This might be a stupid question about lizards...

[shabbyy]

Hey guys, one day I would love to own a lizard, whether it's a beardie or monitor...But there is one problem :? ever since I was young I have had a phobia of insects, if I have to feed the lizard crickets or woodies, it just won't end well (especially with woodies, sh17 scared of roaches) so is there any other food you can feed beardies or monitors? I know that when a monitor is big you can feed them meat and stuff, but what else?

 

[RSPcrazy]

You could get a breaded dragon and feed it veggies, small rodents and you can even get pellet food for beardeds these days.

Just for the record, when a monitor gets big, you can't just feed it meat. They need whole animals (organs and all). Just meat is very bad for them.

 

[shabbyy]

You could get a breaded dragon and feed it veggies, small rodents and you can even get pellet food for beardeds these days.

Just for the record, when a monitor gets big, you can't just feed it meat. They need whole animals (organs and all). Just meat is very bad for them.

By small rodents, do you mean pinkies? And what sort of food for a monitor?

 

[RSPcrazy]

Pinkies/Fuzzies, whatever the dragon can fit.

If you're cutting insects out of their diet, then you need to make sure the lizard is getting plenty of vitamins elsewhere, like from rodents, pellet food and calcium/vitamin powder.

Monitors need whole bodied animals like rats, mice, chickens, quail, etc, really that's all they need, you can add other things to their diet if you want, but they must get whole bodied animals.

 

[shabbyy]

Pinkies/Fuzzies, whatever the dragon can fit.

If you're cutting insects out of their diet, then you need to make sure the lizard is getting plenty of vitamins elsewhere, like from rodents, pellet food and calcium/vitamin powder.

Monitors need whole bodied animals like rats, mice, chickens, quail, etc, really that's all they need, you can add other things to their diet if you want, but they must get whole bodied animals.

Would an ackie need whole bodied?

 

[RSPcrazy]

Yes, especially if you're not feeding insects.

 

[shabbyy]

Yes, especially if you're not feeding insects.

Okay, thanks!

 

[Renenet]

Sabohan,

How much of a phobia is it? There are roaches, and then there are roaches. Woodies are very different from the pest cockroaches. They don't look like they're staring at you for a start. I actually find them interesting to watch, especially when they're moulting. The females retain the egg case until the young emerge, and a few weeks ago I saw this happening for the first time.

Okay, I'm studying zoology, so maybe I'm a bit different, but I admit that the idea of keeping a woodie colony gave me the creeps to begin with. Now that I've had one for a few months, I can put my hand in the tub and scoop out a handful of the little suckers without flinching.

I know it's difficult when you have a phobia, but I'd strongly encourage you to get used to the idea of insects before getting a beardie. I know very little about monitor diet and can't comment there, but I personally think that cutting insects out of a beardie's diet would be cutting out a healthy, natural source of nutrients, especially protein. Also, hard, crunchy food such as insects helps keep their teeth healthy. (I think I saw that on Shane Simpson's webinar earlier tonight.)

 

[shabbyy]

Sabohan,

How much of a phobia is it? There are roaches, and then there are roaches. Woodies are very different from the pest cockroaches. They don't look like they're staring at you for a start. I actually find them interesting to watch, especially when they're moulting. The females retain the egg case until the young emerge, and a few weeks ago I saw this happening for the first time.

Okay, I'm studying zoology, so maybe I'm a bit different, but I admit that the idea of keeping a woodie colony gave me the creeps to begin with. Now that I've had one for a few months, I can put my hand in the tub and scoop out a handful of the little suckers without flinching.

I know it's difficult when you have a phobia, but I'd strongly encourage you to get used to the idea of insects before getting a beardie. I know very little about monitor diet and can't comment there, but I personally think that cutting insects out of a beardie's diet would be cutting out a healthy, natural source of nutrients, especially protein. Also, hard, crunchy food such as insects helps keep their teeth healthy. (I think I saw that on Shane Simpson's webinar earlier tonight.)

Look, I understand where you're coming from but my phobia is kind of extreme, I couldn't even pick up a cricket, let alone go near a roach or woody (since they look the same to me) So maybe I need to find a way to conquer it, sticking my hand in a tub full of roaches is WAY to steep, let alone holding an insect...

And good luck with your studies, seems interesting.

Do you have any suggestions or ways I could try and conquer this fear?

Thanks,
Sabohan

 

[bohdi13]

time to get over your phobia mate :lol:

 

[shabbyy]

time to get over your phobia mate :lol:

Well I'll try! :?

 

[bohdi13]

good on ya , it'll be worth it mate

 

[jaylikesbeef]

using a tweezer is always an option

 

[Flaviruthless]

I know it's difficult when you have a phobia, but I'd strongly encourage you to get used to the idea of insects before getting a beardie. I know very little about monitor diet and can't comment there, but I personally think that cutting insects out of a beardie's diet would be cutting out a healthy, natural source of nutrients, especially protein. Also, hard, crunchy food such as insects helps keep their teeth healthy. (I think I saw that on Shane Simpson's webinar earlier tonight.)

I 100% agree - if you can't do any insects I wouldn't get a dragon. It's not fair to the animal. I've got sand monitors and a panoptes; none of them have been on an insect diet in my care but they do require whole food items. If they can't get it down it's torn up for them. So it's either insects or pulling vertebrates apart... Monitors are a bit different handling wise as well, you have to be careful and can't force them to love you - whereas most beardies will put up with being held after a while.

 

[shabbyy]

I 100% agree - if you can't do any insects I wouldn't get a dragon. It's not fair to the animal. I've got sand monitors and a panoptes; none of them have been on an insect diet in my care but they do require whole food items. If they can't get it down it's torn up for them. So it's either insects or pulling vertebrates apart... Monitors are a bit different handling wise as well, you have to be careful and can't force them to love you - whereas most beardies will put up with being held after a while.

Maybe I should just stick with snakes

 

[RSPcrazy]

Maybe I should just stick with snakes

That might be a good idea.

 

[TheReptileben]

using a tweezer is always an option

did you miss this comment?

 

[Womagaunt]

Hey there!,

you could feed them mealworms?
what if the woodies and crickets were dead?
You could just buy a Exo Terra Vivicator and dead crickets?
The vivicator is like a bowl that vibrates to make the crickets still look alive its very useful
all explained in this video-
Exo Terra Vivicator - YouTube
Oh yeah and you would have to make sure u dusted the crikets with vitamins before you fed your lizard easily done by pouring the amount of crikets you want to feed your lizard into a small container with the dusted vitamins then just shake untill their dusted and poor onto the vivicator

Hope this helped, and hope to see you keeping lizards in the near future!

 

[Chris]

You could freeze the crickets or cockroaches, then use tweezers to handle them. After freezing them dust them with the vitamin supplement & drop them in a small bowl, they'll still get eaten once they've thawed out.

 

[Jacknifejimmy]

You've only owned your first snake for about a week now, perhaps its not a wise choice to jump into monitors...
Beardies are fine, but you really need to get over a phobia of insects if you want to be a resposible owner and provide them with the best possible living environment...