Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a pair of black tree monitors that are about 2.5 to 3 ft long and I am having trouble getting them to eat and could use some help if any one has any suggestions I have tried f/t mice ground turkey the only thing that they will eat is some mealworms

Thanks
Brian

Check your setup. Or better yet tell us what they are kept in, temps, etc. How long have you had them? Are they housed together? Any hide spots, tree limbs? Whats the humidity in the cage?

Mine as you can see are doing great on: mice, chicks, and roaches. Their cage is 90 to 100% humidit. The basking site is kept at 145-150 degrees. The cool side of the cage is 85 and may drop to 70's or lower at night. They have two hide boxes, some other hides like hollow logs, plenty of branches to climb on. Soil to burrow in and yes they do burrow.

Hope this helps you out, if you have further questions feel free to post here or email me.

hey there,

the problems that you are facing, are common among fresh imports. Did you just acquire these guys? How long have they been in the country? One major problem with becarri, is that they usually, I mean always, come in with a nasty parasite load. These can be protozoans, nematodes, and cestodes. Proper dosing of parasiticides usually works out. However prior to, and even during treatment, the animals may not choose to eat. SOme medications are appetite suppressers, but most of all, during this time period,you will have to be handling them, and interacting with them, which causes a lot of unneeded stress. An animal who is stressed out, may not want to eat, or does not feel comfortable eating. Make sure that they have many hide areas, proper humidity levels, and artificial greens to provide some extra security. With all of my freshly imported becarri, I set them up in large enclosures, accounting for all these variables, but what I found to be successful in their acclimation, was that I had no glass in their enclosure; it was completely sealed off, so that they were unable to see me or anybody; which cut down on their stress levels significantly. I think that this aspect has been a key to my success, if you could call it that?? Despite how great they look as a display animal, you also have to keep in mind that they stress very easily, and it may take a while until they settle down, or begin to trust you. Personally, I think that handling is not possible, if you want your monitors to live. I hope this helps out a bit,

bob

HI,
You have a "hint" there - they are eating mealworms! So go with that and other insects and see what happens....FYI, V. beccarii and its species prasinus complex eat majority katydids and walking sticks, and will take all sorts of insects. Make sure your ambient temps are moderate (85-95 F) with high humidity....
multiple feeding, basking and soaking spots are also helpful...

There is much written on these animals - look at Reptiles and Amphibian Hobbyist, Reptiles articles by Ruston Hartdegen.

Good Luck,
mbayless