Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been feeding my Savannah monitor as much as he wants to eat, but he is not getting fat. I posted this in the other forum about feeding my reptiles and monitor like this and someone said there is a health problem associate with powerfeeding reptile when they are young, and yet from the reliable source it states that young reptiles need to be fed more often, everyday or at least everyother day, than older, mature adults. Your thought on this!

Since you haven't stated what you are feeding to it, I'll assume it 's insects of some sort. My friend and I both got our monitors about six months ago. His two only eat insects, they wouldn't take rodents and they are still little. Mine, who is on a rodent only diet, eats two weaned rats every other day and he is growing like crazy. Hope this helps. -john-
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You know you're getting old when you make more noise getting up off the couch than you do during sex.

My friend and I both got our monitors about six months ago. His two only eat insects, they wouldn't take rodents and they are still little. Mine, who is on a rodent only diet, eats two weaned rats every other day and he is growing like crazy. Hope this helps.

Yes, but did the monitors not grow because they only eat bugs or are they only interested in bugs because they don't have the growth needs to want rodents?

I personally don't think it is possible to 'power feed' a monitor per se. If they are kept correctly they are able to eat a great deal. Being reptiles their ability and needs are dictated largely by their environment. To me, personal opinion here, power feeding results in a fat animal when their environment is inadequate to deal with their food intake.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

Hi Sonya, I have to wonder what on earth powerfeeding means. To me, its something done with a machine, like a caulking gun or something. A giant pinkie pump perhaps.

That is, feeding an animal more then it would consume on its own accord.

If a reptile actively hunts food and you allow it to find food, how can that be powerfeeding? In fact, feeding one up to the point of it not wanting food, could not be powerfeeding. Its simply feeding.

If you feed a reptile and it does not grow in a normal fashion. Then, its more about temp choices, then diet. A normal growth pattern is much like many other normal animals. They should grow long and thin up until they reach sexual maturity, then they should bulk out. This pattern is very common and should be easily understood.

If a reptile, in this case a monitor, grows short and fat, then its base metabolism is too low. Increase the temp range. If the monitor grows to fast for your feeding schedule, then lower the temps a little to slow down the metabolism.

When I leave to do a show or go on vacation, I turn off the heat lites so the monitors do not need to feed while I am gone. A temporary slow down.

To understand reptiles is to understand they have a range of metabolism, not a single set metabolism. Cheers

>> If you feed a reptile and it does not grow in a normal fashion. Then, its more about temp choices, then diet. A normal growth pattern is much like many other normal animals. They should grow long and thin up until they reach sexual maturity, then they should bulk out. This pattern is very common and should be easily understood.
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>> If a reptile, in this case a monitor, grows short and fat, then its base metabolism is too low. Increase the temp range. If the monitor grows to fast for your feeding schedule, then lower the temps a little to slow down the metabolism.
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>> When I leave to do a show or go on vacation, I turn off the heat lites so the monitors do not need to feed while I am gone. A temporary slow down.
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>> To understand reptiles is to understand they have a range of metabolism, not a single set metabolism. Cheers

I think I get this part. And I have had all the lectures on power feeding, I too don't understand it. But I also would never be accused of it as I lean toward temperance in feeding, especially snakes.
I also have a good friend who tends to have FAT snakes. He has a tegu, that is okay for weight and growth, and same for his beardies. But the snakes he keeps tend to get fed every time they will eat, even if this is four days a week or three prey items at a feeding. This, to me, works well for snakes like Ball Pythons that tend to fast quite a bit. But then there are cornsnakes and kings that are just big snake sausages. I am presently babysitting this friend's animals and the majority of the colubrids took two months before they ate for me. They are in their same enclosures...just moved to my house and on heat tape now.
I thought the not eating and getting fat was due to the lower heat provided. But I don't see how the animals digest the huge meals they get when they do get fed or why they take so much food.
So, I think if I understand you....what you are saying is that if these animals had better temps provided they would have simply grown rapidly but not fat. Yes? Does this carry to all herps? Not just the locomotives of monitors...that tend to be kept hotter anyway?
What I don't get is that the same animals that had less heat at their owner's have better (okay, judging my own husbandry here) hot spots and choices now, but took two months to start eating. Now they seem to be on a good regular schedule and getting a little thinner and healthier looking. Though, as any species, the losing of fat is always the harder part.
Okay, I am too tired to think about this reasonably.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

Powerfeeding does not exist unless you are tieing the animal down and pumping food nonstop into them and they cannot take that amount, like FR says with a machine.
I was told years ago that I was powerfeeding my albig (Sobek), she ate daily in her first year (yes I know how old she is because the breeder participates on this forum also). I got her at 2 months old and 16 inches total, I fed her daily, adult mice one day, roaches (as many as she could eat) the next, crickets (as many as she could eat) the next day, and I even fed a few cans of zupreem monitor diet (over time until she refused the stuff) the next day, day old quail the next day (as many as she could eat), and back to the insects, and so on. Eventually I switched her to chicken peeps, multiple mice, roaches on occasion, then the largest chicken peeps I could get for a while (one week old leghorns, about medium rat length but fatter around).
After she was over 6ft long I started to get large rats, I never fed more than a few rats over 2 years, I preferred many small meals, and it agreed with her.
At over 6.5ft long and 33lbs I dont feed her rats larger than medium size, now guinea pigs, and adult quail, day old peeps, and a few mice.
Ive been wanting to try some of those small frozen pigs on her, Im sure she would love them.
She grew like a weed and never looked fat except right after she eats, the next day she seems thin (now it takes a bit longer).
Keep in mind Ive done this with many monitors, beardies, geckos, skinks, curly tails, and a few snakes, all different ages, young and old, all were small, then grew like a weed while I took care of them.