Originally Posted by Patrick Long
Hi Patrick,
One of the authors of some of the studies mentioned in this thread is a guy named Daniel, and his published findings were based on years of observation of V. exanthematicus in the wilds of Africa. His data was collected through both primary observation of behavior, as well as examination of other factors like stomach contents and fecal samples.
In the years he spent over there before the start of the Butaan project, he found over and over again that the Bosc seeks out inverts even when many types of prey are available. He found that the Bosc, unlike almost any other species of monitor, is not an opportunistic feeder, does not feed on whatever is available (including carrion as gbassett mentioned), and is generally not the garbage disposal that many make it out to be (despite other monitors being just that). To make generalizations about the diet and behavior of V. exanthematicus based on the diet and behavior of other monitors would simply be inconsistent and incorrect. The Bosc simply does not eat the way other monitors do.
Given those years of observations by himself and other people who have found identical data, I don't see this as much of a debate, rather either an acceptance or an ignoring of fact.
This is, unfortunately, what most people do. And judging by all the obese, sick looking, slovenly Boscs I see on Youtube and forums, it doesn't seem to be successful.
The point I think people miss is that it's not about "who knows more about monitors" and "my information is correct and yours is wrong". It's unfortunately that so many Boscs die or become sick due to misinformation and from care that does not remotely match their habitat and dietary needs, that a lot of people become interested in finding out better ways to actually keep their animal alive and active/healthy. This includes reading up on actual dietary habits of the animal in the wild in studies such as those mentioned here, rather than continuing to rely on the pet industry to tell us how to care for the animal (which coincidentally includes purchasing all their products).
Hope that helps.
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