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Thread: Feeding: inside enclosure or outside?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    South FL
    Posts
    13

    Default Feeding: inside enclosure or outside?

    Ok I have read contradicting reviews so being a newbie again to the tegu world.

    Should I feed my new addition in or outside of his home?
    Not to sure exact age total length 16-18 inches. Arg. Red

    Diet for the past few weeks has been a fuzzy/hopper mouse 2-3 times a week.
    Incects a few here and there, usually left overs from my fattails. Super worms and crickets dusted of course with calcium. Not a fan of the cricket sound most nights so that's another reason he only gets a few.

    He's in quarantine, in my room for the 30 days or so just in case. Then he'll be moved into the reptile room which gets natural light and ventilation. S FL reptiles paradise.

    Temps and humidity are perfect, substrate is cypress multch kinda curious about that one. He can dig, cover and hide in it but is 100% multch good or should it mixed with anything else.
    He's in a boa 4x2x14 pvc cage but that will be changing very soon. Tank isn't tall enough. Going to build a plywood 6x2x2.5 sealed and lined of course. Might be the only reptile I keep in my room if I can make the cage conditions perfect.
    Planning on using a ceramic heater on a rheostat for evening and ambient night time temps with conjunction with a basking bulb and a UVB.
    I like it cold at night 72 or so to sleep. I have been able to keep his temps 10 degrees warmer in his cage so lower 80's as a cool zone. He seems to like the 80 mark at night when not in digestion mode.
    Day time ambient temp 85-88

    Night time temps.
    Warmest spot around 110-115
    Coolest spot 77


    See what happens with the new enclosure will keep you guys up to date with my progress.

    Any suggestions or comments greatly appreciated

    Thanks for your time
    Bobby

  2. #2

    Default

    Feed him outside his cage. Animals that are fed inside their cage will begin to habituate you or your hand with food, therefore, making the animal more difficult to handle outside its cage. It is most recommended that you have a separate area or bin to feed your goo in. This prevents the animal from assosciating your hand in the cage as food.
    So in short, feed outside the cage.
    Mind posting some pics of your goo? I love seeing peoples tegus and I am sure everyone here does.
    Also, welcome to the forum

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Las Vegas, NV
    Posts
    746

    Default

    It's recommended to feed them outside when at all possible but also okay to feed them inside as long as you take precautions. Some tegus are too skittish and afraid in the beginning, trying to catch them and then moving them back and fourth only adds more stress. So they may not eat as often as they should. This can also conflict with bonding.

    Each one is different so you have to find out what works for yours. If your tegu is calm, doesn't mind the activity or will pretty much eat any where (like most) then feed it outside of the cage. If it's stressful and a set back trying to get him to do so than I would take a step back and feed him inside. Make sure to place something under their plate or bowl to cover quite a bit of substrate since they can get messy.

    When you feed inside the cage make sure you have time to watch them and clean up any mess they make after. Especially if they get any on the substrate,.. when that happens I remove the top layer in that area. To get rid of the smell, taste and keep them from wanting to come back and eat it later.

    Also,.. try and use the same thing to feed them in or on because they do learn to recognize and associate that item with food. For now I feed Korben in his cage,.. I can go in there and do what ever. But when he sees his bowl he becomes more alert and starts looking for food whether there's anything in it or not.
    0.1.0 BP (Spiral) aka Rita Wayward
    2.1. Dogs (White Boys "Powder", Paw Paws "Achilles" & Panini)

    " 14 July 2010,..Always Remembered"

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    South FL
    Posts
    13

    Default

    I will give it a try. Any suggestion in what? High sided plastic bin, lid or no lid?

    I'm boa guy, I have so many, I feed in their cage. Some have striking response where as others are leave it in front of them come back it's gone. I use to feed outside of their cages until the #'s increased.

    Haven't found a favorite yet, normal insects and fuzzy mice have been the diet in the short time I've had the new goo.
    Pics are soon to come

    It seems the biggest thing people stress is variety in their diet.

    I'm a chef, fisherman and hunter so the new goo will have a wide selection to choose from.
    Which brings me to my question in the other section under other feeders, topic; Wild Game & Seafood.

    Thanks, I really like this forum. Very informative from first had experience.

    This morning he had a mouse for breakfast, so if he comes out I'll work on getting those pics of him

    Thanks again

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Citrus Heights, CA
    Posts
    815

    Default

    I think a lot of it is going to depend on your individual tegu. We lucked out, and had no problem feeding ours in a Rubbermade bin from day one. I believed we used a 30 gallon, give or take. I never put the lid on while feeding, but I did clamp a light on the side, just so they could see what they were eating (it was a suggestion from a valued member that had a picky eater, and I just kinda used it from the get-go). My own personal main advantage to using a separate feeding bin was the ease of cleaning; ours (when we still had them) were EXTREMELY messy eaters, especially Oscar, and I couldn't even imagine trying to pick through all of their mulch to try and find every last bit and piece.

    Speaking of mulch, cypress mulch is kind of like the Gold Standard if you can get it for cheap, as it holds plenty of moisture without rotting. You don't have to mix anything with it, though some do, using top soil, peat, orchid bark... basically anything that holds moisture well without going bad. Whatever you use, just make sure that the product doesn't contain any cedar or pine products, as I'm sure you are aware of being that you've kept reptiles for so long already.

    Your temps sound great, and I love the fact that you've paid such close attention to your little guy's favorite night time temp. It cracks me up that you think 72*F is cold for a sleeping temp... it must be a Florida thing. My preferred temp to sleep in is about 55*F. Anyway, he'll be great even at 72*F; we had let our enclosure drop down to between 60*F and 65*F during the Winter, and they were fine. Never even hibernated. I would think you'll only need the ceramic heat emitter during the Winter, especially if ya'll have another one like last year.

    So the "rule of thumb" for adult tegu enclosure requirements is this:

    - Length should be 2x the complete length of the tegu
    - Width should be 1x the complete length of the tegu
    - Height should be 1x the complete length of the tegu

    Basically, if you had a 4' lizard (which is an average size for a tegu) then the adult size enclosure should be 8' x 4' x 4'. This is one of the VERY hot topics of debate, however, as there are some who feel this is overkill. There are others who feel this isn't large enough. It ends up being the caretaker's preference. We had both of ours sharing a 4' x 2' as hatchlings, and they outgrew it within six months. These guys grow fast. Like, FAST (which is why, especially as babies, anything that isn't a whole prey item should be dusted with calcium powder). And a lot of them can be so incredibly active, what with the digging, burrowing, rearranging, exploring, etc., that I, personally, wouldn't want them to feel too cramped. But, once again, not everyone has room for a massive wooden box taking up an entire room in their house.

    Overall, I think you're off to a FANTASTIC start, what with all of your reptile experience, and the varied diet that your hobbies can provide. Now all you need to do is get on gettin' those pics posted.
    "Why do blessings always come in disguises? If I were a blessing, I'd run around naked."

    0.1.0 Bearded Dragon; Spaz (aka "Monkey")
    1.0.0 Bearded Dragon; Leonidas (aka "Jaba" aka "Fatty)
    0.0.1 Ball Pythons; Lil' Bit

    0.1.0 Argentine B/W Tegu; Bozski - *rehome*
    1.0.0 Argentine A/A Tegu; Oscar - *rehome*
    1.0.0 Ball Python; Moose - *rehome*

    0.1.0 Bearded Dragon; Knuckles (aka "Kitteh"), RIP
    0.0.1 Baby B/W Tegu; unnamed, RIP

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    South FL
    Posts
    13

    Default

    Hey guys just alittle update on my new Arg red goo, Voodo.
    Trying to feed outside the cage went well.
    Day one, checked the new feeding bin out for a bit, then the food dish. Varity on the dish; couple sliced blueberries, ground turkey with calcium powder ( four balls about the size of a blueberry), chicken liver 2-3 slices ( sliced a little bigger than the thickness of an adult cricket) and 3 superworms.

    Gave him about 20-25 to eat, 2 balls of turkey, and 1 worm devoured.

    Day 2
    1 sm egg, scrabbled loose. 15-20 mins to eat, about 1/2 the dish gone.
    Definitely got his fill both days. Funny thing, not bloated full like my other tegus in the past. Just full enough it seems.
    Soaked him in the tub for about 15-20 mins, I have one happy goo.

    Got a couple pics going to try to up load later. Things keep going this way I will be getting another soon.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    South FL
    Posts
    13

    Default

    Nordica- the day starts out at 80 degrees with humidity at around 65-75% this time of year. By 10am its 88 degrees with humidity factored in called heat index (feels like temp) usually 92+, heavy feeling. Its like a sauna. We get our major afternoon storms between 2-4pm. Almost time your watch by it.
    That last winter blast we got, killed hundrends of fish in my pond( as your northerners would call it)
    anything non native took a major hit.
    For example, all my peacock bass died ( big boys 6+ lbs) , myian cichilds (form of tillapia) plecos( sucker fish found in fish tanks). I shoveled dead fish out with a rake every garbage day morning for weeks.
    Looked like a Red Tide. All you saw was floaters. As far as the peacocks go, gotta go back down to Miami to find them in the canals again because anything north of the Broward Miami county line, really took a hit because of that cold.

    The one tarpon that we dropped in there long ago survived, 95% of the large mouth bass survived no problem, also with all the pan fish. It was like border patrol came in and too everything non native.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Citrus Heights, CA
    Posts
    815

    Default

    Yeah, I lived in NC for two years, and got a very healthy dose of dealing with humidity and heat indexes. The first Summer, I thought I was going to just melt away into nothingness. I'm a flight attendant; every now and then I'll fly to Ft. Lauderdale, and simply can't wait to get back to my drier climate.
    "Why do blessings always come in disguises? If I were a blessing, I'd run around naked."

    0.1.0 Bearded Dragon; Spaz (aka "Monkey")
    1.0.0 Bearded Dragon; Leonidas (aka "Jaba" aka "Fatty)
    0.0.1 Ball Pythons; Lil' Bit

    0.1.0 Argentine B/W Tegu; Bozski - *rehome*
    1.0.0 Argentine A/A Tegu; Oscar - *rehome*
    1.0.0 Ball Python; Moose - *rehome*

    0.1.0 Bearded Dragon; Knuckles (aka "Kitteh"), RIP
    0.0.1 Baby B/W Tegu; unnamed, RIP

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Central FL
    Posts
    4,349

    Default

    Have to run, but read your comments about weather. I'm a bit farther north so not quite as humid, but just as hot. I went to San Antonio last year and thought I was going to dehydrate, lol. I guess I've grown gills since I'm a FL native. I hate the humidity, but I'm so accustomed to it that I just dry up when I travel.
    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

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Citrus Heights, CA
    Posts
    815

    Default

    Well I will have to admit that after my two years in NC, my first Summer back in CA was a piece of cake.
    "Why do blessings always come in disguises? If I were a blessing, I'd run around naked."

    0.1.0 Bearded Dragon; Spaz (aka "Monkey")
    1.0.0 Bearded Dragon; Leonidas (aka "Jaba" aka "Fatty)
    0.0.1 Ball Pythons; Lil' Bit

    0.1.0 Argentine B/W Tegu; Bozski - *rehome*
    1.0.0 Argentine A/A Tegu; Oscar - *rehome*
    1.0.0 Ball Python; Moose - *rehome*

    0.1.0 Bearded Dragon; Knuckles (aka "Kitteh"), RIP
    0.0.1 Baby B/W Tegu; unnamed, RIP

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