Timor Monitor Questions

Id like to get a timor monitor and was wondering if you HAD to feed them rodents? Is it alright to feed them large insects as a staple? Are timor monitors good as first monitors? i have lots of experience with many different reptiles but this will be my first, so im not totally uneducated on this subject.

THanks
Andrew

Timor monitors are intresting little fellows. I won't comment as to the 'good first monitors' question, because that's really up to the keeper to decide after they educate themselves and maybe look at a few alternatives.

But, for the question about what they eat ... mine will not TOUCH an insect, and will not TOUCH pre-killed, and I got him as a hatchling. He's not been the best eating monitor I've ever had. I just had to fish bits of dead rodent out of the cage yesterday because he killed and maimed a mouse, but didn't eat it all. But I have seem other timors eat pre-killed just fine, but none of the ones I've had experience with have had much of a taste for bugs.

This is all just from personal expirence with keeping some pets, I've not done any formal reseach (but would like to) as to the best diet for these guys.

I have a male who won't eat bugs or living mice, just dead mice. I'd really go with dead mice in general because it takes them a while to eat sometimes. And it would take a LOT of bugs to keep an adult happy, unless you can get roaches. My baby blue spot eats crickets and pinkies, live or dead.

Here's a tip: Get these monitors as YOUNG and CAPTIVE BRED as possible. You may not be able to find US CB animals, but do your best. WC adults are some of the shyest reptiles I've owned. They're not big biters, but they don't like being held, touched, or looked at. My baby, who was WC as a hatchling, is ok with being out in the open and even with hands near her. My true USBC adults will actually sit and be patted. They're not hard to care for, really, if you have the right frame of mind. Definately not a first LIZARD though.

Just for the record, here's what I have as far as Timmies:

1 WC adult male yellow spot
1 LTC yearling female blue spot
2 USCB 1999 red spots, a girl and a boy

I didn't know red spots exsisted before I bought them, but they're red. Well, the female's kind of orangish. They look like overgrown ackies though.