*puts on scolding suit* I had done so good with my water monitor...

[Beardedragon]

I had always though that there werent that many CB savs out there?

Good luck on him though, it looks like he needs the help!

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

I had always though that there werent that many CB savs out there?

Good luck on him though, it looks like he needs the help!

I have a friend in FLA that bred her savannahs and just hatched a bunch of fat healthy babies

To the OP, pick up a thing of reptical multi vitamins and give your little guy some high grade raw ground beef sprinkled with the multivitamin every day. Take the left over beef out after about an hour and toss it. This is what alot of breeders start hatchlings on and it really helps to beef them up and keep them healthy.

[JLuck13]

I have a friend in FLA that bred her savannahs and just hatched a bunch of fat healthy babies

To the OP, pick up a thing of reptical multi vitamins and give your little guy some high grade raw ground beef sprinkled with the multivitamin every day. Take the left over beef out after about an hour and toss it. This is what alot of breeders start hatchlings on and it really helps to beef them up and keep them healthy.

ok thanks ill give it a try tonight/tomorrow morning. He was eating crickets for me all day (hes up to maybe 20 mediums, given 3-5 at a time)

"At death's door" is pretty much the impression I had as well, thin, hip bone poking out, etc.

Good luck with it. You've got to learn to say "no". I am offered all kinds of lovely herps bi-weekly when I go for feeders. Free. Saying no is tough, but ultimately better for the animals I do have.

Chris

i know i need to learn to, and i was a bit confident because i had just got the water and was like sure i can take care of one, i have the room and had the extra cage so i figured id take the rist, a little bad on my part, but itll be a lesson for me lol

keep us updated, i'm interested in it's progress.
good luck!!

will do, thank you

[gbassett]

To the OP, pick up a thing of reptical multi vitamins and give your little guy some high grade raw ground beef sprinkled with the multivitamin every day. Take the left over beef out after about an hour and toss it. This is what alot of breeders start hatchlings on and it really helps to beef them up and keep them healthy.

That is the worst advice I have herd in a while.First off monitor need whole prey items meaning the whole body.Whole crickets,whole roaches,and whole mice.Second Savannas eat mainly insects,so why would you feed it ground beef.Have you ever owned a monitor ?They advice you have given will lead to a dead monitor with in a year.


That monitor dose look on deaths door,it is very dehydrated.You most provide a well sealed cage and give him options of temperature and humidity.give him a good dirt sand mix deep enough for him to burrow in,and give him a basking site of a least 120


Greg

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

That is the worst advice I have herd in a while.First off monitor need whole prey items meaning the whole body.Whole crickets,whole roaches,and whole mice.Second Savannas eat mainly insects,so why would you feed it ground beef.Have you ever owned a monitor ?They advice you have given will lead to a dead monitor with in a year.


That monitor dose look on deaths door,it is very dehydrated.You most provide a well sealed cage and give him options of temperature and humidity.give him a good dirt sand mix deep enough for him to burrow in,and give him a basking site of a least 120


Greg

This is not long term at all. It gives the extra protein and fat if a baby is thin. It is only meant to be a boost in nutrition. The added vitamins makes up for the lack of calcium and other nutrients from not having an entire body with bones and organs. It will not lead to a dead monitor. No I do not own one but I posted after another member stated that he believed there were not many CB out there, about a friend that just had a very fat and healthy clutch of savs. It is not their first clutch either. I dont claim to be an expert and no I dont own one but this is also advice that some exotics vets would give to boost an undernourished baby. So to the OP, be aware that ground beef is not a long term staple food for sav's but it is known by some people to help with poor nutrition and can be offered as a treat occasionally. Oh and the beef will help with dehydration from the inside as crickets do not contain much water.

Remember that what was wrong yesterday or unknown, may be right and positive info today.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Please read why my recommendation of ground beef is not wrong for sav's..

"For young savannahs I like to use crickets, roaches, pinkie mice,fuzzie mice, meal worms, and ground turkey as a treat. Young savannahs can be feed as much as they will eat as they will grow at a steady rate. The amount they will eat depends on the basking temps and the age of the monitor.
For adults I like to feed crickets or insects until they stop accepting them as they get great exersise chasing them. The adults can be feed ground turkey, mice, rats, insects, and beef heart. I feed my younger savannah hard boiled eggs as a treat and ground turkey as a treat. Beef heart can be used but not as a staple(regular) diet, 1 time a week or so. Adults should be feed as much as they eat in 1 sitting(at a particular time) 2-4 times a week depending on the basking temps and the body weight. If you see the savannah getting fat or a bit chubby cut back on feeding ammount, frequentcy, or both. Some may also take quail and chicks. Make sure not to feed live rodents as they may fight back and feeding live rodents makes the monitor more agressive. NEVER HAND FEED!!! Make sure all feeder insects are gut loaded(recently fed) with a good cricket diet. I prefer Flukers Cricket Diet as it is cheap and works well."

Found this quick care sheet you can take a look at. Most care sheets I can find say almost the same thing. The more varied the diet, the better off they will be.
The entire thing can be found here..

http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/1081.html

Here is another..

http://www.petreptiles.com/Monitor/monitor-food.php3

And another.. I have found a few that say ground turkey and occasional beef can be fed as a treat. Mazuri brand ground reptile food is also good.

http://lllreptile.com/info/library/a...vanna-monitor/

And FYI, I did just double check with a girl I know that works as a vet tech. I had her ask the Drs there about the beef for underweight babies and she was told that raw ground meats or slightly blanched (slightly boiled) is what they recommend (also pinky mice) because it is highly digestable and full of protein, fat and fluids. I was also told that a mouse pinky can be injected with a small amount of water or pedialite for dehydration if the sav will take a prekilled rodent from you. Thats assuming you have a vet near you that will give you a syringe. Just an idea.

So please keep us updated and let us know how the little guy does.

[JLuck13]

Alrite guys, thanks for the great feeding debate but i was already planning on trying with a little ground turkey/egg/bone meal every few days to try and get some meat on him. He was soaked twice today (about 30 minuets each time) and he drank HEAVILY from both his water bowl and while he was soaking. He was also checked out by my vet and is parasite free (thank god, but was already expecting it). After an informal count he ate about ~18 medium crickets today and after his first soak/drinking session and about 10 crickets started acting more "monitorish" he began exploring, burrowing climbing and basking. After his second soak he went back to the same thing and is now asleep burrowed under his flat long hide.

His basking spot is on a thermostat and set to ~120* with temps on the "cold side" being an average of 82* in the last 24 hours. Humidity today was 55%+ and the top of his cage is 80% covered with heat tape/foil from the underside to try and keep everything in i can. In the 36 hours i have had him (like its suuuuuch a long time lol) he has perked up a ton, and is acting more like my water. I will keep you guys updated on how everything else goes from here on out. Wish my little guy luck, the odds may be stacked against him, but hes got alot going for him too.

[allergenic]

Please read why my recommendation of ground beef is not wrong for sav's..

That's great that's what you do, good luck with your monitor and your vet techs, but most of the stuff you listed, Savannah Monitors flat out don't eat. It's the equivalent of feeding McDonalds to a captive lion or tiger. They will consume that trash if offered but it's not what they eat.

http://savannahmonitor.org/feeding/
http://savannahmonitor.org/feeding/rodents/
http://savannahmonitor.org/feeding/not/

Read up on those links, which incorporate information based on Bennett's 2000 and 2001 studies in Ghana as well as Cisse's 1972 study in Senegal as to what the Savannah Monitor actually eats. I don't know where the idea came from that the garbage you listed was okay to feed an animal that has been proven to eat 100% invertebrates, but it's quite wrong and will lead to health problems.

While the OP is right to not want to start a food fight (heh) in his thread, it's quite important to discuss as V. exanthematicus is one of the only species where juveniles are prone to obesity based on diet. In other species the "feed juveniles as much as they will eat" holds true, but not with the Sav.

[allergenic]

No I do not own one

I missed this. Unbelievable.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

OI.. The arrogence of some people is also unbelievable.. You are both right that this is not a good long term diet for any lizard. I never said it wasnt. Do you think the OP's vet has a sav? So anyone who does not currently own one does not know how to feed them? Once again, the ideas I gave are very short term and to be offered in conjuction with their normal diet. Generally for underweight, malnourished and/or dehydrated animals. Of course we all know it would be best and most natural if we could just get some native african snails, millipedes, orthopterans, beetles, rodents, eggs and other small reptiles to feed them but in this case, that would be a little difficult. In reality, very few (if any) sav owners in the USA feed their pet the "correct" diet.

Sorry for disrupting the OP's thread. You will do whats best for the little guy, just let us know how he's doing in a couple weeks