Originally Posted by EricIvins

People "Talk" about Turkey, Dog, and Cat food all the time, but very few have had any kind of success with it. Contrary to popular belief, a Sav can be fed an all Rodent diet, as long as the means to process it is given. High Basking spots works wonders for all Monitors, provided common sense is used when applying that in a captive environment.

I have never heard of a sav eating an all rat diet and living over 8 years. They did not evolve to eat such fatty foods unlike the salvator or niloticus.

[EricIvins]

I have never heard of a sav eating an all rat diet and living over 8 years. They did not evolve to eat such fatty foods unlike the salvator or niloticus.

The same thing could be said about Kimberlys, Pilbaras, Tristis, etc. But yet they've been taken egg to egg for generations on an all Rodent diet ( or 90% depending on what they were started on and who produced them ). Ask FR, he's got one or two rescued Savs he's playing with. I'd also be hardpressed to beleive their are 8 year old healthy Savs in captivity. The oldest one I know of is around 5 or 6. Monitor husbandry has been enlightened for more than 8 years, but most of the pioneers weren't working with Savs. The closest would be either Black Throats, or Cape Banded White Throats.