fav monitor foods?

[Thunder Kat]

Just wondering what are your monitor's favorite foods? Please also list what kind of monitors/tegus you have.

[Thunder Kat]

Sorry, I started typing a poll but was kicked off line. But for some reason the thread saved. Oh well, please let me know what your guys like best and what they are. I know what care sheets and books say to feed but I just want to know some of the favorites. Pics are always welcomed (I know it has nothing to really do with this thread but I love to pics of your babies).

[SatanicIntention]

Roaches, hard-boiled egg, lean ground turkey. Depends on what type of monitor. If it's a Savannah, I do know that you'll want to stay away from a mainly rodent diet. Stick with the insects and he'll stay lean and healthy. A roach colony is SO easy to maintain and are very good producers. He/She would probably get a kick out of those

[daniel1983]

Monitors should eat WHOLE food items only. Ground turkey and canned meats are useless and serve no benefit to the animal.

I feed mice, crickets, various 'worms' (i.e. waxworms, silkworms, etc.), and a few other things. Roaches are great. I also let the waxworms and silkworms turn into moths and feed the moths.

[Sasquatch Art]

I have a Savannah and I try to get him a variety of different things.

- Chicken (Breasts that are cut into cubes)
- Steak (again cut into cubes)
- Crickets
-Various Worms
- Feeder Fish
- Mice
- Egg

I recently picked up two different types of food at the petstore to try him on. I don't have the names of them though. One is these little pinkish red cube things. The other is this new meat mix that you add water to (Which he seemed to like)

I have been wanting to get him roaches lately **They creep me out though and I don't know anyone that sells them around here**

[Thunder Kat]

I was asking because my girl loves pinkies, not big on crickets, and will eat only 2 or 3 very small meal worms. I don't want her on a strictly rodent diet, but I want to keep her on a whole food diet (no canned foods). My hubby said no roaches in the house, I know in the wild they will eat carrion, so could I give her small pieces of fish that I'd buy in the grocery store? Just trying to get some ideas for what work for you. I'm not too worried about her not eating as much cause I've only had her about a week or so. She became acclimated faster than I figured she would. Only two days and she was swimming in her water dish and trying to get out. So I feed her a pinkie on Sunday (right after i feed my bp) and within 5 minutes she ate, very cool thing to see (she tossed it, caught it, two gulps and all gone). I just want to find some thing that she would enjoy between rodents (the last thing I want is a sick or fat monitor). The only BIG lizards I've had were iguanas and they were so active I never had to worry about them becoming obese. And Daniel, do they prefer the moths over the worms?

[Rapture]

So far, mine will only eat crickets and beef (which I very seldom offer)... He wouldn't go near the mealworms for some reason.

[daniel1983]

And Daniel, do they prefer the moths over the worms?

My Odatria go nuts over moths. The moths have alot more movement so I think that triggers the reaction.

Again, I would stick with whole food items. Also, you might want to think about supplementing the pinkies with calcium or get some fuzzy mice and chop them up. The added calcium from a bone structure is very beneficial to growth and is the missing component with all of the other food items.

From my reading on Savs, they seem to have a slower metabolism than most other monitors. This is suggested why so many become obese. Personally, I think an rodent based diet is fine if you adjust the feedings to your animal's metabolism.

Have a read of the article in Biawak concerning the breeding of savs:
http://varanidae.org/Vol1_No1.pdf
He feeds hissing cochroaches and a ground turkey & supplement mix.

[Thunder Kat]

Again, I would stick with whole food items. Also, you might want to think about supplementing the pinkies with calcium or get some fuzzy mice and chop them up. The added calcium from a bone structure is very beneficial to growth and is the missing component with all of the other food items.
.

I've only feed one pinkie so far, and I forgot to mention I did dust it with Reptimineral for carnivorous reptiles. I will try moths, what about the fish? What kind would be best if any? And I only want to keep her on whole foods, I don't want an obese, unhealthy, or unhappy animal.

[daniel1983]

I've only feed one pinkie so far, and I forgot to mention I did dust it with Reptimineral for carnivorous reptiles. I will try moths, what about the fish? What kind would be best if any? And I only want to keep her on whole foods, I don't want an obese, unhealthy, or unhappy animal.

Personally, I would not feed a sav any fish. If I were to feed a monitor some fish, it would be the whole fish not just parts. I think I remember someone saying that the chance a sav would eat a fish in the wild is slim to none.

If you are looking for an alternative to mice, check out some of the commonly fed birds. You can pick up quail, chicks and finches from most frozen rodent supply companies. Smaller eggs are good too....not the scambled junk.....whole eggs shell and all...it is so cool to watch how delicate a monitor can be with an egg. Also, feeder lizards are usually available on the classifieds at ks.com so those are always an option. It really depends on you.

I am about to order some quail for some of my monitors as a substitute for mice. It won't hurt so give it a shot if you like