Water Monitor (Varanus Salvator) diet

[blueyedleucistic]

hi everyone, i bought about a week ago a baby water monitor that must be a month or two old im guessing. A friend of mine bought it for me in the HAMM show in Germany and brought it back to me to Spain. I am in many spanish reptile forums but for some reason they are not able to convince me with a good diet for my baby water monitor. When they are small i believe a cricket based diet is the best right?? the thing is he shows no interest what so ever for crickets! He has taken pinkie mice from me and raw chicken breast. Im going to buy some small fish which i believe should be good for him. But im not sure how much of what i have to feed him and how many days a week? so if someone can think of a good diet plan that would be so helpful ! He's very shy and sometimes tries to bite my han but strangely when i pick him up using a cleaning rubber glove he wont actually strike that often! any ideas as to why this could be? and any advice as to how to make the taming process effective?

thanks everyone!

[wolfy-hound]

First, it's easier if you describe his enclosure, his tempurtures in the cool end, hot end and basking spot, and what substrate you have for him.

Second, insects are better than rodents because rodents can cause fatty liver in some species. There's a few really knowlegable monitor people on here with a ton of experiance. I haven't kept water monitors, only blackthroats and tegus(and a peachthroat but only briefly).

Pictures would help too. Do you have access to feeder roaches?

[blueyedleucistic]

I could probably have access to blaptica Dubia, so yes i think that answers the question about the roaches right? I try not to feed to many rodents (pinkie mice is what is use for the time being) and im trying out with crickets and fish. His enclosure is pretty big for him right now. In Spain we measure temps and lengths in a different way so try to bare with my measurements! My tank is 100cm long by 50cm wide by 70cm high. The substrate im using right now is coco fibre by zoo med. He has a tub as a pool for him, He has a SOLAR GLOw bulb and a heat matt. Temps are as they are supposed. I would post some photos but unfortunately i dont know how!!! Thanks for replying!

[mumps]

Varanus salvator diet.

Many people believe we should replicate their diet in nature, so be sure to include:

Rotten, smelly meat from garbage heaps
Animal as well as human feces
Human corpses in shallow graves
Putrid, slimy decomposing road kill

I kid, hahahahahaha, but they have been seen eating everything I listed above.

If your basking spot is adequate (130 - 150F or 55 - 66C), then regular daily feedings of appropriately sized rodents is fine. If it doesn't like crickets don't bother. Try other, larger insects though if available; but dust them with a calcium supplement.

Chris