WOW! Thats HUGE for a sav! They hardly ever get past 4.5ft. Are you sure its not a white-throat or black-throat? A lot of those are sold as savs by uneducated dealers. Could you please post some pics of your 6 footer? Thats really amazing!
:shock: I have been trying to get me A monitor but its hard where I live I have been raiseing iguanas so I know some about lizards but would love to have a monitor so I will take any advice given have all the cages and supplys just need the lizard I think feeding live food should be at the feel of the owner
feeding live is the best way to go, all you have to do is judge the size of the prey to the animal. They get good exercise and stay healthier, as far as parasites, ive fed my animals live hundreds of times... no parasites. I put a big vote on the live side..
Adding my two cents on the live v/s prekilled.......don't monitors in the wild kill everything they eat? Yes they do so i figure if the monitor is big enough to handle a live mouse or rat then by all means feed it live if you prefer. My vet told me however that feeding live food makes your monitor more agressive and if you want a calmer lizard then feed prekilled. Thats just my opinion.....
Who says? Is that a universal rule? No, Its not. As adults, monitors should be fed as needed. There is no set amount. Poeple dont realize that. I HIGHLY doubt you have a 6ft long Savannah. I dont even think theres such a thing. Savannah monitors average out at around 3ft. Most savannah monitors dont even live to see a year in captivity, sadly enough. Now, back to the discussion. If you only saw the amount of scars and cuts the monitors have in the wild. Feeding live mice can be really harmful to your animal. Just because they can kill them doesnt mean the mouse cant hurt it. Captivity and the wild are two completely different variables. In fact, 90% of the diet of most monitors in the wild consist of insects, crustaceans, and/or other smaller reptiles. They rarely eat any rodents in the wild. Feeding live is NOT the best way to go. If you want a monitor that has all kinds of scratches and cutts (within time of feeding live) then be my guest and feed them live. I on the other, will feed f/t. Not only is it cheaper to feed frozen/thawed mice, but its safe. Why feed live when theres the potential to hurt your animal? Just doesnt make sense to me. It is also gets quite expensive to feed live mice. Trust me, I used to do it until I found out that f/t is better and safe. (But that was a long time ago) I just ordered 600 f/t mice at $288. Now If I were to get that many mice live, Id be broke right now. Now as for the schedule with monitors eating. As babies, they should be fed everyday, as much as they can eat. As they get older, you have to start watching there feeding, as most monitors are very easily prone to obesity. With my adult blackthroats, I feed as needed. Theres no set schedule. I dont wake up in the morning and say "Alright, my blackthroats get there two mice today." Its more of an idea of feel. Same goes for my argus. My whitethroats are eating everyday, as much as they can eat. They are only 2 1/2 months old though. They dont even have a set schedule. I give them as much as they want. Now obviously, babies dont get obese cause they are constantly growing at such a fast rate. (If kept under proper conditions) Now all Im saying, is that feeding live is not a good way to go. From my own experiences, and many others, It can cause harm to your animal. Now I hope you all understand, and listen to the advice given.
