>>I can get roaches, pheonix worms, and maybe more, but if
>>he's just going to turn his nose up to them, I don't want
>>to waste my time or money, but crickets alone (regardless
>>of gutloading or supplements) can't possibly be healthy.
Actually, eating crickets alone probably is quite healthy, as far as diet goes (whether his finickiness is due to poor health is another matter, see below). Wild savanna monitors eat almost entirely insects and other invertebrates. As youngsters, they primarily eat a species of cricket. Let him gorge himself on crickets if that's what he wants.
>>I don't think his preference for just crickets is related
>>to my husbandry, but if you think it is, I can take
>>constructive criticism.
Okay, here's my take on your description ...
>>And just because it's usually asked here... he's in a 20L
>>currently (he's the size of a large green anole). He's got a
>>basking spot that is usually around 103-109 degrees F.
Measure the surface temperature. Get one of those infrared temp guns (they're not that expensive) and take a reading. If it is in the 130 degree F range or above, you can relax a bit about basking temperatures (I say a bit, because you should never be entirely comfortable with your husbandry - a little bit of constant worry is a good thing). Also, watch the lizard's behavior - if he is spending much of his time under the basking lamps, raise the basking temperature.
>>The cool end is usually 79. The humidity is usually about 34%.
Savanna monitors are dormant during the dry season, and become active in the wet season. The hatchlings also emerge during the wet season. I would try to raise the humidity a bit, up to 50% or so, to simulate the wet season.
>>His heat comes from a heating pad and a cyramic heat emitter.
I don't trust heat pads. See if you can get all your heat from radiant sources.
>>I do not have UVA/UVB lighting.
That's okay, it doesn't seem to be needed (although the lighting from the mercury vapor lamps is prettier than any other source I've found yet).
>>He's got lots of hiding spots. He is on reptile carpeting
>>because I don't want to risk impaction with a dirt/sand
>>mixture.
Not so good. Not good at all, in fact. Monitors rely on burrows in dirt for all sorts of things - most importantly regulating temperature and humidity (and protection from predators - not as important in captives). A healthy savanna will not get impacted. A savanna that can't burrow will likely get chronically dehydrated and will not stay healthy (I've learned this the hard way with many, many animals. Don't let them have died in vain, learn from my mistakes). Ditch the carpet and get him something that will hold a burrow and hold in humidity ASAP. This way he can also put his hiding spots where he wants them.
My guess is that with proper temps (which you may have, or may not, hard to tell) and a proper substrate (which you are missing), your little lizard will get healthy enough to start trying other food sources.
Also, if you can, get a copy of the book on savanna monitors by Bennett and Thakoordyal. It is the best book on keeping savannas out there. In fact, I'll go so far as to say it is the only book on keeping savannas in captivity worth reading (some of the others have pretty pictures, but the husbandry advice is abysmal. Well, Faust's book on Niles is all right, but Bennett and Thakoordyal's book is the best monitor husbandry book I've read, period).
Luke
