Poor Feeding Habits of Common Captive Monitor Lizards

It often is a problem with imported specimens of some monitor species, that an animals known for ravenous feeding, will be ruluctant to feed at all. There are some somple steps that the owner can take to encourage a favaroble feeding response before the animal dies, from starvation and malnutrition.

The first and most simple step to take is to allow the caged monitor to bask in natural sunlight. It is proven that the sunlight may stimulate energy and appetite in captive animals much more so than the UV bulb available.

Avoid handling new captives until they are acclimated. The added stress of an overly excited owner can often prove fatal. You can also greatly alleviate the stress of monitors by

keeping humidity low. Even species that love water, live in areas that are relatively low humidity (Africa, Australia, Etc.)

If the animal is greatly emaciated and has little energy or interest in food, it is a good idea to use vitamin suppliments in the drinking water and for the experienced keeper it may even be adviseable to give an injection of vitamins.

With some species they may only require alternate foods. The keeper should always remember that in the area your animals is from, commom United States rodents may not be common.

For the Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus) it is often easy to get a reluctant eater to start feeding of fish, young chicks, frogs or small snakes. These prey items are all much more common to their home terrain than rodents.

Withe Throat Monitors in the wild feed mainly on bird eaggs, fish, lizards, and snakes. Savanah Monitors will often eat insects and eggs.

Some other things to consider are: is the monitor in with another animal? Even being in a tank with another lizard of the same species may be enough to detour feeding. Is the monitor warm enough? Daytime temps for most monitors should be in the range of 80 -90 F with a warmer basking spot. If your cage is 70 F during the day, then look no further. Does the monitor always have acces to drinking water? This is a neccessity in all cases.

Sometimes drastic measures (force feeding, injections, etc.) Become impossible to avoid, but more oftern than not, small adjustments to husbandry practices solve all of the problems.