Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi
I just rescued a savannah monitor. He has got to be at least 2 yrs. I have a question about his diet. The people who had him before me have been feeding him cooked eggs daily and he is pretty obese. What would be the the best way to get him back on a healthy diet without making him sick. I know this needs to be done gradually but I really don't know the best way to go about this. Any suggestions will be helpful.

proper temps, humidity, and hydration should eventually take care of the obesity. i'd just get him on food items like roaches, mice/rats, and if you give him eggs, it's better to give them to him raw imo.

"proper temps, humidity, and hydration should eventually take care of the obesity."

I used to think the same thing, except I even added "exercise" in the form of diggable substrate and other forms, but I've found out otherwise.

You can try reducing feed, high temps, halt feeding, treadmill, and anything else you can think of, but the sav will remain obese until the day it dies. I've tried it all on a 4yr old obese female and since last August she's only lost fat deposits within her tailbase, front & back leg areas. Her midsection mass remains the same size, just a little bit looser. In other words, she lost body mass (muscle), not fat mass.

From my limited experience with 3 savs, if caught early on, obesity can be turned around at the first signs. It's my belief that once they stay fat for any length of time, though, they're fat. I don't know if their bodies can't burn fat bodies within their midsections or if they just don't, but it seems to remain on every one that I've seen & heard of.

Granted, I didn't withold food from my female to the point of death, so I suppose there's a slim chance that she could've lost some fat had I pursued it longer, but my heart couldn't take it any more.

One thing I haven't tried that some people believe could help reduce obesity is an all-invertebrate diet. I'm still experimenting and may one day give it a try, but I've got my doubts.

As far as a sav getting sick from switching food sources, I seriously doubt it. These things have a cast iron stomach.

Have a good one!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

i wouldn't make a gradual change, i would offer a proper diet today, and from now on. feeder insects, rodents, done.

proper husbandry, temps and diet are the key to getting this monitor back on track.

check out our site for caresheets and our FAQ, and get a copy of the Sav book by Bennett, that is your best bet.
-----
robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Can someone say how many crickets a 18 inch Savy should eat a day?
Mine never seems to get enough.
-----
1.0.0 YBS
1.3.0 RES
1.0.0 red belly cooter
1.0.0 Fire belly toad
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
cats, dog, ferret, rats, mice and hamsters

given a proper setup and temps, it is just about impossible to overfeed on insects.

given poor temps, well, maybe 3 is too many.
-----
robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

His tempeture gradient is 79 up to basking of 135. He just seems like he's always hungry and begging even if theres still left over crickets in the tank. He has soil to burrow under cork bark slabs and a basking spot.

Maybe I should have asked if begging was normal behavior
-----
1.0.0 YBS
1.3.0 RES
1.0.0 red belly cooter
1.0.0 Fire belly toad
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
cats, dog, ferret, rats, mice and hamsters

Can someone say how many crickets a 18 inch Savy should eat a day?

Just curious, what else you're feeding him? Mine wasn't eating so many insects at that size (well before) was on to pinks and fuzzies.

Susan.

He eats 3 to 4 adult mice atleast 2 times a week (wednesday and Saturday), but would love to more often. Im having a hardtime keeping my husband from giving him mice more than 2 days a week.

Lets say I drop in 36 crickets. He goes after as many as he can and theres maybe 6 stragglers and he's jumping up acting hungry when we walk in the room, running to the opening side of his enclosure.

Pinky rats he swallows so fast its like watching him with crickets, even fuzzies.
-----
1.0.0 YBS
1.3.0 RES
1.0.0 red belly cooter
1.0.0 Fire belly toad
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
cats, dog, ferret, rats, mice and hamsters

Get the lizard some roaches.
I'm sure Mikes Monitors(he post here) can hook you up with a starter colony.
They are bigger, meatier and easier to hunt down.

Scott
-----
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Thanks I will look into that. I was wondering if roaches might be a better solution for his insect meals.
(Even if they do creep me out)
-----
1.0.0 YBS
1.3.0 RES
1.0.0 red belly cooter
1.0.0 Fire belly toad
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko
cats, dog, ferret, rats, mice and hamsters

Instead of shrugging your shoulders, why not feed him Rodents every day and see what happens. With the proper thermal gradient it won't become overweight. Give it a few fuzzies a day for a month or so and compare your results.