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.



- ah Shawn - when we feed our animals in captivity, I was never aware that we were just "feeding something because a wild member eats it" - I thought we were attempting to give it a varied GOOD diet?? Certain food groups have varying amounts of protein, fats, and minerals - a mouse is more like a fatsicle than a protein bar. And this does not apply to all monitors either - some are generalists, but others are specialists, or prefer a specialist-type diet.... my V. albiugularis did not particularly like or even ate rodents when I offered them whole shrimps, fish, snails (!), and DOR snakes....what does that tell you? It told me my V. albigularis were not rodent eaters, and as always, learning from the monitors (which cannot whisper to you what they need/want as some might imply that they do - but do hiss!), this is what they taught me - to each their own shawn. I feel feeding ALL monitors rodents, canned monitor food, crickets only is substandard and more of a convenience to the keeper rather to the specific needs of the kept.



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,



- have you considered that when V. albigularis are given inappropriate diets, they might 'crave' certain food prey items - just as we do??? The monitor will always know what it prefer before we do, so to try breach this gap, offer them several types of foods and see what they go for - they may eat everything, but the 'order' in which they eat it teaches (me) something....



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.



- like people, some Varanus prefer certain foods/prey items: ie. V. salvator local specific/dietary foods (Rawlinson, 1988; Ledeger, 1939). I have seen my own V. albigularis feed on squirrels, but refused rabbit outright - and have reports of them feeding on squirrels in Central Africa. I have thrown DOR snakes into their cages and they gobbled them up!! - and there is a plethora of material indicative that snakes make up a good part of their dietary intake certain months of the year.



So I disagree with you here - but between us it is just a 'discussion' and not an argument...



Cheers Shawn,

markb

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