Savannah food

mygabriella · 07-20-13, 06:37 PM

What kind of feeder fish can I feed my savannah??? I have two pet stores around here. One sells comets and the other sells these skinny grey things.
Also I feed her cray fish, Ive given her shrimp once (she thought those were tasty), worms, mice....
What else can I give her? She likes anything I give her. Shes a piglet.

mygabriella · 07-20-13, 06:41 PM

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infernalis · 07-20-13, 11:26 PM

worms, big juicy night crawlers.

three buck a package at wal mart in the fishing/hunting/camping department.

Littlefoot and Cera pound worms.

They eat baby chickens, baby rabbits, if it fits in their mouths, they will eat it.

mygabriella · 07-21-13, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

worms, big juicy night crawlers.

three buck a package at wal mart in the fishing/hunting/camping department.

Littlefoot and Cera pound worms.

They eat baby chickens, baby rabbits, if it fits in their mouths, they will eat it.

She eats night crawlers. Baby chicks

, shes too small for those and baby rabbits. She takes awhile to take down a big mouse. Just wanted to switch it up for her a bit.

murrindindi · 07-21-13, 11:26 AM

Hi, it`s not about the variety, it`s the nutritional value of the diet that matters. Either of those fish sound fine if the animal will take them.
Seafoods should only be offered in moderation because of the high salt content.
I think a good captive diet would be 50% inverts to 50% vertebrates (and if most of that 50% vertebrates are rodents, that`s good, too)!

fuzzhc · 07-24-13, 12:02 PM

Like roughly how often a wee could jumbo prawns in shell be offered? Just recently came accross those in my local supermarket

murrindindi · 07-24-13, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzzhc

Like roughly how often a wee could jumbo prawns in shell be offered? Just recently came accross those in my local supermarket

Hi, I would only offer a few every 2 or 3 weeks, it isn`t that they aren`t nutritious (they are), it`s simply the high salt content. If you do feed them, rinse them thoroughly in clean water first.

fuzzhc · 07-25-13, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi, I would only offer a few every 2 or 3 weeks, it isn`t that they aren`t nutritious (they are), it`s simply the high salt content. If you do feed them, rinse them thoroughly in clean water first.

I usually feed them once a week and washed thoroughly but never thought the salt contemt would have been very high. In saying that whenever I go on holiday my dad will feed my sav for me but he will only go as far as prawns as he doesnt like the thought of seeing anything else. I have noticed that when I come back the monitors belly is huge and jiggly for a couple of weeks after ive got him back on bugs and mice. Any ideas why this could be, maybesomething to do with the salt?

Edit: its not bloated either because ive seen it like that a few times and usuall goes back to normal after doing the toilet lol

B_Aller · 07-25-13, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi, I would only offer a few every 2 or 3 weeks, it isn`t that they aren`t nutritious (they are), it`s simply the high salt content. If you do feed them, rinse them thoroughly in clean water first.

I disagree with this advice.
Firstly Prawn are freshwater, shrimp are saltwater so if you are offering prawns there should not be an issue with salt.
I've been feeding a mostly shellfish diet to all of my varanids (save for the tree monitors, they refuse) for well over 15 years. Never had an issue with salt, parasites, bad fecals, slow growth or lack of breeding success.
Besides, thawing shellfish requires rinsing so that also should not be an issue.
The main thing to keep in mind is that you must be feeding whole bodied shellfish, not just tails.
Ben

infernalis · 07-25-13, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B_Aller

The main thing to keep in mind is that you must be feeding whole bodied shellfish, not just tails.
Ben

With that in mind, I only feed my lizards about a pound a month (half pound each) of these, since the only "clean" ones I can get have the heads removed.

Since their diet also includes generous amounts of chicks, rodents and night crawlers, I see little need in giving them much more (in terms of expensive headless prawns)

murrindindi · 07-25-13, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B_Aller

I disagree with this advice.
Firstly Prawn are freshwater, shrimp are saltwater so if you are offering prawns there should not be an issue with salt.
I've been feeding a mostly shellfish diet to all of my varanids (save for the tree monitors, they refuse) for well over 15 years. Never had an issue with salt, parasites, bad fecals, slow growth or lack of breeding success.
Besides, thawing shellfish requires rinsing so that also should not be an issue.
The main thing to keep in mind is that you must be feeding whole bodied shellfish, not just tails.
Ben

Hi, I was referring only to the Savannah monitor (V. exanthematicus). I too have fed seafood to a variety of Varanid species without any health problems whatsoever!

Pirarucu · 07-25-13, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B_Aller

I disagree with this advice.
Firstly Prawn are freshwater, shrimp are saltwater so if you are offering prawns there should not be an issue with salt.
I've been feeding a mostly shellfish diet to all of my varanids (save for the tree monitors, they refuse) for well over 15 years. Never had an issue with salt, parasites, bad fecals, slow growth or lack of breeding success.
Besides, thawing shellfish requires rinsing so that also should not be an issue.
The main thing to keep in mind is that you must be feeding whole bodied shellfish, not just tails.
Ben

There are saltwater prawns too, as well as freshwater shrimp.
I see no reason not to offer them regularly, they are very nutritious and the salt will not have any relevant effect. For one thing when you buy them they are usually rinsed already, but even if they weren't the amount of residual salt on their exoskeleton would be negligible, as would the amount of salt in them.

murrindindi · 07-25-13, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pirarucu

There are saltwater prawns too, as well as freshwater shrimp.
I see no reason not to offer them regularly, they are very nutritious and the salt will not have any relevant effect. For one thing when you buy them they are usually rinsed already, but even if they weren't the amount of residual salt on their exoskeleton would be negligible, as would the amount of salt in them.

Hi, maybe you can contact Bernd Eidenmueller and inform him his advise is unreliable, he`s on the board of "Biawak" and his email address appears on the front of that journal? (I`m NOT being sarcastic, I`m asking a serious question).

Would you also feed saltwater fish if the Savannah monitor would take it?

Pirarucu · 07-24-13, 07:19 PM

Murrindindi, out of curiosity why do you say the salt content is bad for them? I know some monitors will scavenge prey from the beach.. But I can't imagine that the tiny difference in salt levels would be a huge issue. Entire populations of people live off of the sea, after all.

Prawns are often freshwater by the way.

murrindindi · 07-25-13, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pirarucu

Murrindindi, out of curiosity why do you say the salt content is bad for them? I know some monitors will scavenge prey from the beach.. But I can't imagine that the tiny difference in salt levels would be a huge issue. Entire populations of people live off of the sea, after all.

Prawns are often freshwater by the way.

Hi, I have not said they are bad for Varanids in general, I was advised by Bernd Eidenmueller not to offer sea food to this species too often (V. exanthematicus) which is what`s being discussed in this thread, I believe he has enough knowledge and experience to know better than I, so I accepted his advise!

You rightly say "monitors" may scavenge prey on the beach, not the above species, at least as far as I know!?