Savannah Ino

[crazykeeper]

A family member has just adopted a sav it is aprox 1.5ft and the feeding info is a little conflicting,should she feed 1-3 fuzzys every 2 days plus crickets,or ?.It is a little skinny,and could use to put on some weight,any tips?I know their are monitor experts on this site..Thanks Mike:confused: :confused:

[Bartman]

no expert but when my guy was really skinny i just fed him everything i could get my hands on...all insects, all rodents...just make sure hes always fat, has water he can submerge in and drink...when he has wrinkles its not a good sign...usually is a sign of dehydration. Basically just feed him alot until his tail is nice and fat and he is big...when he is an adult its a whole diff story..id say buy the book by ravi thakoordyal called The Savannah Monitor Lizard...great info!

[kap10cavy]

You can start by reading some care sheets. You didn't say anything about it's inclosure. Make sure he's not dehyderated, if he's eating, make sure he has a good basking site ( helps with digestion) I highly recomend you buy Daniel Bennett and Ravi Thakoordyal’s book The Savannah Monitor Lizard: The Truth About Varanus exanthematicus. Lots of great info there.

[kap10cavy]

LOL, me and bartman read the same books

[crazykeeper]

Thanks for the info everyone ,he is in a 5x2x2 enclosure,i have forwarded care sheets to her,the temps are 80-85 and 100-115 in the basking spot..
She had 1 more question will the sav eat roaches,or should she just stick with crix and mice.

[kap10cavy]

roaches are yummy, Smaug The Tremendous said so

[Linds]

I'm no expert, but at work we fed our sav a huge variety which included crickets, grasshoppers, fish, shellfish mix, hardboiled eggs, mice, rats, superworms, waxworms, butterworms, monitor diet (when we were running low on the other stuff). We fed roaches at one time, before they became illegal. The higher fat items weren't fed as often, but our sav is a perfect weight. Crickets, roaches and the like are more roughage, while eggs and rodents are higher. I'm not going to comment on what you should do with the basking spot. That is too low for a healthy sav, but higher temps may not help if he is dehydrated. Hopefully one of the experienced monitor keepers will join this thread soon. 99% of the caresheets are completely inaccurate online. I would suggest running a quick search through this forum to find some better info on how to house and maintain savs. Good luck :)

Originally posted by Bartman
all insects, all rodents...just make sure hes always fat

You don't want any animal to become fat (females however can be allowed to develop more fat stores prior to breeding). Too many captive animals are kept obese and mistaken for healthy.

[Bartman]

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35763&highlight=bartman
This is a great thread that was started, it was about my sav when i first got him..some pics are now gone but theirs a lot of good info..its a good read, and most the people their REALLY know their monitors.

If its healthy 115 is a bit low..my savs is now at 130 but honestly it totally depends, as you'll read in that thread.

Also bout the eggs that linds said, ive heard that you dont really need to feed them and their not really good...you can get all the other nutrients it needs from other things...i go through about 10 dozen crix a week at least, and a couple fuzzies here and their. I just make sure hes always fat. Mines about the same size as yours with the tail, if thats what youw ere counting...

deffinetly buy that book, its an amazing read!

good luck!

[crazykeeper]

Ok i just looked at her set up ,I adjusted the basking light,so it is 125,and the cool end is a steady 92 ,also the basking light is a infared heat bulb for incubating chicks is this ok.
Thanks everyone:)

[crucified]

from what i've heard and am told.. dont feed them rodents too often.. maybe a mouse once every week if not two weeks.. savs are more insectivores than carnivores.. chicken wings and fish are good too... but rodents are too high in fat for them..

[Dani33]

I just looked up some info. for you in Ravi Thakoordyal's book "The Savannah Monitor Lizard". It states that the temperatures in the enclosure should range in temperatures from 75 o cool end up to 145o under the hotspot. So, your going to have to find a better way to allow the animal to thermoregulate.

It does state that in the wild, they are insectivorous. But in captivity it should rely on vertebrates as it's staple food item(as adults). ie. mice. Variety is always good. It should include inverts but not it's staple.

You should really purchase this book, it give all the info you need. They are tough and can live a long time w/ husbandry mistakes. It's best to provide them with whatever we can to give them a happy life.

[Linds]

Originally posted by Dani33

It does state that in the wild, they are insectivorous. But in captivity it should rely on vertebrates as it's staple food item(as adults). ie. mice.

We should do what we have available to replicate an animals' natural diet. Animals that feed mainly on insects in the wild, can develop obesity problems, vision problems, and fat deposits around the organs, particularily liver, if fed a diet higher in fat (ie- rodents). These problems may not be evident for many, many years, but all the same, once symptoms show it is usually too late. Can't improve on mother nature, if they eat more invertabrates than vertabrates in the wild, then they have a low-fat, high-roughage diet. No sense in trying to reverse the values.

[Dani33]

Well, the book shows a ratio of what it eats in the wild and the main part is millipedes, scorpians and giant crickets. I guess that they suggest as such because it would be difficult to replicate a diet as such in captivity (unless your rich). It says that adults should be fed mice a few times a week along with a variety of invertebrates.

[Matt.B]

Are you sure about the millepieds they are usually poisinios.
Matt

[Dani33]

Lulus millipedes. It shows that millipedes are near 50 % of their diet. This is just what the books says, I just quoted directly. I certainly haven't been to Africa to watch them in their natural habitat and studied what they consume :) Although, it would certainly make an amazing trip.

[AHLizards]

it would be impossible to properly feed a savannah at full grown a complete insect diet. thats one hell of a lot of insects. Chicks are a good food source for monitors, if you dont want to do an entire rodent thing. I would do 25% insects, 50% rodent, 25% chicks/ground turkey.

[Linds]

Originally posted by AHLizards
it would be impossible to properly feed a savannah at full grown a complete insect diet. thats one hell of a lot of insects.

Yes it is a lot of insects, but you do what you have to do, right? Nobody said keeping monitors was supposed to be cheap and easy. The one at work is full grown and has a diet composed of at least 80% insects. Only gets a non-insect meal maybe once a week. She looks great and is 100% healthy. Definitely not impossible :cool:

[AHLizards]

You wont see anyone breeding this species feeding them an entire insect diet. And there is nothing proven that a savannah with proper temperatures, and an ample supply of water wont do just well on a rodent based diet.

[AHLizards]

Oh, by the way, i also said "properly" yes you can feed a savannah a dozen crickets a day till its full grown, but thats not enough food.

[Linds]

Yes, I never said we underfeed it. I noticed you said properly and responded accordingly. She has a healthy weight and is active, very healthy. Of course a dozen crix a day isn't nearly adequate :rolleyes:

Although there are no studies done specifically on savs that I am aware of, it IS proven that animals that eat a diet naturally high in roughage eventually end up with problems such as fatty liver disease when fed a diet of rodents and other higher fat foods in captivity. It is a fact that they eat a diet mainly composed of ivertabrates in the wild, so I do not see them as being any exception. Although these problems may take many years to become evident, once they are it is too late.

[AHLizards]

I agree totally Linds. Mimicing natural diet is the best way to go.. But it to my knowledge not to many people have done it down to a pure insect diet.. I never have, but that doesnt say much, i'am no expert...

I dont see harm either way, as long as they get LOTS of insects.. How many do you feed the one you work with?? and what kind? was it fed pure insects its entire life? Ive always done a real varied diet, with insects, rodents, quail, chicks.....

Also, High temperatures and hydration to my knowledge have been proven to prevent impactions, and liver problems.

[Bighead]

Originally posted by Matt.B
Are you sure about the millepieds they are usually poisinios.
Matt


Millipedes aren't poisonous but centipedes are. Centipedes are carnivores and millipedes are herbivors. Not that that matters, because scorpions obviously have poisons too but they eat them anyway. I guess it doesn't hurt them. Of course, that still doesn't mean you should ever feed your sav scorpions and millipedes...

[crocdoc]

Some millipedes are poisonous but I am not sure if there are any poisonous centipedes.

Centipedes are, however, venomous and the larger ones (Scolopendra and its relatives) can give a very painful bite.

[Bighead]

I guess I was incorrectly using venomous and poisonous interchangibly. Millipedes can excrete a nasty substance from their joints when they feel threatened but I don't think there are any venomous ones.

[Linds]

AHLizards,
She is fed mainly insects consisting of grasshoppers, crickets, superworms, snails, and some of the others such as silks, butters, and waxies (though these are more a treat than a meal due to price). LOL... I'm not sure I can give a number on how many she gets in a sitting however. She either gets handfuls of worms in to her dish, or crickets dumped from a deli cup in to her cage. She also gets chicken, scallops, fish, crustacean mix, and whatever else we have kicking around the freezer. Sometimes she also gets rodents, and occassionally an egg or two. :flick:

[reptiguy123]

An egg with a shell or without? Raw or hard-boiled?
Also, will savs eat earthworms?

[Lrptls]

my sav loves earth worms, hes only had them a few rare times but whenever i get to buy them i do.

i have a question too, at what size can you stop feeding them crickets?

[reptiguy123]

Usually the sav will stop eating crickets and move on to rodents as it nears being full-grown.

[Lrptls]

thanks

[Bartman]

yes she is correct..ive seen those ratio chats as well...its 49.4 percent lulus millipeads...and also, when adults, they eat lots of beatles.

When they're young, in the wild, it says they lots of crickets and brachytrupes (described as giant crickets)

But it even says in the book, its to expensive and hard to get to think of it has a food item to keep in their captive diet...