I find it funny that most people have never actually read Daniel Bennetts study.Yet everyone want to criticize or swear by it.I dont have a copie of it but I do have a conversation by him on another site.



"In very brief, the reasons Varanus exanthematicus doesn't seem to be a carrion eater are 1) baited traps set by Cisse in Senegal, me in Ghana and apparently by hunters of niloticus anywhere never catch exanthematicus 2) they have never been recorded eating carrion 3) the diet of animals in Senegal, Ghana and Sudan = arthropods and snails with a very few amphibians and lizard eggs. The juveniles feed mainly on orthopterans, the adults eat a lot of Iulus millipedes. It's a much more specialised diet than any of the other African monitors, which tend to eat anything and everything (i.e. opportunistic). I think if they preyed on mammals (dead or alive) with any regularity something would have turned up in the dietary studies (I found mouse fur once in hundreds of samples from Ghana). It's the only African monitor that couldn't be described as an opportunistic carnivore, and likening them to vultures suggests he hasn't looked at the data, doesn't believe it, or is still getting them confused with albigularis type monitors"



"They must come across rodents lizards and snakes all the time. They aren't present in gut contents, feces or stomach flushings, which suggests that they don't eat them much."



"As Matt says, it's possible that they don't congregate round carrion because they are small and at risk of predation, but even very small (100g) niloticus are attracted to bait, and exanthematicus of any size simply don't come."



And here is the link



http://www.varanus.nl/forum1/viewtopic.php?id=2849





I don't think you should feed Savannas a rodent based diet.

Moe I think it was you who said you don't think they would pass up a rodent if available.If you read it they where not able to bait them also they the study was taken place where both Savanna and Niles cure.And in the Niles there where rodents amphibians,and other reptiles.But with the savanna almost none.



Now I have seen Savannas live to 6 years plus fed on a diet of nothing but hot dogs,so to every one who claims to have healthy Savannas with a rodent diet.Lets see some eggs.You wont find them,because the only well documented captive breeding was by Ravi and I believe he fed a insect based diet.



Another thing I find funny is most of the people who are pro rodent diet,don't even keep Savannas.I don't keep Savannas either.But I do keep Dumeriliis.Another specialized eater.And I can tell you from experince when fed mostly rodents they become very lazy,dull.and just don't seem to be themselves.And its not that I dont keep them hot enough,because I keep my animals hotter than most other people do.





Greg
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1.1 Varanus Rudicollis

2.0.3 Varanus jobiesis

0.0.1 Ornate box turtle

0.1 Varanus Salvidorii

0.0.2 Varanus Salvator

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