feeding my savie

roachpunk · #1 (**permalink**) 11-09-2003, 07:30 PM

should I feed my monitor after it poops? I've read I should but I feed him a mouse once a week and he goes about once every 2-3 weeks. should I wait or just keep feeding him like I do now?

RevMojo · #2 (**permalink**) 11-09-2003, 07:57 PM

what do the caresheets recommend?

built4spd13 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-30-2003, 11:35 PM

Hello. I'm new here. A friend of mine told me of this site.

How old is your Sav? How big? What are your temps at?? These questions are very important. You monitor should be on an every other day feeding schedule. Whole prey items, meaning, mice, rats, chicks, or bugs. But bug will not feed and keep even a Juvinal Sav nourished.

Can you answer my questions?
Thanks

savannahman · #4 (**permalink**) 08-06-2005, 07:43 PM

Good 1rst Post....pretty Much Took The Words Outta My Mouth....

Itachi · #5 (**permalink**) 08-06-2005, 07:55 PM

Just a note, when monitors get older, especially Savs, you don't have to feed them every day or every other day. They stop growing or only grow alittle and Savs are notorious for packing on the lbs if not watched carefully. But they need to fed more than once a week, try 3 times and if he starts to gain to much weight, cut back. Also restrain from giving them any fatty foods.

Bartman · #6 (**permalink**) 08-06-2005, 10:42 PM

Keeping the temps up is vital to there digestion. Keep the basking spot at 120 F at least. I wouldnt go any higher then 135 F. As well the tank shouldnt get colder than 80 anywhere.

As for feeding, keep him on as many insects as you can. In the wild this will make up most of there diet. You CAN feed them mice and rats but this doesnt give them a great life span.

Best diet for them is a seafood mix, lots of crickets/silks/hornworms are great/mealworms etc. It will be more costly but will benefit him forsure. Ocassionally, something like once a week, you can give him/her a couple hairless rodents. The hair can cause them to become impacted, so its just easier on there stomachs to use rodents with no hair, ex pinkies. You can also use chicken giblits or a new one ive heard that is ok occassionally is chicken necks

Good luck with your guy. Is it possible to get an enclosure shot?

Itachi · #7 (**permalink**) 08-07-2005, 01:16 AM

Actually, the hair helps clean their intistines out. Mice and rats ARE a good food source and you saying it doesn't give them a great life span, I'd like to see proof of this. The bones from the rodents and chiken peeps give them calcium and many other nutrients.

Bartman · #8 (**permalink**) 08-07-2005, 06:54 AM

I dont have proof to the extent of you being able to see it, but a savannah which was raised mainly on an insect diet when compared to a cage mate that was eating mostly rodents proved it for me. The rodent eater, when getting older, had much mroe problems. It could be a one time thing but a herptilogist I was speaking with also told me the same thing.

I would also look back on what a wild savannah would be eating in the wild and it Ravi's famous Savannah Monitor book it shows its main diet consists of those giant crickets (forget the name) and it didnt show anything about small mamals. I know with my animals, I try and replicate there wild diet as best as possible. Of course its not practical to feed millipedes and giant crickets, but basically any insect diet would be great.

My 0.02.

chrispaine · #9 (**permalink**) 08-07-2005, 07:05 AM

its just has to be a mixed diet, thats the best, everyone who knows will say this... also many people will say to stear clear of the rats, and stick with mice only... rats are more hard on their stomachs, and i have also herd that the hair isnt a real good thing, but they do eat mice and other hary things in the wild so, i would just stick to a once a week thing with the mice... one thing i was wondering is that.. would it be ok to feed w/c grasshoppers? their all over around my house.. but it wouldnt be worth it if it mess's him up.. what do ya think?

Itachi · #10 (**permalink**) 08-07-2005, 08:03 AM

No, don't feed it any wild caught animals. Theres no telling what harmful parasites or god knows what harboring in their bodies. Just stick with what works.

chrispaine · #11 (**permalink**) 08-07-2005, 02:17 PM

ya thats what i was thinking also, but just see'n if anyone did catch their own bugz, thanks itachi

blkcrochunter · #12 (**permalink**) 08-07-2005, 03:14 PM

Heres an article that might be a little helpful.

http://www.anapsid.org/balsai.html

Bartman · #13 (**permalink**) 08-07-2005, 05:52 PM

I didnt finish the article. I have a few things to say. For one that Melissa Kaplan could be the worst person to listen to on the face of the planet when it comes to reptiles. Read some of her other articles when it comes to care of certain species. She writes some things that are completely wrong. So she would be the last person I would listen to.

Second, I didnt say rodents were bad and shouldnt be given at all. I just said they should be used rarely. Something like once a week at most. I also dont know what this Mike guy is talking about when he says adult captives refuse insects, causs he sure as heck is totally wrong. I dont care how many monitors he's dealt with, if you have been feeding them bugs in there lives they will continue to eat them. So thats a bunch of crap imo.

He could be right in saying it doesnt cause impaction and I have no proof of this, but if you are trying to keep an animal healthy, wouldnt you want to replicate there wild diet as best as possible? I know I would..so I do.

Thats all I gotta say

chrispaine · #14 (**permalink**) 08-07-2005, 07:38 PM

most people who feed mice, feed them once a week.... .if not less, so thats what im going to start doing, a mice every once in awhile.... i just dont know of any other available big besides crickets to get him.... anyone have any good ideas?

Jesustheherper · #15 (**permalink**) 08-07-2005, 08:37 PM

I heard they need food every day as juviniles, but as they get older the eat every other day, but full grown ones eat once weekly big meals, my bigger nile Sobek is going to start eating once every three days one mouse, my other one eats every other day. If you want pics just say the word.

Itachi · #16 (**permalink**) 08-07-2005, 10:40 PM

*sigh* Most ppl DO use mice as a staple in their monitors diet because crickets become to expensive once the monitors reach a certian length. It costs to much to fill them up and many of us don't have roaches or any other type of insects we can feed them.

Also, not everyones monitor is a Sav so you saying mice aren't a part of their natural diet is wrong, for some monitors such as the Perentie and such eat mammals as a primary diet. You must also remember Savs in the wild stay extremly small and usually don't reach over 2ft. And also, just because it's natural doesn't mean it's the best diet for them, they take what they can find in the wild, we decide what they eat in captivitity. Use that to your advantage.

And on another note, adult monitors actually would eat every day, your just not supposed to feed them every day because they'll get fat. It's not like their hunger drive suddenly shuts off when they reach adult hood. But he is right about when they are younger they need to eat EVERYDAY.

Jesustheherper · #17 (**permalink**) 08-08-2005, 02:58 AM

I do feed my nile more than just mice they eat fish, pulty, and snails when I have some.

Bartman · #18 (**permalink**) 08-08-2005, 03:27 AM

Oh right, I forgot about escargo and smelts. Those are great whole meals as well.

Quote:

Also, not everyones monitor is a Sav so you saying mice aren't a part of their natural diet is wrong, for some monitors such as the Perentie and such eat mammals as a primary diet.

I thought I was clear enough but I was just talking strictly about savannahs..since this original question was about a savannah. As for your ackie Chris, they dont very large at all so you could keep it on only insects pretty much its whole life. Try and find hornworms/silks/mealworms/butters/wax, etc. Those are all great and silks being the best, nutrition wise.

Quote:

And also, just because it's natural doesn't mean it's the best diet for them, they take what they can find in the wild, we decide what they eat in captivitity.

I really don't understand how you can say that. Millions of years of evolution has enabled them to eat certain foods which help them thrive. A wild animals diet, as long as there is no human interference, is the absolute best diet they can have. That is what they eat..period. There have been studies that show a wild savannah monitor's diet will consist of 40% crickets, 22% brachytrupes (giant crickets) and 26% slugs and centipedes. The rest of the percentage is filled with insects..no mammals. The above is a babies diet.

Adults have similar diet but it is 50 % millipedes, 20 % beetles, 9 % crickets/locusts and again no mammals/rodents present. These statistics clearly show that they do NOT eat mammals in the wild, specifically rodents, so why should they be given at ALL in captivity? You said it yourself, they get about 2 feet only in the wild (although ive never heard of that) and it captivity they get MUCH larger...does that mean its good? Probably not. That is probably why they dont live much longer then 10 years as well. Im sure they get could live MUCH longer on a natural diet.

Itachi · #19 (**permalink**) 08-08-2005, 05:11 AM

They don't get as big because they don't get enough food and often have parasites that stunt their growth.

Monitors live a very long time, but only if provided the right heat, substrate, etc. Many of todays top monitor breeders and owners feed their monitors rodents. Why? Because it's healthy for them. Like I said before, the fur acts as roughage and cleans their inards out and the calcium in their bones doesn't require dusting. Impaction normally only occurs if they are givin a rodent that is to large for them, or they are ONLY fed a rodent diet. There has been no negatitive effects of feeding rodents to their health aside from the obvious I pointed out threw obervations so why not feed rodents.

But if your bugs is what you want to feed, then go right on ahead. Use what works for you, I'll continue to use my shrimp and rodents.

Dbutton · #20 (**permalink**) 08-08-2005, 05:32 AM

I can't imagine trying to feed a 3ft. savannah monitor on insects alone. What would that be, 500 large crickets 3 times a week? Monitors of all types are scavangers in the wild anyways and will eat any type of meat item that they can get their teeth into. Keeping a varied diet is best of course, but insects cannot make up the bulk of that. Then you are more likely to see impaction occur because the insect casings don't digest well.

David

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