Hi,i just wanted to thank everyone for there advice on my new blackthroat and im happy to say that last night i attempted to feed him again and he pigged out.He ate two adult mice,5 giant mealworms,and a dozen large crickets.I think it was just stress related being that i just brought him home on Saturday.But i did add a few more hide spots and raised his basking temps from 105 to 125 and 120 to 130.He seems to be doing well now so i just have one more question,does his diet sound ok to everyone?I was thinking of feeding him the same things i feed my adult savannah. I feed mostly mice with the occassional baby chicken,i offer turkye diet and just to give her something to hunt i occasionally give her a few dozen large crickets or mealworms,I was thinking of purchasings some hising roaches in the future but i just wanted some advice.Does it sound like im doing a good job?If not i would like to know what you think.Thanks alot for the help.
CJ
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New Monitor.........feeding questions (update)
Replies (4)
sounds like to me you are on the right road to taking care of your monitors good luck and good herping...
Yeah, diet is good, but there is more to it and it was explained below.
Diet is only about a quarter of husbandry, there is more. Your heat is also good, so lets talk about another quarter, lol. Again, this is important...Substrate. Your peat moss sucks. Get rid of it and get dirt, not potting soil, dirt. Make it deep.
Dirt does a few things for the monitor: allows it to act normal (monitors dig), retains moisture, allows a cooling down time or a retention of heat.
Also, remember that if you have proper substrate then soaking becomes unnecessary. If you have to soak there is something wrong. I spray some of my animals, but that is because I am trying to create seasons. You are trying to let a monitor grow up and be healthy.
andrew
Ok i will take the peat moss out and change it to dirt.Will the play sand that you can buy at home depot work?they sell 50lbs bags of it for really cheap so i figured that would work good,what do you think?,,,Where do YOU get your sand? thanks alot
CJ
I do use some of that sand but mix it in with dirt. no one said monitors are cheap if you treat them properly. its just that the guy at the booth doesn't care enough to tell you what you need to know.
sorry, and if you have any more questions you can reach me here or on my forum at varanus creations under the link under forum sponsors.
good luck, andrew
