Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone have success feeding canned monitor food?
If so, can you recommend a good one?

You may get flamed a little with this one!

I know a man who breeds blue tongs and clamydosaurus only on cat food, he’s been doing this for decades.

I met this guy only 2 years ago, at first I advised him not to feed canned foods, then after hearing his story I felt pretty dumb and un-educated.

You see it doesn’t matter what anyone says about feeding, your animals are the only ones that can tell you.

If they feed with appetite, good
If they don’t have runny stools, good
If they grow fast and strong, good

Iv been raising a few monitors on canned with good results, also I raised a pair of clamydosaurus from babies and my female is gravid already (11 months)

It may take a few trials with different brands before you find one your monitor likes and digest well. Same is true for dogs or cats.

For the purist varanophils; I do breed rodents, roaches, African snails for my animals, I have been for 20 years, however this old school of tough may soon change (every thing changes)

I was told by a vet not feed them cat food, too. I think Frank and Robyn even advise against feeding it cat food. I know some people do feed them cat food, but is it really healthy? I know some animals develop gout from eating cat food because it so high in fat and other stuff that your monitor really don't need; although I can't remember what it is. I think it's ashes and a few other stuff. But if you are going to feed it cat food I recommend the good quality cat food. Not the mainstream brands like Iam's and Eukanuba, but stuff like Innova, and EVO.

or dog food.
I am talking about the canned monitor food.

Zupreem Monitor Diet, Zoomed Tegu & Monitor Diet, San Francisco Bay Brands Meat Mix, etc.

Yes I know FR and Robyn said to avoid canned foods (all types)

The food is only part of the equation, in the wrong environment even a rodent-insect diet will not work.

You know when the food is right when the stools look solid, it doesn’t matter the brand or type of food we offer.

If your monitor don’t like it try something else.
If your monitor has diary try an other bran
Dog, cat or lizard food doesn’t matter if your monitor is processing it well.

I get my canned foods from the dollar store, canned snails (they love those) canned chicken breast, canned sardines, canned salmon, canned cat food all of witch I feed my lizards and they grow fast and strong.

Is this the best possible diet?
I don’t think so!
However iv seen many wild lizards eating garbage at the dump site, yet they live on to reproduce, in PNG some lizards got contaminated with various chemicals from the war, yet they kept on reproducing true time.
The waters of Vietnam are as polluted as NY sewers and still Vietnams lizards are reproducing.

I thing we can make this food issue as complicated as we want, or we can feed the lizards and see how they do.
Mine are doing well.

Depends, I dont even feed dogfood of any brand to my dogs.
Dogfood of all but Innova Evo and a few other brandsa are made from almost 80% corn, wheat, barley, rice, and other fillers which are useless and only cause long term problems for dogs.
Cats are picky fussy carnivores that eat mostly from select muscle, fat, and organ parts from prey.
Dogs are scavenging carnivores that are less than 2% different genetically from their ancestor the gray wolf, which does not eat any grains, vegetables, and only uses fruits for extra energy and as a snack sometimes. The majority of a wolf or dogs diet should be a combination of raw meaty bone sections of prey animals, some main muscle meats, some organs, some skin hair connective tissues, etc. So why feed human food as a base for them also.
Currently the oldest longest lived dogs are and have been fed the raw diet, this tells you something.

Back to monitors, they are carnivores, obligate carnivores, therefore they eat whatever animals, animal parts, insects, fish, etc they can take advantage of where ever they live.
I have fed whole animals to mine for many years, I dont plan to change what I base their diet on.
I think that if you want to add other foods, dont go overboard with useless foods, or feed non species appropriate foods such as veggies grains and junk foods (save these for humans).

>>Dogfood of all but Innova Evo and a few other brandsa are made from almost 80% corn, wheat, barley, rice, and other fillers which are useless and only cause long term problems for dogs.

I'm 42 and have had dogs all my life.

I've fed Pedigree and/or Dog Chow to my dogs all their lives and always had healthy dogs with no health issues. As a matter of fact, when I take my dogs to the vet, my vet always compliments me on how fefreshing it is to see a client bring happy healthy dogs in.

Every dog I've ever owned has lived well beyond that particular species' average lifespan.

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Mike Heinrich,
Mike@amazontreeboa.org
www.amazontreeboa.org

OT, but those are two beautiful dogs!

Maybe you should read this article about what goes into the pet food. After reading this you wouldn't want to feed them to your dogs.
Why Is the Pet Food Industry Killing Our Pets?

Sir,

What you have just presented here has some information from the author as well as a few people within the industry, ok. Perhaps offer some information from other sources that may give argue or debate to that information.

Other sources may show the breadth of the problem within the industry being more marginalized than is presented in that article, some may not, but after reading that...I am still going to feed my dog, dog food.

After all, isn't like Monitors? You can't just relate problems with health to food, but more so to lifestyle (for dogs) and husbandry (monitors). None of which was presented above.

You cannot just read one article such as what you have and make a decision on that topic. That is a trap all too many people fall into.

Mike.

Exactly.

There is much more to being healthy than just food. Read about hot dogs or bologna and you'll never want ot eat them again...unless you're me. Been eating them all my life. I take vitamins, work out (pretty heavy to for a 40-plus year old) take long hikes in the woods with my dogs, and get my cholesteral checked annually.

Like people on here say all the time, go with what works and has been proven, either by you or others; don't just go by what you read somewhere.

My dogs eat Dog Chow and are very well excercised; they're healthy and in tip top condition.

I eat everything imaginable...my mind and body are well excercised...I'm healthy and like to think I'm in fairly good condition.
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Mike Heinrich,
Mike@amazontreeboa.org
www.amazontreeboa.org

It maters not what’s in the food if your monitor is metabolising it well (solid waste) (strong growth)

Food is just a form of energy, it need to be combined with heat and water, one cant go without the others.

In all cases involving an obese lizard iv seen, the diet wasn’t the culprit.

>>I know a man who breeds blue tongs and clamydosaurus only on cat food, he’s been doing this for decades.
>>
>>I met this guy only 2 years ago, at first I advised him not to feed canned foods, then after hearing his story I felt pretty dumb and un-educated.
>>

HAHA, I can relate. Brings to mind an old saying
"Every man is my superior in that I might learn from him"

Happy Holidays Brother!

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Mike Heinrich,
Mike@amazontreeboa.org
www.amazontreeboa.org

i feed my sav mostly baby chicks, quail, mice, cockroaches, crickets. i do give zupreem monitor food and he loves it. gobbles it up and according to label looks good as long as a variety sounds good to me!!
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GOOSEBALLS

lamina1982@hotmail.com