Can Savannahs eat mainly chicken gizzards like tegus?

[Guest]

I try to feed my SAV a varied diet, right now she eats hopper mice, lean ground turkey, large crickets, and superworms. I was wondering if she could eat chicken gizzards as a staple instead of mice or ground turkey, and then supplement with crickets and superworms?

 

[Guest]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://savannahmonitor.org/feeding/diet/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://savannahmonitor.org/feeding/diet/</a><!-- m -->
for some more info if you haven't seen it yet.

When I first got my sav I was feeding it ground turkey, eggs, crickets and a few other things. I did more research into the pro's and con's of certain foods and recently I've only been doing dubia roaches with an appropriately sized mouse once a week. Sometimes I will do ground turkey but not too often.
There is sort of a debate whether or not to feed rodents to savys, its explained a bit more in the link above. I found that with too many mice my savy seems to get a little plugged.
I stay away from chicken and beef livers, its not really nutritionally complete since they are processed.
Just out of curiosity, is it a cost issue? I know ground turkey is semi-expensive compared to a cup of livers. Hope I helped a bit...

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Neither one should be fed any type of gizzards as a staple. I don't even know why you would want to do that.

 

[Varanus K.Face]

Sav's are STRICT insectivores and really should not be fed too much meat or rodents. Most savannahs in captivity are grossly obese and unhealthy due to this poor diet. Their main staple food should be roaches (dubias and cranifers work great) crickets, super worms, goliath worms, snails, and occasionally other inverts. If you feel you must give them meat or live food, stick with low fat, whole foods like chicken hearts, or even whole baby chicks. But even that should be kept to a minimum.

Good luck, I hope that helped!

 

[Guest]

i don't mean to take over the thread but what kind of snails? i haven't tried any snails yet but i'm always down for more variation!

 

[Draco D Tegu]

Sav's are STRICT insectivores and really should not be fed too much meat or rodents. Most savannahs in captivity are grossly obese and unhealthy due to this poor diet. Their main staple food should be roaches (dubias and cranifers work great) crickets, super worms, goliath worms, snails, and occasionally other inverts. If you feel you must give them meat or live food, stick with low fat, whole foods like chicken hearts, or even whole baby chicks. But even that should be kept to a minimum.

Good luck, I hope that helped!

True, however recent indications are that strict insectivore diet is most essential within the first 18 months of life, beyond that it is alright to vary diet with lean muscle meats, because much like a tegu, for the size of the sav, insects cannot be provided in sufficient quantity to satisfy the lizard.

Savannahs have also been kept on the SDZ diet successfully with the same results as an insectivore diet. The key with the SDZ diet is that the recipie must be followed EXACTLY. You cannot substitute what you have for something in the recipie.

 

[Draco D Tegu]

i don't mean to take over the thread but what kind of snails? i haven't tried any snails yet but i'm always down for more variation!

You can try the Can-o snails, available at various pet stores, or you can get snails for human consumption, found at some asian markets here.

 

[Guest]

What Draco said though I'd like to add that I'd avoid canned snails found in grocery stores. I've found that almost nearly every can has salt and "spices" added. That's kind of a given though, haha.

Check the seafood section of any grocery store (if it has one). Sometimes they'll be selling live snails meant for human consumption.

 

[Toby_H]

I've kept and bred fish for years... many of us have problems with malaysian trumpet snails. Once you get them you can't get rid of them as they breed like crazy, mature very quickly and can survive through anything.

It would be exceptionally difficult to breed/harvest enough to sustain an adult Tegu/Monitor, but you could realisticly breed/harvest enuogh for 1~2 meals a week for a sub adult in a 10~20 gal aquarium.

 

[Guest]

hmm, i been thinking of breeding snails for my blue tongue skink. what is the best type of snail to breed and how fast do you get them big enough for consumption?

 

[stellarawesome]

hmm, i been thinking of breeding snails for my blue tongue skink. what is the best type of snail to breed and how fast do you get them big enough for consumption?

Oh yeah, me too. I want to have a snail tank or two to give to my tegu, if its possible

 

[Guest]

I think you will find they are more work than they are worth ...

 

[Guest]

bummer