Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is this Ok? I bought them at Petsmart and dusted them he seemed to like them. Would this be ok for a meal every once in awhile?
Thanks
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Josh Delaney

Delaney Colubrids

i know earth worms are ok, but night crawlers might be fed a different diet or have something about them that's a bit different. i've fed a savannah that i had in the past night crawlers with no adverse effects, but i didn't feed them to it all the time.

I feed my turtle nightcrawlers all the time. I don't think it would harm them, and I hear they're very nutritious compared to crickets and mealworms.

Hi Josh!
I can't tell you from personal experience but I see nothing wrong with using them occasionally. They are low in fat & high in protein, but I suspect they have more moisture content and could produce runny stools.

As far as I'm concerned, if you want to feed nightcrawlers to your savannah monitor every now & then, go for it; I don't see anything wrong with it. Just keep an eye on the stools it produces.

Catch ya later!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

I would assume that a soil-eating worm will pick up a variety of unwanted bacteria and multi-cellular parasites. The earthworm may easily cope with that, but not the lizard. Am I wrong about this? I know for a fact that children who eat soil get various parasites. Perhaps the worms are raised in sterile soil?

Roger

> > > Perhaps the worms are raised in sterile soil?

Being raised in sterile soil, sterile cage, sterile room, sterile house, etc, ain't good for anything or anybody. Even parasite treatments can have bad effects by also killing the good, needed, bacteria, parasties, etc, in some cases.

So, no worries about parasites. Farm raised worms like what's bought in stores, bait & tackle shops, etc, are raised in relatively clean soil.

Besides, a healthy monitor can live a long & healthy life in a feces laden, parasite laden enclosure. No problem.

Later!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Did your monitor get sick from eating that worm? It did it throw it up? If not, then you have your answer. So why are you asking people, who for the most part, do not know how to keep a monitor healthy?

I think after awhile, you and your monitor, will get tired of those worms. At least hopefully, as a healthy monitor will soon outgrow such a small food item. Cheers

I was just sharing and asking a question. And If we were all pros we wouldn't be on here and I'm guessing your not either. So thanks for your input. The worms are not the only thing I feed him. I feed him roaches, crickets, mice ,and the worms every once in awhile.

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Josh Delaney

Delaney Colubrids

"And If we were all pros we wouldn't be on here and I'm guessing your not either."

Are you implying that FR is not "a pro"?

I don't know who he is. Are you saying that he knows everything?
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Josh Delaney

Delaney Colubrids

Frank Retes (FR) is the most successful producer of monitors on the planet. He has bred more species than you know exist, and he continues to do so. He's the reason monitor keepers aren't using the same crappy husbandry that people used 10 years ago, and consequently he's the reason that captive monitors are able to reproduce. If he's hard on you, it's because he's had to answer the same questions from a million other fledgling monitor keepers in the past, and he knows what happens when you don't listen (the monitor will eventually fail).

Do your research. Type in 'Frank Retes' or 'Goanna Ranch' in google.

Not only is he successful in monitors, but his husbandry techniques (giving the animals a lot of choices and using things that they understand, like dirt) is easily translated to most other reptiles. I keep mostly tortoises, but I come here for care information. Frank Retes is the cutting edge of reptile husbandry.