He won't eat crickets

[Trey]

Ok, I know I just got the water monitor but I have't seen him one time since I have. The one time I caught him he was eating a fuzzie. Now I want to get him on crickets to help with his attitude and just because all the protein isn't good for him but he's not interested in them. I spoke to a woman and she said you have to starve him and once he gets hungry enough he will eat them. What do you guys think?

[Sputnik]

Give it time.... at no point is starving an animal like what was suggested good! Be careful the advice you hear.

[mr~python]

feed him what he'll eat! offer crickets over time and see if he'll eat the, if he doesnt dont worry about it.

[Trey]

Im getting kinda worried now. I went and bought 2 frozen hoppers and set them in front of his hide thinking he'd come out and and eat but he didn't. Now when should I start to worry about not seeing him and about him not eating?

[mr~python]

sounds like you have the average monitor. he's not going to be tame and happy on his own. leave him alone. dont even look in his general direction and stay out of the room he's in as much as possible. it sounds like he's very stressed, which is reasonable. he's been in a crummy petstore probably inproperly caged and now he's went from a petstore to another person with whole new surroundings.

[fish21]

sounds like you have the average monitor. he's not going to be tame and happy on his own. leave him alone. dont even look in his general direction and stay out of the room he's in as much as possible. it sounds like he's very stressed, which is reasonable. he's been in a crummy petstore probably inproperly caged and now he's went from a petstore to another person with whole new surroundings.

absolutly. leave it alone. i know this is hard. the more you try to see if he is ok the worse off he will be. mine didnt come out of his hide for about 5 weeks. now he stays out. you kind of have to just chill out, and wait. it will be at least two months before you are even able to touch him.

feeding meat will not make him any more mean in the slightest. when he is an adult that is all he will eat. unless you have a ton of giant hissing roaches around.

patience patience patience. if you rush him the outcome will not be one you want.

[Trey]

I understand but he's so shy he won't even come out to eat. I don't want him to starve himself.

[mr~python]

he wont if you allow him to settle in. did you REALLY research what you were getting into?

[Trey]

Yeah but nothing I read said they were this shy. Im not worrying about handleing him I just don't want him to get sick from not eating. I read that "any" monitor that's healthy will jump on any food anytime and this is not what im seeing from him. Think about it, The first day I got him he spit up 2 large mice and since then he has eaten 1 fuzzie. He has nothing in his little belly

[mr~python]

any healthy and stress free monitor.....

leave the lizard alone! he'll be fine. just let him settle in!