The best diets you can offer containing all needed nutrients and what is preferred by the lizards choice if given the option of several food sources all sitting there waiting seems to be rodents, birds, and some insects (roaches, superworms, crickets, night crawlers even), but some other food sources such as crayfish, shrimp, crab, etc are eaten sometimes, also they can and will eat another reptile or ambhibians but these food sources are widely known for polutants, being riddled with parasites, and coming from wild caught supplies making them harder to obtain.

The medium and large sized species Ive worked with have preferred rodents and birds over any other food source by far. Of course if they are hungry enough they will eat whatever you offer them, thats easy to find out.

Im not saying to only feed rodents, but as you said to me before offer them several choices and see what they want, my albigs have almost always preferred either rodents or birds over any other foods. My boscs have always preferred rodents and some insects with birds after they get much much bigger. My timor which was sold to someone (not sure how hes doing now) was over 7 years old maybe 8-9, he preferred rodents and quail followed by crickets. The niles I had as well ornatus preferred rodents and some insects. I could go on about others Ive had, have now, and in very good friends collections.

I belive some variation is good, but varying a diet must be to give something useful, and not to feed something just because a wild member of that species eats it. After all we do have captive animals, not wild animals. Also consider that from my experience what wild animals here my monitors have shown interest in are rabbits mice, slugs, earthworms, and birds, what they show no interest in or lack of is squirrels, and many insect species, fish (wild or in ponds). They have shown occasional interest in was wild snakes.

[ Show Entire Thread ]