Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

Dan · Captivebred Communist Joined: 08 Sep 2005 Posts: 1306

Have you tried taking the legs off the crickets, therefore forcing him to go to his bowl for food?

Just a thought.....
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lol93 · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:11 pm Post subject:

Today was actually the first day he came out while I was in the room. I was sitting quietly at the time, and he seemed OK with that. As soon as I moved, though, he disappeared! I'm not going to handle him for a while and see if that helps.

mark_w · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:12 am Post subject:

I don't have any experience with monitors, but as a general observation - have you tried feeding roaches? You will fill him up much easier, and a lizard with a fat belly is calmer than a hungry one....

My adult male tegu still eats roaches pretty much every day.

Cheers,
Mark.

littlelinnnie · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:38 pm Post subject:

Awwww hes lovely looks like mine, mines a female and only had her a couple of weeks but shes really sweet natured she lets us handle her fine and is really calm, we haven't been able to get ours to eat worms of any kind at all, but she loves locs!
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raptor · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:25 am Post subject:

Unsure if this will help or not as I have no experience with Argus, but we were doing the cricket/insect thing with our young Mertons when we started keeping the feeder fish in their viv's water section. Next thing, the male was actively hunting them, while the female sat back until he caught one, then goes & rips half of it out of his mouth. It may be worth sticking a couple of comets or similar in his swimming water & see what happens.
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kev · I've settled in... Joined: 05 Jun 2005 Posts: 40

that size water monitor i would be offering mice of an appropriate size ie pinks / fluffs etc.

lol93 · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:31 pm Post subject:

Linnie- Your baby looks lovely!

We were told not to feed him rodent prey until he was 18" long.

Bohan · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:33 pm Post subject:

Hi lol93, thats a lovely lookin animal you have..
Regarding his feeding, you might find that a satiated monitor is less inclined to take risks to gain nutrition, on the other hand, if more than a bit hungry he will take bigger risks eg: new food types or even feed from your fingers.
I do not believe he will suffer at all by leaving his feeding off for a few days,even at his young age he will soon make up for it. offer food to him from tongs or your fingers [only whilst he is this small] every say 6-12 hours and see what happens.It's association, if he finds that nothing bad happens from feeding like this he will come to trust you more.
As far as feeding from a bowl is concerned try offering chopped lob worms or anything else with a nice meaty scent, he may not be able to see movement over the rim of the bowl so try appealing to his olfactory system.This will lead him to then associate the bowl with food too.
When i got my water monitor he was a 2 foot long, wild caught, terrified and very skinny.He never fed in front of me and i couldn't even spy on him through the gap between the door and the architrave, he'd see me every time, drop and freeze til i went.Any way he soon piled the weight back on althought he was never fat. 6 months later he would take tinned sardines, cochroaches, shore crabs, anything and every thing from my fingers [very stupid move i know] and i/we never looked back.Although i must add he was never as tame as yours could be, probably due to his age and mistrust of people from capture ,who knows.

gotta go now cheers.

littlelinnnie · Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 1:49 pm Post subject:

Mememe · Site Moderator Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 2141