Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently got a baby sav. I keep the basking spot @ 115-130, the cool end @ 80-84 & the humidity levels @ 30-40%. The little guy has been pretty active & appears to be healthy. My only concern is his choice in food. I offer him 1/2 inch crickets daily & pinkies every other day. I noticed that he eats a few crix day but appears to be more interested in pinkies. I know that the babies/younger savs should have more insects in there diet, so Is this normal? & is there anyway I that could get him to eating more crix/insects? Any advice would be appreciated.....

is there anyway I that could get him to eating more crix/insects? Any advice would be appreciated.....

Don't give him the pinks??
If he is eating and growing and doing otherwise fine I wouldn't worry. They eat bugs 'cause finding mouse nests isn't as likely in the wild. Mice are likely more fattening. Something to think about. Bugs give him more exercise.
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Sonya

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

I think Sonya is right. I feel that the main reason people say to feed mostly crickets to young monitors is more for the exercise. Rats/mice are actually more nutritious since they naturally contain calcium and other things that we have to add to the crickets by dusting.

You can try reducing feeding it rats to every 3 days or so. They will often hold out for the rats once they learn the feeding schedule, if rats are fed very often. I'm going thru that right now with a bearded dragon. I ran out of crickets for a few days and fed him rat pups, which he LOVES, and the rascal wouldn't touch a cricket for 2 days straight, afterwards.

Have a good one!
HH
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It is said that 1 out of every 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Think of your 3 closest friends, if they're normal, then it's you.

Thanks HappyHillbilly & Sonya for your replies & advice. It is greatly appreciated. I noticed that he is starting to eat more crix. I also noticed that he preferred the larger crix over the smaller ones. I cut back on the pinkies ( I offer 1 or 2 a week now) & I've upped the size of crix I feed him. Thanks again....

You're welcome! Now, if I can only get the same results from my beardie. Man, is that rascal being stubborn.

Enjoy your Sav. I wish mine was that young when I got it. Mine was already 2ft long and has been a bit of a challenge to gain its trust. I just replaced the aspen I was using for substrate with a good dirt/topsoil mix tonight and he behaved really well. Its a slow go but we're making progress.

Best wishes!
HH
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It is said that 1 out of every 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Think of your 3 closest friends, if they're normal, then it's you.