Info on sav monitors

[predfish]

Hey guys i was doing some research and thinking of getting a sav monitor. My local pet store has a baby for $50 which i found is quite cheap in Canada. Any ways I know you need a BIG tank for them when they get older but I am a little confused on what to feed him. I heard you feed him a pinky once a week but what do you feed them every day?

Any other info on them will be greatly appreciated

 

[CTU2fan]

Right now it's a juvi, I'd feed it literally as much as it will eat. That would be some combination of a lot of insects and/or a few pinkies/fuzzies daily. They have big appetites especially when they're young and growing. As I recall I got mine at around 8" and he'd happily eat over a dozen crickets, or 4 pinkies, or a couple of fuzzies every day. Once they're well grown, say 2+ years old and 3+ feet long, you can feed every other day on say a couple of small rats.

 

[predfish]

thanks that helped

 

[RiskEE]

if its a baby no fuzzies feed him a pinkys and insects and from time to time in the week raw turkey and hard bolied eggs mix it up ull be fine trow some raw shrimp 2 like 1s a month

 

[RMorrow]

The key is variety and often. They process alot of food in a short time when they are growing. A research paper a number of years back illustrated that the savanahs in a particular region of Africa consumed more total prey items in pure volume than all the lions, hyenas, and leopards combined. That is alot of stuff.

 

[EricIvins]

The key is whole foods and proper husbandry.........A "tank" isn't going to do it, more like a 4x8 enclosure with at least 24" of burrowable soil.......A 130 degree basking spot that is proportional to the size of the Lizard ( meaning as the animal grows, so does the basking spot ) with low wattage bulbs........And yes, they can eat Mice all day long as long as they have the proper basking spot.........

Temperature = Metabolization in Reptiles.........The lower the temp, the less they metabolize, leading them to obeseity and death........

 

[predfish]

thanks for the info guys

for a newbie to monitors and reptiles

tegu vs sav monitor which would you guys recommend?

 

[HPIZZLE]

thanks for the info guys

for a newbie to monitors and reptiles

tegu vs sav monitor which would you guys recommend?

argentine black and white tegu.
theyre usually tame all the way through adult hood compared to the often cranky savs.

 

[reptileguy2727]

In my experience the healthiest and tamest monitors are fed canned/pouched cat food with powdered supplements sprinkled on top. Live foods increase aggression and greatly increase the likelihood of parasites. There is also the risk of the food biting the monitor (should never matter with proper feeding techniques, but always a risk). Frozen is no better nutritionally and still not 100% parasite proof. Canned kitten food has a lot of nutritional supplements in it to make it a complete diet and balanced diet.

 

[predfish]

In my experience the healthiest and tamest monitors are fed canned/pouched cat food with powdered supplements sprinkled on top. Live foods increase aggression and greatly increase the likelihood of parasites. There is also the risk of the food biting the monitor (should never matter with proper feeding techniques, but always a risk). Frozen is no better nutritionally and still not 100% parasite proof. Canned kitten food has a lot of nutritional supplements in it to make it a complete diet and balanced diet.

really? that is quite affordable thanks for the info regardless if i get tegu or sav ill try to get him/her on canned cat food.