Savannah food

[murrindindi]

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!

Hi, Wayne`s answer is clear enough, I just want to ask how many times you`ve done this with your monitor (if at all)?

[mygabriella]

Ya definitely not going to give her an unthawed mouse. :-/
Even after she just almost bit my finger off

[mygabriella]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi, Wayne`s answer is clear enough, I just want to ask how many times you`ve done this with your monitor (if at all)?

Hopefully none :-/

[nepoez]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi, Wayne`s answer is clear enough, I just want to ask how many times you`ve done this with your monitor (if at all)?

I'm glad Wayne replied lol. I posted it as a joking assuming everyone would realize the sarcasm, but apparently not. But now in retrospect I realize I could've unintentionally lead some inexperienced owners to take what I said as advise rather than a joke. haha. my bad

[Pirarucu]

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 would certainly like to discuss the matter, I'm not out to say everyone's wrong, just that I doubt a small portion of salt would have any noticeable effect. A sav might get as much extra salt when accidentally ingesting a more saline soil than average.. It just seems to me that you are saying they should not be fed these foods because it isn't natural, even though other monitors eat them in the wild. If we are using this logic, shouldn't we also be advocating feeding Savannah Monitors almost entirely invertebrates?

By the way, smelt are one of the most common small frozen feeder fishes, fed to a wide variety of animals, from reptiles to freshwater fish to birds. And wouldn't you know it, they're saltwater fish.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by Pirarucu

I would certainly like to discuss the matter, I'm not out to say everyone's wrong, just that I doubt a small portion of salt would have any noticeable effect. A sav might get as much extra salt when accidentally ingesting a more saline soil than average.. It just seems to me that you are saying they should not be fed these foods because it isn't natural, even though other monitors eat them in the wild. If we are using this logic, shouldn't we also be advocating feeding Savannah Monitors almost entirely invertebrates?

By the way, smelt are one of the most common small frozen feeder fishes, fed to a wide variety of animals, from reptiles to freshwater fish to birds. And wouldn't you know it, they're saltwater fish.

Hi again, why are you saying that I`ve stated seafood should not be fed to Varanids in general when I specifically referred to Varanus exathematicus (neither did I say it should never be fed)?
"And by the way", what has feeding smelt to a wide variety of animals including fish and birds got to do with it?
If "it seems to you" I`m saying they shouldn`t have these foods on a regular basis because they aren`t natural, you`d be wrong again, can you please quote me stating any such thing?
You say "other species eat them in the wild", I KNOW that, and have not at any time advised against offering it to other species!?
The advise I was offered was to feed SEA FOODS only sparingly/occasionally/not too often to the SAVANNAH MONITOR (Varanus exanthematicus) in captivity, I took the advise seriously (maybe I should have questioned further), you are free to do so with Bernd Eidenmueller, the source of the advise (maybe he`s changed his mind since)!?

[Pirarucu]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi again, why are you saying that I`ve stated seafood should not be fed to Varanids in general when I specifically referred to Varanus exathematicus (neither did I say it should never be fed)?
"And by the way", what has feeding smelt to a wide variety of animals including fish and birds got to do with it?
If "it seems to you" I`m saying they shouldn`t have these foods on a regular basis because they aren`t natural, you`d be wrong again, can you please quote me stating any such thing?
You say "other species eat them in the wild", I KNOW that, and have not at any time advised against offering it to other species!?
The advise I was offered was to feed SEA FOODS only sparingly/occasionally/not too often to the SAVANNAH MONITOR (Varanus exanthematicus) in captivity, I took the advise seriously (maybe I should have questioned further), you are free to do so with Bernd Eidenmueller, the source of the advise (maybe he`s changed his mind since)!?

I never quoted you as saying seafood should never be fed to any varanid.
Feeding smelt (saltwater fish) has no noticeable effect on freshwater fish... Do you think it would have more of an impact on a Savannah Monitor than a freshwater species of fish?

Originally Posted by murrindindi

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!?

Originally Posted by murrindindi

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!

Why only the Savannah Monitor?

You are saying they are fine for other varanids but you advise against feeding Savs in particular a diet slightly higher in salt. You correctly pointed out that while other species will scavenge off the beach, Savannah Monitors do not, the implication being that saltwater species should not be fed often because it is not natural. By extending that logic to other parts of a Savannah Monitor's diet, it would be concluded that vertebrates should also be fed very sparingly.

However, when looking at rodents, we now see that a Savannah Monitor's system works largely the same as other monitors when provided with proper conditions, and they can be fed on a diet of largely rodents. Why should this not apply when looking at the relatively small amount of extra salt in seafood? Why should their systems work differently from other monitors? Perhaps the only reason they don't eat seafood in the wild is that they live on the Savannah, not on the beach? I simply find it hard to believe that a pinch of extra salt would be a bad thing for Savannahs in particular when it clearly isn't bad for other monitors and when there is no evidence for it being detrimental to their health, only the assumption that since they do not regularly consume seafood in the wild, it must be bad for them.

[murrindindi]

You`ve asked some great questions, so put them to Bernd!
Again you tell me I`ve said something I haven`t said

: "saltwater species should not be fed often because it is not natural"

.

Where have I said not to feed seafoods very regularly because it`s not natural? When you say they can be fed a diet of largely rodents, I take it that means they are the most important (largest %) item?
I personally would advise a captive diet of 50% inverts to 50% vertebrates (even if the latter were mostly rodents), that does NOT make them the most important item.
I totally agree with Ben Aller that feeding freshwater shellfish on a regular basis would be a healthy addition to the captive diet of the Savannah monitor.
There are so many types of nutritious food items these days, not to offer seafoods very regularly is surely not that big of a deal?

[Pirarucu]

I have not had time to email him yet. It would help knowing what exactly his words were, can you post the quote?

As I said, it was implied by your previous posts that the opinion was formed because they don't eat them in the wild. I did not say largest percentage, just that a fair portion of their diet can be rodents. I would agree with 50/50, and while that doesn't make them the most important item, wouldn't you agree that is still a large portion of the diet? It's certainly more than occasional.
I agree wholly that not offering seafoods as often would not be a big deal, I just think that offering them often would not be a big deal either.

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

There are so many types of nutritious food items these days, not to offer seafoods very regularly is surely not that big of a deal?

Exactly, there is no excuse for not having a variety available.