Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a little doubt...
Apart from Nematods and relatives, are there any food source that can cause diarrea? Im suspecting cat food is the culprit, but im checking between ground turkey, mouse, cat food and pieces of chicken and patridge eggs and rabbit pinkies.
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2.2.0 RES (Bowser, Angela, Leo, April)
1.0.0 V. Albigularis (Godzilla)
1.0.0 Z. Quadrilineatus (Yago)
1.0.0 Python Regius (Kaa)
1.0.0 Cat (Garfield)

What goes in, must come out? Sounds pretty reasonable to make that assumption.
I only feed my cats dry Nutro, because canned food makes their stool, well... gross.
You are dealing with little by way of rouphage, so it will present a "loose" consistancy as it exits said amimal.
Think fiber, for healthy movements! =)
Well, somthing like that. For your lizard friend, fur and other undigested mouse parts, make for "neater" stools.

The above post makes sense. A soft stool due to a lack of consistency is different than diarrhea, which is a runny to watery stool caused by the inability to reabsorb water in the colon. This problem can be a simple irritation from so-called problematic foods, to a response to a food allergy, or from damage caused by a bacterial, viral, or parasitic pathogen.

I suggest taking a stool sample into your vet clinic, and add the suggested changes to your lizards diet, and then if the problem doesn't subside, or gets worse, then seek a vet exam.

Ian

He just finished from 2 weeks parasite treatment about a month ago...so in other words, canned cat food is the culprit?
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2.2.0 RES (Bowser, Angela, Leo, April)
1.0.0 V. Albigularis (Godzilla)
1.0.0 Z. Quadrilineatus (Yago)
1.0.0 Python Regius (Kaa)
1.0.0 Cat (Garfield)

Years ago when I was acquiring monitors, I got some from Fla. importer/dealers. They often warned me, that these monitors would have very messing stinky decharges. They said, don't worry, the monitors are not sick, its just the cat food we feed them.

That is absolutely a true story. But as usual theres more to it. You mentioned having your monitor treated for parasites. You know what, you have it backwards, if you took proper care of your monitor, Whole prey/food items, and other normal husbandry methods, you would not have to treat your monitor for parasites.

Consider, I have been heavy into keeping monitors almost 15 yrs now. I have had two treated for parasites(when I was new and did not know better) I have never lost or had problems with monitors having parasites. Then consider, I have lost monitors to many other things, like me being an idiot and doing dumb things. But for some silly reason, folks think parasites are a problem. Do you understand, you are covered inside and out with parasites?????????? Whats the problem? its normal. As I often say, in nature, they reinfest themselves with parasites with every meal. Yet wild monitors are doing far better then captives. And we can supply all their needs so very easily.

You know in nature, parasites are there to insure the strong survive, that is, they will indeed help the demise of weak individuals(old/sick/injured). Which leads me to think this, how come our captives have a problem? are they weak/old/sick/injured????????? if so why?

Cat food is one reason why. Get rid of it. Don't get me wrong, a diet of whole food items can withstand an occasional feeding of such goofy things as turkey and catfood and dogfood and other such human things. I really do not understand why someone would think of feeding monitors such things. Ok, I forgot, we are human. FR

But he came with nematods (i always take new reptiles for revision to the vet), cant throw the cat food away because i have a cat to feed
Anyways in this case, how often should i feed a small mouse to a BT of 24-25 inches long? I guess i should like give him one, skip a day without food, then give the next, etc. What do you think?
Cheers,
Sheri
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2.2.0 RES (Bowser, Angela, Leo, April)
1.0.0 V. Albigularis (Godzilla)
1.0.0 Z. Quadrilineatus (Yago)
1.0.0 Python Regius (Kaa)
1.0.0 Cat (Garfield)

the only reason i feel i can respond to this question is because i have a 25" blackthroat i am surely not an african monitor expert like some of the guys/girls on here i have had my monitors for about a month now with about a 4" growth in them for the first week i fed them ground turkey with miner all then i moved to medium rats the 30" bt ate 7 of them while the 25" ate 4 since that day the shipment of rats quail and chicks arrived so i have charted there eating habits i feed them everyday the 25"bt has eaten at least 1 large weened rat i say large because they look a little older than weenlings they are actually a little to big for him to eat from my past monitor experience smaller is better for them i personally think that you should feed them daily as much as they want while they are growing because they grow fast and beleive me they will eat you out of house and home but like i said i am not the expert so if anyone has anything to add or correct be my guest
thanks for reading
donnie

eed that thing more than that so it can grow to be a 3 foot and then a 4 foot blackthroat.

My last blackthroat ate a few LARGE mice daily when she was 2 feet long. It is just a baby. It needs more to eat.

I suggest you drop a mouse in the enclosure. If it gets eaten, then drop another mouse in. Keep this up untill it doesn't eat another mouse. Repeat tomarrow.
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Ed

These heat lamps make my electric bill to high.

Wont he be a scaly football if i put as much mice as he wants daily?!?!?!? :O
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2.2.0 RES (Bowser, Angela, Leo, April)
1.0.0 V. Albigularis (Godzilla)
1.0.0 Z. Quadrilineatus (Yago)
1.0.0 Python Regius (Kaa)
1.0.0 Cat (Garfield)

Only your monitor knows how much it needs to eat.

Don't worry about it getting fat yet. You can cut back if that starts happening.
After you fill it up one good time, it probably won't eat as much in the subsequent feedings. You will also learn how much to feed it and how often. Most likely, if your husbandry is good, the extra food will be turned into growth and not fat.

Extra nutrients will be turned in to growth and a happy monitor.

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Ed

These heat lamps make my electric bill to high.

YEAH!"!!!! THANKS LOADS ALL
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2.2.0 RES (Bowser, Angela, Leo, April)
1.0.0 V. Albigularis (Godzilla)
1.0.0 Z. Quadrilineatus (Yago)
1.0.0 Python Regius (Kaa)
1.0.0 Cat (Garfield)

Feed your Bt daily. It is still growing and the food will be used for growth not for making a fat tummy. That comes later in life, unless your husbandry is not up to par. If your seeing a young monitor get fat then you may want to rethink husbandry. Bigger cage more exercise more heat etc..

Its build will indicate what its conditions are. If it grows long and skinny, its got proper conditions. If its eats and stays short and gets fat, it tells you it doesn't have enough support, most likely in the way of heat.

Also, when young, it will use energy to grow, once older, if a female it will use the energy to reproduce, if and older male, it will get fat, so at that time lay off the food.

You should never think of a schedule of feeding in the form of lifetime. You should think of it in terms of present tasks needed to be accomplished.

I know this sounds like I am picking on you, but really its meant for all who foster this, you should slow down feeding just before your monitor gets fat, not while its skinny or a baby, or after laying eggs(skinny) etc. Use common sense. Good luck FR