Diet question, purely out of curiousity..

[V.hb]

Ive never done it other then to make up for lack of rodents although rarely happens.. has it ever been documented that any varanid keeper has raised and bred their monitors on a 100% ground turkey diet? It just doesnt seem believable to me, but the San-Diego zoo apparently uses it exclusivly for their carniviorous lizards. Thanks to anyone with insite!

[mbayless]

Yes, I know SDZS (San Diego Zoo) and several keepers who use almost eclusivly turkey diet for their african varanus species.....

Good Luck,
markb

[V.hb]

and they have had success breeding? Thanks mark!

[mbayless]

Yes they did - SDZS bred albighularis in 1962, and my friend in Florida bred albigularis several times, getting live and healthy baby albigularis and ~150 full term DIE (= die in egg) full term fetuses....over a seven year period.

Cheers,
markb

[V.hb]

mark sorry if this is a stupid question (been sick, to much cough syrup haha) anyways, do you mean 150 dead over a seven year period unhatched???

[mbayless]

Yes, he got 150 eggs over 7 year period from a single very large female, Missy, sired by two larger, 6.5+ foot males alternatively; he has 10 offspring, all adult now. The parents have died of (apparent) old age, as all of them very large when he got them, and just faded away, as monitors sometimes do for reason unknown (to me, to my friend, and others....). He keeps them outdoors, and feeds them turkey diet w/occassional rat.

I have a few of his deceased D.I.E. clutches in alcohol here in my basement - and have used them for study of pattern, sex determination studies...

cheers,
markb
cheers,
mbayless

[V.hb]

Thanks alot mark i'am going to try supplementing their diet a couple of times a week with this, but keep them on rodents still. Thanks again