# Bosc Monitor Feeding



## elliebarrett (Jan 4, 2007)

could anyone please post me a good list/order which they fed young bosc monitors on?

eg ... 
monday - 3 crickets 
tuesday - blabla and so on 

and also could they do it for an older bosc monitor aswell

thanks


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Hi.

For a young bosc, feed every other day.
One pinky, followed by as many crickets as it will take, make him run around for them, when he loses interest he has had enough. for example here we will say 10

keep this up for a couple of weeks, then go to
one pink, followed by the 10 crix and then a second pinky...then any more crix he will take. for this example we will say he took a further 3 making 13 total.

If he starts puttin on noticable weight, reduce the rodent food.

Following the same method go up to 3 pinkies and then to a fuzzy when you feel its time but try not to reduce the insect intake atall.

Mealworms and morio and locusts are fine aswell as crix ofcourse.

At around 8 months old, co-inciding with a food level up start feeding every 3 days instead of every 2 days.

from one fuzzy, to one fuzzy and a pinky, one fuzzy 2 pinkys, 2 fuzzys, 2 fuzzies and one pink, 2and2, 2and3, then to one small mouse and so on.

Our Bosc is currently 11 months old, gets fed every 3 days and has
a huge bowl of insects, prolly equiv to 30 large crix,12 morio, and half a dozen mealies.
And 0ne, sometimes 2 Small Mice.

I have been feeding her all her insects first, then the mouse.. then a couple more insects and she still takes so i will prolly keep it at 2 from next feed but i put it back down as i thought she had put a bit of weight on... always watch out for this as i said.


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## sami (Oct 23, 2006)

Hi,

We have a young bosc and he has 2-3 fuzzies a week and a few crickets or large locusts (he loves them, can never ignore locusts) to chase about every day. We put them in 2-3 at a time until he stops eating/stalking and remove any he's not taken.


If he starts to look a bit overweight then mice are reduced in number/frequency for a bit.


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## Blazey (Apr 30, 2006)

I read somewhere that u shouldnt worry about weight with young - juvenile boscs as they are hard to overfeed but once their adults u should monitor their weight. This info was off an experienced monitor keeper off another forum.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Blazey said:


> I read somewhere that u shouldnt worry about weight with young - juvenile boscs as they are hard to overfeed but once their adults u should monitor their weight. This info was off an experienced monitor keeper off another forum.


yes...but if they are hard to overfeed then they shouldnt become overweight right?
BUT if they do become overweight one should follow what the other 2 posters in this thread stated i think.

Thanks.


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## Razaiel (Oct 17, 2006)

I gave mine as much food as he would eat up to a year. Loads and loads of insects (worms, crickets, locusts, roaches). He had probably about 10 rodents/quail per week. 

Now he still has as many insects as he will eat every day and I give him 2-3 rodents/quail every 3 days. An adult will eat about 40 worms per sitting, or 20-30 adult locusts. The insect bill is the highest - it is cheaper to give an all-rodent diet but not good for the monitor (fatty liver disease) and not what they would eat in the wild.

In their natural habitat monitors will travel many miles in search of food, but of course they don't get that amount of exercise naturally in captivity so try and get your monitor to run about for food - I have mine following a worm trail out of the viv and inside he has flying (adult) locusts to catch.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Sweet... flying locusts? i bet he has loads of fun lol
Hasnt caused any injuries> somersaults into the basking lights or so forth?  i know how dramatic and over the top ours goes at feeding time..


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## martin day (May 18, 2006)

flying locusts are great my tegu loves them 
i dont think theres a right amount of food for a juvie monitor just let him eat as much as he wants its better for them to be getting more food than not enough just watch that he doesnt get a taste for mice and start leaving his insects


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

As i said, i agree with as much insects as they will eat, but not on the rodent front, personal view of what makes sense to me backed up by a few good care sheets.


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## Blazey (Apr 30, 2006)

Its hard for a juvenile bosc to get overweight as they are generally pretty active. Its once they reach adulthood they start to laze around and not move.

Don is eating alot of food recently and not putting on any substantial weight. I put it down to his active nature as he is currently eating more and more as the days go by. 
I've never even seen a picture of an overweight juvy, and never seen any warning of overfeeding them either.


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## elliebarrett (Jan 4, 2007)

thanks a lot guys, really helpful


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Lol... you can ignore the hole post then and just feed it as much as he wants all the time i guess... saves thinking about it lol, good luck, let us know how u get on.


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## Peatree (Oct 19, 2006)

*my fat bosc*

i have a bosc montior now, me and my bloke picked him up from heathrow animal reception centre which rescued it. we cant tell if its agirl or boy - we know how but its soo overweight, we arent too sure if its pregnant! how is an easy and painfree way of telling this? 

thanx dudes. peatree.


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## Blazey (Apr 30, 2006)

As i said on another forum recently, i dont think the key is limiting food as you only end up with a grumpy and sulking bosc, the key is an active lifestyle combined with a good diet. 

An unhappy bosc is going to be even more inactive and in a sulk which isnt good, particularly if u want to be handling ur bosc aswell, so its better to just make sure it gets a good run around on a regular basis.


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## Peatree (Oct 19, 2006)

*boscy*

hello, 

yeah i know wot ur saying but its soo fat, it cant move even when we get it out! its such a friendly one, its adult, fiully grown but it cant move its soo fat, thats why we thin k the previous dumped it on the side of the road coz it got too fat thet couldnt handle it, weither that or it got pregna\t, we cant tell. wots the easest and painfree way of telling if its pregnant?>


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## Razaiel (Oct 17, 2006)

Take it to a vet? A breeder should be able to tell but unless you know of one it sounds like a vet trip would be advisable anyway even if just to check the animal out and make sure everything else is OK.


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## BELIAL (Nov 10, 2006)

apart from an x-ray i would look for eggs shaped bumps or lumps, especially from underneath. can also feel for the eggs but if she (would have to be a she if gravid.) is that fat it will be very hard to feel anything...unfortunately your best bet is radiography.

don't know of any other way....


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## Blazey (Apr 30, 2006)

Put it on a strict diet, and get it moving for its food. Dont feel sympathetic at it being fat and give in to putting its food near it, it wont help the bosc at all. 
They just get lazy and they need that bit of will power and determination, and if it wants to eat, it will move for its food, even if it does take it all day. Your best off getting it checked out at the vets straight away in case it has fatty liver disease or any other ailments. Goodluck!


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## martin day (May 18, 2006)

good luck with her i hope everything will be fine


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Peatree said:


> hello,
> 
> yeah i know wot ur saying but its soo fat, it cant move even when we get it out! its such a friendly one, its adult, fiully grown but it cant move its soo fat, thats why we thin k the previous dumped it on the side of the road coz it got too fat thet couldnt handle it, weither that or it got pregna\t, we cant tell. wots the easest and painfree way of telling if its pregnant?>


 
Hiya mate.
I have heard numerous times altho not practised it myself that a ten day vast [is it fast or vast?] can work wanders for an overweight bosc.. much more than a cut back on food overall will.


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## Razaiel (Oct 17, 2006)

What are the temps in your viv? Ambients and basking? If they're not warm enough they won't move around so much - just a thought.


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## steveg (Apr 9, 2009)

*bosc*



DeanThorpe said:


> As i said, i agree with as much insects as they will eat, but not on the rodent front, personal view of what makes sense to me backed up by a few good care sheets.


im with you on the rodent issue , only give mine a fuzzie 1 every 3/4 week ,, on advice of my specialist reptile vet ,


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## jo-jo-beans (Jun 28, 2010)

2007 - Awesome!!! :whistling2:


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## hayabusa94 (May 4, 2013)

*Feeding*

I feed my bosc as much variety as possible on a weekly basis. For example Monday either a med mouse or chick (cut up ) and wednesday she will either get insects with dusting or sardines in brine or maybe even some prawns as shrimp are too small and then fridays would be depending on what size rodent she had wednesday or how hungry she is (which is very all the time typical of juve boscs). I've been told this by two of the countrys best herpetologists based in Cardiff.


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