Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone on this forum feed their monitors fish? If so what type of fish or what is type of fish is safe to feed? How is it prepared? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I want to vary my monitor's diet as much as possible and fish would be a very viable option. Thanks in advance!

If you're going to feed it fish stay away from "feeder fish" at all costs, they are nothing but parasites wrapped in scales. the fish fillet's you can but at the grocery store would be a much better option, but i don't know if feeding fish in general is that great of an idea, I've always used ground turkey to vary the diet and i'm pretty sure it has more to it than fish does. Just my opinon though

My memory is a little hazey, but if I remember right, a long time ago there were some posts about feeding fish to monitors. I think that at least some fish contain thiamese, which is bad for your lizard (again, I cannot recall how).

Maybe some others can respond to this post and clear it up...I may be in error, but it was the first thing I thought of when reading your post.
If at all, again stay away from feeder fish like goldfish. I have found the best place to find good food for the monitor is the same places we buy our food. It's clean!

Tim

you were almost there. Thiaminase is the enzyme you were referring to, which breaks down Thiamine and is found in high quantities in freshwater fish.

For starters you should research whether your species of monitor is one that would eat fish in the wild. Some species are more likely to than others. Secondly, the best fish would be frozen whole fish such as smelt or trout or capellin. You can always cut the fish into smaller bite-sized pieces if necessary. And last but definetly not least you'll want to apply some vitamin powder that contains B1 or Brewer's yeast. Freezing causes a loss of thiamine in the fish and with animals that receive a large portion of their diet in frozen fish thiamine deficiency diseases can result.

Matt Campbell

I feed my timors fish just a couple of times a year
just as a treat, they really love it.
I give 'm salmon, crab or white fish and always dust it
with vitamins and minerals.

np

Well My white throat Loves frozen fish added to her diet and it adds a lil variety to the diet. Vitamins are impotant and I like to get Smelt and coctail shrimp when they go on sale in the large quanities. That way I can devide it up into zip loc sacks and thaw for a quick meal. I usually boil my fish and only on occasion give the shrimp frozen thawed.
Make sure not to give too often as to hook your monitor on it and nothing else. Could get kinda expensive. But if yours is like mine it will eat every thing handed to it.( Garbage Gut )
David....