Diet of Monitor Lizards

The monitor family is a group of lizards that includes species such as the Komodo dragon, the water monitor, the Nile monitor and the Savannah monitor. Some of these species are commonly kept as pets, and others like the endangered Komodo dragon are large and can pose a threat to humans.

  1. Diet In The Wild

    • The wild, monitor lizards have an extremely varied diet. Most monitors are primarily carnivores but do eat eggs, insects and arachnids. Their main diet will often consist of rodents, small mammals fish, other reptiles and birds. Larger species of monitors, including Komodo dragons, can eat larger prey items like deer, water buffalo and even humans. Smaller monitor species are primarily insectivorous.

    Diet In Captivity

    • The wild diet of any monitor lizard can be difficult to recreate in captivity. Instead, captive monitors are fed a mix of rodents, chicks, insects, worms as well as homemade mixes of ground poultry meats, bone meal and supplementary vitamins.

      Some monitor keepers feed their monitors dog or cat food. However, the nutrition provided by these foods is not sufficient for the optimal health of the monitor. Diets supplemented with calcium and vitamin D3 are necessary for all reptiles to maintain proper bone growth and development.

    Hunting Prey

    • Monitor lizards are diurnal (i.e., active in the daytime) and spend much of the day searching out food. They have sharp teeth and claws used to catch and kill their prey and on occasion may swallow it whole. Monitors are generally solitary animals, but larger monitors like Komodo dragons can hunt in groups to take down large animals.

    Venom

    • Previously, the giant monitor species of the Komodo dragon was thought to have a toxic bite because of the amount of dangerous bacteria in their mouths. In 2009, it was discovered that the Komodo dragon is in fact venomous and uses this venom to kill its prey.

    Warning

    • The sharp claws and teeth of smaller monitor species can cause injury. They also may use their tails like a whip in defense, which can cause serious injury. The Komodo dragon is known to attack and kill humans periodically and should not be approached.