Savannah food

[murrindindi]

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!

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by mygabriella

If variety in diet isn't important. And 50% inverts and 50% mice is a good diet.
Then why did you say that nightcrawlers and mice were a horrible diet for a varanid? Just curious, not trying to be rude. It's just your one of the ones that told me to feed that diet because she was fat. Then you told me that's a horrible diet. Then now your saying 50/50 is good without a variety.

Hi, sorry, I don`t know how to bring my previous reply to you other than this way...?

Re: Mice size
Hi, why are you only feeding earthworms with a small mouse every two weeks or so, that is an awful diet for any Varanid!?
To answer your question, yes, absolutely do try a full grown mouse (f/t or f/k), Varanids can swallow prey larger than most lizards without any problems (just like snakes).
Can you show a few photos of the monitor? Thanks!


As you see, I was asking why you only fed a small mouse every two weeks and just worms the rest of the time, that`s why I described it as and awful diet ("awful" may have been too strong a word)!
I then said that there doesn`t need to be a large variety of prey so much as they are nutritious (e.g just because someone feeds 50 different items doesn`t necessarily mean they are more nutritious than just a few items)...
A diet of 50% vertebrates (even if the majority of those were rodents) and 50% inverts is in my opinion, good! (I hope that`s clear)!

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by B_Aller

Prawn is a freshwater "shrimp"

There are saltwater prawns, too.

[Pirarucu]

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]

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?

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

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?

I will jump in for a second, Saltwater fish? well if someone gave me a few ladyfish or small mackerel, but virtually all the saltwater fish at the store is fillet, so why bother as it's incomplete.

Not to mention, Tilapia, Salmon, haddock, cod, and virtually all frozen fillet is sprayed with sodium tripolyphosphate to keep it pretty looking in the store, and I simply don't trust food laced in detergents.

[murrindindi]

Hi Wayne, I believe Salmon and Tilapia are freshwater fish?
And who suggested feeding frozen fillets (not me)!?

[B_Aller]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

There are saltwater prawns, too.

Well I'm no shrimp expert, but where I live those are the names the seafood wholesalers use, prawn for fresh, shrimp for sea.
I'm not sure about exanthematicus but several species have salt excreting glands. I'd say 50/50 insect/ whole animal is great for these guys, doubt you would see any problems feeding a large portion of shellfish, really though, as long as it's whole bodied...it works.
Best.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by B_Aller

Well I'm no shrimp expert, but where I live those are the names the seafood wholesalers use, prawn for fresh, shrimp for sea.
I'm not sure about exanthematicus but several species have salt excreting glands. I'd say 50/50 insect/ whole animal is great for these guys, doubt you would see any problems feeding a large portion of shellfish, really though, as long as it's whole bodied...it works.
Best.

I`m no shrimp expert either (snap!), but I think Bernd E. would have enough experience with exathematicus to be better informed than I am, so I accepted the advise to only feed this species seafood in moderation.
I actually asked him the question on behalf of a friend who worked at a zoo in the states that had been keeping a Sav in quite appalling conditions, she was trying to get the "powers that be" make some changes (that included in the diet).
Yes, a number of Varanid species have salt secreting glands, but I`m not sure if V. exanthematicus is one of them?
In Oz we have "yabbies'" which are freshwater crayfish, I used to feed those to my monitors regularly, (V. varius, gouldii and mertensi), but never tried the saltwater type.

[infernalis]

I feed my Savannah monitors pretty much the same diet a lot of keepers give their animals. Buckets of chicks, mice, roaches, worms, prawns/shrimp, small trout, etc.. and they suck it down with vigor.

[fuzzhc]

Tbh now that its been brought up im not even sure if the jumbos I tried were prawns or shrimp ill have to check next time. I think ill cut them down dramatically as for now though until I can figure out why prawns/shrimp are giving him a massive jiggling belly

[mygabriella]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi Wayne, I believe Salmon and Tilapia are freshwater fish?
And who suggested feeding frozen fillets (not me)!?

Ok thanks! I have since then started feeding her large f/t mice more often. And I still feed her night crawlers and I'm getting some crayfish.
Btw salmon are from the ocean. They swim up rivers to spawn and then go back to the ocean. Real salmon that is. We also have freshwater salmon but its a different kind and doesn't get as large. If you buy a steak of salmon at the store it will be saltwater. Tilapia is freshwater. Yay something I know about! Haha

[nepoez]

Frozen mice in a hot summer day is a good way to cool down your monitor. It's like eating ice cream!

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by nepoez

Frozen mice in a hot summer day is a good way to cool down your monitor. It's like eating ice cream!

Absolutely the worst thing to ever do to any exothermic animal... It will rip their core temperature down so fast they can go into SHOCK!!!!!!!!

This will ultimately cause damage and kill a monitor lizard. (snake, gecko, frog, newt, whatever)

Stop with any thoughts of cooling down, these critters are from the darn equator region, it's HOT there, they thrive in it,, They NEED it.

Unless you live in a volcano, there is no need to "cool off" your monitor lizards.

Why would wild specimens commonly bask on asphalt roadways and airport tarmacs where the heat waves distort the air, if they didn't like it? why would Goanna thrive in the red heart where the dead men lie? These lizards are TROPICAL animals, it's considered cold out when it "drops" down into the 80's....

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by mygabriella

Btw salmon are from the ocean. They swim up rivers to spawn and then go back to the ocean. Real salmon that is. We also have freshwater salmon but its a different kind and doesn't get as large. If you buy a steak of salmon at the store it will be saltwater. Tilapia is freshwater. Yay something I know about! Haha

Now you`re just showing off.....