Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a dumeriles montior, and i noticed today that he wont opwn his right eye. he keeps scratchimg at it as well. does anyone have any idea why hes doing this, and what mau cause the eye to bother him so much>
thanks a lot
mike

i am guessing that he has gotten some beluga caviar rubbed in the eye, and the saltiness can cause irritation. caviar is for eating, or hatching fish, not to be used as an eye salve.

without details of your monitor and your setup, that guess is as good as any.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

i found the problem to be real simple,and i overlooked it and feel quite foolish. he had come strait out of his water, and burrowed into the dirt, making mud on his head, which then hardened over his eye. he went into the water and washed it off later that night.
i was also wondering if someone could tell me what you feed your dumerils monitor, since i attempt to give all my animals a varied diet, and wish to improve his to things other than crickets roaches superworms and mice.
thanks a lot in advanced
mike

Mike Search this forum and your head will spin with all of the feeding info already posted.
Mike

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Mike's Monitors!

feeding insects and rodents is just fine. anything beyond that is more for YOUR enjoyment, not the monitor's.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

yeah, but if it's just as good for the monitor, what's the problem?

who said it is "just as good"? what is that based on?

my point is that it is NOT just as good. it is like feeding the ground turkey diet. you take raw ground turkey, and add stuff to it to try and recreate the nutritional balance of a rodent.

you START in a negative hole, and try and dig your way back out.

we have used the turkey diet for economic and convenience reasons to feed hundreds of baby monitors, but i have told folks again and again, and again, if you have a small collection, a dozen or fewer animals, there is NO NEED to use it. stick with rodents and insects.

the turkey diet works for convenience. that is for ME. not for the monitor. feeding seafood, beef heart, other organ meats, marshmallows, peanut butter, eggs and sulcatta turds is all about the KEEPER, NOT the health or well being of the monitor.

you want to prioritize the animal itself and feed a proven, nutritious, dependable, affordable diet? rodents, feeder insects. done.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

I'll have to respectfully disagree Robyn.
I've been feeding shellfish to my collection of dumerilii for over 11 years.
Seafood and shellfish are whole bodied prey with a history of success, especially with this species.
Just thought I'd point that out.Feed and recomend whatever you please, I don't care to argue about it.
Cheers,
Ben

Bens right. Feed em the shellfish.

i was referring to other live prey...like whole fish, birds (such as quail, chicks, etc), other reptiles...

sorry if you got the wrong impression.