What else can I feed my Nile?

[burmer]

I have been giving him mostly dusted crickets and mice, with super worms every once in a while. I have seen some conflicting care sheets. Some say raw ground turkey and some say cooked. Some say cooked eggs, crayfish, fish, shrimp, freshwater shrimp etc.... I just wanted to know what else can I supplement his diet with?

[Bryce Masuk]

You can feed other Bugs too like mealies wax worms silkworms

[burmer]

I'll try wax worms. I tried meailes a month back and he wasn't really interested.

[V.hb]

frozen smelts are a good food item.. you can get a bag of them (full fish, heads everything) for about 3 bucks. I never fed my niles this as a staple, but its a good choice for an occasional item. You can also feed day old chicks, crayfish..

I brown any turkey i feed to my monitors... But keep in mind, the turkey diet is not suited for a staple food item either. Some say it is, if prepared properly, I dont feel it can simulate a full meal at all!

[markb]

Any of the above items will do. Something to consider is female niles eat about 77% shellfish in their diet, to promote calcium and other necessary minerals for egg production....

good luck,
markb

[burmer]

Thanks for the info guys. I just wanted something to give as an extra supplement to it's diet. I'll give the items you suggested a try and see how he likes it.

[markb]

For fun, you might try putting out a smorgas-borge with trays of different foods on different trays and see which ones they prefer at any one sitting - in time you will see a pattern to their preferences most to least - and if you offer alot, you might also have obese animals, so beware - but its something fun to try and see what he animals prefer - its fun to watch them think and gives them enhancements in their routine-inocuous captive lives...

cheers,
markb

[firepowerfox03]

My nile Kenge loves shrimp and my other monitors love it also. Me too! Except they do not get seafood sauce with theirs.

[Scotty Allen]

You live in Florida, you probably have an abundant supply of palmetto bugs. Monitors love em'.

[burmer]

I gave some thought to palmetto bugs. I was just a little worried about feeding something that may carry a disease or parasite.