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Thread: is feeding in tank only frowned upon because of impaction?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    massachusetts
    Posts
    11

    Default is feeding in tank only frowned upon because of impaction?

    hey there everyone i was jw if i could feed my tegu in his tank if his tank was set up so 3/4 of it is mulch and 1/4 is tile. i have his feeding dish and water dish both on the tile side. ill show you some pics...........also when it comes to me holding charlie every day do should i sleep with him or should i be active with my hands with him?























    BY GUYS THANK YOU
    :P <3 CHARLIE

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    136

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    adorable last picture!

    Well heres the thing, eating in the enclosure certainly increases the chance of impaction because of the substrate. Some tegu owners will tell you there is also an increased risk of enclosure aggression, which is true. If the tegu is able to watch you put food into its tank every day it can start to associate with your hand being in the cage and food. I have always fed my male tegu in his enclosure, I have a big rock that his food dish is on, I've never had issues with impaction or aggression. My females were fed outside of the enclosure, I've been feeding them outside of the enclosure because its what they are used to and because I don't want them to fight over the food. I was told they can sometimes become food aggressive, I have yet to see it though they're suuuper sweet lol.

    With the way your set up is, if its easier for you to feed him in cage then try it. I can't see a lot of substrate getting into the bowls unless he starts kicking it around. If you choose to feed him in the enclosure I would put the food in the tank before the lights come on when hes still burrowed (thats how I feed mine), this way he has less of a chance of seeing you being the one to put the food there.

    I like how you have your enclosure set up, I might have to steal the barrier-type idea lol. I've just got one question for you, is that probe thermometer always in the middle of the enclosure? If it is, I'd like to suggest getting a second one for directly under the basking spot.
    2.0.0 Argentine Black and White Tegus (Rango & Guru)
    1.0.0 Red/Blue Tegu (No Name)
    1.1.0 APBT (Conan & Riley)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    136

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    Another benefit to feeding outside the enclosure is that there is the guarantee of at least 2 handling times. Once when you take him out and once when you put him in. This can be helpful if you are not able to keep him out very long every day.
    2.0.0 Argentine Black and White Tegus (Rango & Guru)
    1.0.0 Red/Blue Tegu (No Name)
    1.1.0 APBT (Conan & Riley)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    1,210

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    I like the way you used that lens to get the full landscape of your enclosure. That's similar to the kind of arrangement we have now for our boy, with a big tile surface for basking and water.

    It is preferable to feed the tegu outside of its cage for both cage aggression and impaction reasons. It's not always possible to be at home while your tegu is awake, as we've learned. So in reality you have to make trade-offs.

    Regarding impaction, some tegus throw their food around more than others -- it depends on what they're eating and what kind of monster they are fantasizing themselves to be at the moment. I would avoid feeding ground meat in the cage because they track it through the substrate then can smell it later. We leave our boy a little bowl of fruit every day on his tile side and have so far not had any problem. But you need to know your tegu--some individuals are more prone to eating substrate than others, with potentially tragic results.

    You can minimize cage aggression by leaving the food while he's still asleep, so he doesn't watch you bring it in. If yours is still young enough to eat insects, avoid feeding live food in the cage if you can. It sparks their hunting instinct and tends to put them in "bite first, assess later" mode. (Hopefully you don't feed rodents live in any case.) We also have a giant pair of tweezers we can use to put food in, but since Mr. Tweezer does nothing but bring him food, he often becomes the brunt of any eating excitement. If you bust up the tegu's routine and feed outside when you can, I think it also reduces aggression because it weakens the association of cage as personal hunting ground that must be defended.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    massachusetts
    Posts
    11

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    Its usually on the top of the in the log in his basking area he knocked it off I have anotherone if u look close in his cool side but its a hygrometer and thermometheR all in one. I put his food in at 4 in the am cuz that's when I wake up for work so he dosnt see me putting the. Bowl in. Thank you guys for all your help

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

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    Watch those little cords and ends...my tegus think they are yummy snacks and fun toys!
    Laura R (FL)
    1.0.0 Colombian Tegu
    1.4.0 Argentine B&W Tegu
    1.2.0 Red Tegu
    1.2.0 B/WxRed Tegu
    1.0.0 Green Ameiva (yet another teiid)
    7 other lizards
    1 little gator
    3 FL box turtle
    1 Sulcata tortoise
    16 snakes
    5 fuzzy pets
    4 little frogs
    a bunch of creepy bugs
    and a partridge in a pear tree

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    136

    Default

    Ahhh i see gotcha lol
    2.0.0 Argentine Black and White Tegus (Rango & Guru)
    1.0.0 Red/Blue Tegu (No Name)
    1.1.0 APBT (Conan & Riley)

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