Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I feel bad for saying this but I tried to give my young Sav a pinky again for the second time with no luck he just clinbed over it like it wasn't thier. So I'm gonna try cutting it in half but whats the best way to kill it really quickly I have cut open bodies(for school I'm not a cerial killer) in my anatomy class yet I fell so terrible about killing a baby mouse....go figure I was thinking about just drowning the little guy or something I don't wanna cut it in half with it squirmming and stuff. Or just wait till the heat in my Savs cage kills it
??

Don't cut it in half.If it doesn't want it live,it won't want it dead either.Why so set on pinkies?(I forgot).It won't eat crickets?If you must coax it,get some chicken livers at the store.Cheap and full of bloody liquid.Pour the blood on the pinky.There must be a reason that it doesn't want them.

Eek! Since I'm the one who suggested cutting them in half I should step in here and say that I definitely did not mean cutting live pinkies in half! I've always fed mine pinkies that I've bought prekilled and frozen, so it didn't even occur to me that you were talking about a live pinkie. Sorry about that. Perhaps someone else's suggestion about dipping the pinkie in chicken liver blood will work. If he just doesn't take pinkies yet, don't worry about it. Keep feeding him crix and maybe try some organ meats.

np

How long has it not eaten? Is it warm enough, does it show any signs of distress or illness?
The reason i'm asking is that a sav. ,or any healthy varanid for that matter, will not turn down a pinky.
Check your enclosure to make sure there is nothing causing it discomfort. Try crickets the movement will
trigure a feeding response but the smell of pinky should also.

Best w/ your little guy.

He eats about 12-15 crickets a day and loves them but ignores pinkys

If you gotta euthanize a pinky, it's humane to freeze them if they don't have fur yet and if they can't pile together to keep warm. But it's probably better if you can buy them already dead.

My Timor will only eat dead pinks and not live ones, but he's a bit of a nut (and also not a sav, obviously). He also ignores crickets, go figure. But as long as your lizard's eating SOMETHING that's good for it, don't worry too much.

Consider that monitors are not picky feeders. Then ask yourself why yours is picky.

In most cases, its health, the healthier the monitor to larger the food items and more types it will consume. If you feel its a health issue, then off to the vet you and your monitor go.

In some cases, monitors fall into habits, That is, they feed on one food item only, out of habit or out of natural behavior. If you feel this may be the case, then stop feeding it whatever you are feeding it and soon it will eat doorknobs.(if healthy) OR dip the pinky in egg and again if the monitor is healthy it will consume it. Or, anything dipped in egg.

Remember with all of the above, you must first know if your montior is healthy.

Then again, if your monitor is eating and growing fast and otherwise healthy, why do you feel the need to feed it a pinky? Good luck F

np