For the love of a monitor...

[DierdreDreamwalker626]

So we took our Savannah Monitor back to the vet this morning, b/c hes still been having trouble pooping. This time they decided to take x-rays and stuff. Come to find out that he has a mass in his stomach. A few tears and $722.21 later, they are prepping him for emergency surgery to remove the mass and get him back on track. They said that it was not caused by his diet, as we told him what we have been feeding him and he said that it needed to be adjusted, but was actually decent. So, yea. That's what's going on with him now. For the love of a monitor...we are now broke. :/

P.s: I asked him about feeding him a diet consisting of mainly insects and according to him that's all kinds of wrong. He said that they should have a lot of insects in their diet, but it should be half and half with actual meat of some sort. He said that in the wild full grown monitor lizards will eat mammals and such, so even in captivity insects do not provide the adequate nutrients that they require. Even gut loaded ones. So, yea. Interesting fact for the day. (lol)

 

[5HiddenLizards]

From what I have read the prey items should be whole though.....?
Mine have only gotten boiled eggs in addition to insects.
But idk...still learning!


{via Tapatalk}

 

[M_surinamensis]

P.s: I asked him about feeding him a diet consisting of mainly insects and according to him that's all kinds of wrong. He said that they should have a lot of insects in their diet, but it should be half and half with actual meat of some sort. He said that in the wild full grown monitor lizards will eat mammals and such, so even in captivity insects do not provide the adequate nutrients that they require. Even gut loaded ones. So, yea. Interesting fact for the day. (lol)

Incorrect "fact" for the day.

There are far too many people who generalize monitors into a lump when it comes to conditions and diet. Savs, like yours, rarely consume anything other than insects; the most comprehensive analysis of stomach contents for the the species ever undertaken was done by Bennett and he found something like 0.02% mammal matter in their diet. Bennett knows monitors. They are kind of his thing. They have evolved very specifically to consume inverts... large inverts as adults, but inverts. The shape of their head, the shape of the teeth, the way the jaw provides pressure, the build of their neck for striking downwards, their ability to dig, the length and shape of their digestive tract... all indicate an insectivorous species.

Your vet, well intentioned though he might be, is wrong in this instance. Other species of monitor have different diets, different prey that they have adapted to consume.

 

[Tony C]

Get in touch with slayer, he has pulled together a good amount of research and info on savannah care. He has a copy of a study of wild savannah gut contents showing that their natural diet is very close to 100% insects and other invertebrates.

 

[M_surinamensis]

I second what Tony said. I've seen some of Slayer's posts on the subject of Savs and I was seriously impressed by his knowledge and the websites he was inclined to link to.

 

[DierdreDreamwalker626]

I'm seriously going to do that. All that I know now is that I'm confused. (lol) From where I stand right now, I still think that insects are still healthier, and we are still planning on ordering some sort of large cockroach (etc.) soon to start feeding him. I'm just hoping his surgery goes well and everything turns out okay.

The vet said too that as soon as the mass is out then his weight will (obviously) improve and once he heals, he will be even more active than ever, so we're looking forward to that!

Thanks for the comments guys! I def wanna get in touch with that guy. Can someone point me in the right direction towards him? (lol)

 

[DierdreDreamwalker626]

I found that slayer guy and sent him a msg so maybe I will hear something back from him soon. The surgery went well and there were no complications, so our baby is coming home tomorrow!!

 

[lillith]

I want a monitor someday...when the kids move out. 15 years from now.
Thanks for the resources, guys!

Brooke, I hope your fella makes a speedy recovery!

 

[slayer]

CISSE,M. Bulletin de L'insitute Fondamental d'Afrique Noire. 1972 34 (2): 503-515. The diet of​

Varanids in Senegal. Translated by Daniel Bennett
on page 21. Its a translated to english in the field study on the diet of Savannah and Nile monitors that proves how specialized an invert feeder Savannahs are.
http://www.kingsnake.com/aho/pdf/menu3/bennett_undated.pdf

Heres an excerpt that cuts to the meat of it all

"In total we analysed the stomach contents of 28 animals. The results are presented by monitor

and by month in table I. The identified prey was made up exclusively of invertebrates except
for the eggs of Agama agama and V. exanthematicus. The following were found;
1. Insects.
a. Coleopera:
- Carabids: Ctenosta senegalense, Megacephala megacephela, Scarites sp.
- Curculionids: Episus sp.
- Dytiscids: Cybister sp.
- Meloids: Psalydolytta fusca.
- Scaribids: Adoretus sp. Anomala sp. Oryctes sp. Schizonycha africana.
- Tenebrionids: Pimelia senegalensis, Phrynocolus dentatus, Vieta senegalensis.
b. Dictyoptera: Mantes: Epitenodera gambiensis
c. Hymenoptera: Aphids: Xylocopa sp.
d. Lepidotera: chiefly Chenilles and Sphingids.
e. Orthoptera:
- Acridids: Acanthacris ruficornis citrina, Anacridium sp., Kraussaria angulifera, Cataloipus sp.,
Oedaleus nigeriensis, Humbe tenuicornis.
- Gryllids: Gryllus bimaculatus
- Pyrgomorphids: Zonocerus variegatus
- Tettigonids: Homorocoryphus nitidulus vicinus.
2. Arachnids: a scorpion of the family Buthidae.
3. Myriapods: Diplopodes (Iules) and Chilipods (Scolopendra).
4. Molluscs: Gasteropods pulmones Helicarionines.
5. The eggs of Varanus exanthematicus and Agama agama.
In order of number, prey was distributed as follows;
Myriapods 48.32%
Insects 45.49% of which 21.22% were Coleopterids, 15.21% Lepidoterans (Chenilles) and
8.84% Orthopterans.
Eggs of Agama and V. exanthematicus 3.75%.
Gasteropod molluscs 2.35%.
Arachnid scorpions 0.11%.
These results interpret the respective percentages of prey items, but they do not give
information on their distribution in the predators. This we have indicated by the degrees of
prescence (LESCURE). The number of animals containing each prey is given. In other words,
it shows the percentage of animals containing each prey.
Table II shows the different prey with their percentages and frequency of prescence. The prey
most frequently consumed by V. exanthematicus in the area where our research was based
was the Coleopterids (64.28%), the Myriapods (53.57%), larvae of Lepidopterans (46.42%)
and the Orthopterans (35.71%).
If we consider this diet by month we need to establish whether it reflects the availability of the
large invertebrates of that period. In fact, the Coleopterans, larvae of Sphingides and the
Myriopods, which are abundant during the first half of the winter constitute the main items of
prey during this season, whilst they are absent from the intestines towards the end of the
season, replaced at that time by the Orthopterans which become more numerous. Otherwise,
except for the reptile eggs (Agama and Varanus) we did not find any trace of vertebrates in the
diet of V.exanthematicus. This species feeds exclusively on invertebrates and eggs (including
those of its own species). Towards the end of December all feeding ceases until favourable
conditions return.
Is this diet different from that of Varanus nilocticus? This is what we are going to find by​

examining the stomach contents of the second species......................"

 

[slayer]

Translation of the above gut content list.

1. Insects.
a. Coleopera:
- Carabids: Ctenosta senegalense, Megacephala megacephela, Scarites sp.......................... ( Ground beetles)
- Curculionids: Episus sp......................................... ( Weevles)
- Dytiscids: Cybister sp............................................ ( Water beetles)
- Meloids: Psalydolytta fusca.................................. ( Blister beetles)
- Scaribids: Adoretus sp. Anomala sp. Oryctes sp. Schizonycha africana ............................ (Scarab Beetles)
- Tenebrionids: Pimelia senegalensis, Phrynocolus dentatus, Vieta senegalensis............................. (Darkling Beetles)
b. Dictyoptera: Mantes: Epitenodera gambiensis.......................................... ( Mantids)
c. Hymenoptera: Aphids: Xylocopa sp............................................. ( Carpenter bees )
d. Lepidotera: chiefly Chenilles and Sphingids................................ ( Moths)
e. Orthoptera:
- Acridids: Acanthacris ruficornis citrina, Anacridium sp., Kraussaria angulifera, Cataloipus sp.,
Oedaleus nigeriensis, Humbe tenuicornis.............................................. ( Locusts)
- Gryllids: Gryllus bimaculatus................................ (Field Crickets)
- Pyrgomorphids: Zonocerus variegatus................................... ( Grasshopper)
- Tettigonids: Homorocoryphus nitidulus vicinus.................................... ( African Bush Cricket)
2. Arachnids: a scorpion of the family Buthidae.
3. Myriapods: Diplopodes (Iules) and Chilipods (Scolopendra)................................... (Millipedes and Centipedes)
4. Molluscs: Gasteropods pulmones Helicarionines....................................... (Snails)
5. The eggs of Varanus exanthematicus and Agama agama.

 

[DierdreDreamwalker626]

Omg, Slayer. You are THE BOMB!! (lol) Thank you so much!!

 

[DierdreDreamwalker626]

I want a monitor someday...when the kids move out. 15 years from now.
Thanks for the resources, guys!

Brooke, I hope your fella makes a speedy recovery!

We got ours not too long before I became pregnant with our youngest son. HE doesn't seem to mind the children too much. granted we don't get him out or anything when they are running around the house, but he's never really been aggressive at all except for when we first got him. We love him. (lol)


But, yea. There were no complications with the surgery so we get to bring him home today and the vet said that he should recover fairly quickly. Thanks for the well wishes!

 

[slayer]

Here's a few more field studies on Savs
http://library.mampam.com/bennett2000dietofvaranusexanthematicus.pdf
http://library.mampam.com/bennettbullchicherpsoc.pdf
http://library.mampam.com/bennett2000abundanceofvaranusexanthematicus.pdf

 

[reps4life]

Good lord!

For once I have found someone who thinks like me regaurding the diet of a savannah monitor.