Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi im new to this site but i have a question. i feed my monitors ground beer one day ground turkey the next and mice on occasion. along with this i sometimes feed them goldfish, night crawlers, eggs, moniter diet(very meat based). but no crickets they have them and so do i the cherping drives me insane. now they are both about 23 inches at aboutg a year old. does that seem small? i used to feed them snails from my garden where i knew there was no pesticides used but they have eaten all of them. (DOES ANYONE KNOW WERE TO ORDER LIVE SNAILS OR LIVE QUAILS ON THE NET?). so basicly I JUST WANT MORE FEEDING OPTIONS. don't get me wrong i live feeding them meat that is part of the reason i own the animals but there are serious health problems that can occur when meat is feed to much.

to NEVER giving beer to monitors.... they are very nasty drunks. hahahaha

Feed them mice, make yourself a nice meatloaf with the ground turkey and beef. Too much food may be harmful, just don't let them become basketballs with legs.

--Robert

Mice, rats, chicken peeps, quail, roaches, crickets, etc. Id avoid goldfish theres not much to them as far as nutrutional value. As far as ground beef and turkey, its meat for people, not a diet for monitors. Canned monitor diet- I used it from 2 companies for a short time and saw no harm but they lose interest quick in it, as well because the there is no law on contents of animal foods you never know whats actually in it, that why it states "not for human consumption" or it would have to state whats in it. Same goes with dog and cat food, its made for dogs and cats not monitors, just a reference for the future. Canned snails are expensive for what you get.

Feed more mice and skip the snails, fish, and worms they can carry parasites that are transferable.

>>hi im new to this site but i have a question. i feed my monitors ground beer one day ground turkey the next and mice on occasion. along with this i sometimes feed them goldfish, night crawlers, eggs, moniter diet(very meat based). but no crickets they have them and so do i the cherping drives me insane. now they are both about 23 inches at aboutg a year old. does that seem small? i used to feed them snails from my garden where i knew there was no pesticides used but they have eaten all of them. (DOES ANYONE KNOW WERE TO ORDER LIVE SNAILS OR LIVE QUAILS ON THE NET?). so basicly I JUST WANT MORE FEEDING OPTIONS. don't get me wrong i live feeding them meat that is part of the reason i own the animals but there are serious health problems that can occur when meat is feed to much.

variety will always be key to healthy monitors. too much meat is harmfull but it does not carry the danger of impacting your animal with fur. i would keep the mice feedings to a minimum and supplement the turkey and beef with organ meats i.e. chicken hearts and gizzards, turkey liver etc. also alot of bait shops raise their own worms and crayfish for healthier juicier bait. take advantage of it. insects are another important dietary tool as they can be fed within a short period large amounts of veggies and vitamins to make them "health loaded". everybody on this forum has had success with their monitors and is just stating what has worked for them, but when it comes to your animal never take anybodies word for granted. research what they eat in the wild, what they can catch and then try to replicate.

Wouldn't take my word for it huh, just had to get a second opinion? Well, I hate to say it but, I told you so. lol

Scott
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

I see a few things that i would change in the monitors diet if this were me but im not making any suggestions to you for these are your monitors. I dont see any problem with feeding lean ground turkey if supplemented properly but ground beef has to much fat. Mice would first and for most be the staple diet instead of being fed on occasions. Snails, crickets, worms and roaches would also be included in the diet and in my experience as long as my monitors are healthy and kept in proper conditions with suitable temps that allow them to digest their foods properly, i dont know of any downside to feeding them meats or ALMOST anything else. In my oppinion obesity in monitors is due to poor husbandry and not knowing your animal enough to feed accordingly to what they burn in the course of a day/week/etc.
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Jaye- " When you try of all your forces to make your own way, you will help some of others and will be helped by others. As long as you do not make your own way, you cannot help anybody, and nobody can help you. " (Shunryu Suzuki)