Wheres the Tegu Sized Appetite?

[beaglegod]

I've had my little guy for 10 days now, 6 months old 19 inches, two reptisun 10.0 for uvb, halogen spot lamps for basking, basking site 110-115, ambient at 80-82, humidity 60% , I have to spray several times a day to keep humidity up because its winter here and the heat drys the air. My little guy has eaten each day I've had him, but very little each time. A few bites and he's ready to get out of his feeding bin. I've been doing the double shirt method with him each day and its a bit stressfull getting him out, he doesn't like being picked up but he's content once between the shirts. He seems to ne picky, he has only shown interest in ground turkey,liver,chickken and a mouse. Snuns his nose at everything else I offer including eggs, smelt,super worms. When does the famous appetite kick in? I'm afraid he's not eating enough. I.am crazy about this little guy already and I've become a worry worm with him,.so.I apologize for asking questions that seem petty. Once him.and I get over the hump this is gonna be great.

[bubblz]

It's that time of year when they may slow down and not eat as much if at all in preparation for hibernation or just to brumate. Also keep in mind your tegu is till small so for now it can only eat so much at a time. As the weather changes or their internal clock says so, everything will pick up,.. appetite activity and growth rate.

[tupinambis]

The fact that the tegu is eating a little bit each time means there's little to worry about. Too many people overlook the fact that tegus are reptiles, and as reptiles, have a low metabolism and therefore a lower requirement for food than other organisms we may be more familiar with (such as ourselves). An example that is tossed about in the metabolic field is that if you compared similar massed reptiles to birds (their closest living "major group" relatives), the energy in the food that a bird would consume in a day to sustain itself would sustain a similar sized reptile for 40 days. They don't need to eat all that much.
However, beings as it is eating, even if just a little bit, then you need to make sure that the food being offered is nutritionally balanced. It is likely that its metabolism is suppressed due to the season, but with the intake of food it will still promote some growth. If that growth isn't met with the proper nutrition, then you can easily head into problems.
On another note, not all tegus start out with a voracious appetite. I've encountered many that for the first couple of years of their life they were quite picky, eating very little and therefore not growing much. However, usually after the second year something would kick off and they'd start gorging and growing rapidly. Growing too slow isn't detrimental in itself, but growing too quickly can be.

[laurarfl]

Plus, only having him for 10 days can be a factor. There is the stress of being transported and a new enclosure. Are the 10.0 bulbs linear bulbs or compacts? I've heard of people having issues with them again...causing eye problems. They are very strong and are sometimes placed too close to the lizard.

[laurarfl]

I also wanted to add on to Tupinambis' message about the diet being nutritionally balanced. We recommend adding a calcium supplement to all food that does not contain bones.

[beaglegod]

Thanks for the input guys very insightful, I am using a calcium supliment and the uvb bulbs are t18 tubes not compacts which I've heard can cause conjuctivitis in the eyes. He seems to relish ground turkey mixed with beef liver ,cod liver oil and calcium powder. Everything else he's like meh, not too excited.

[Thumper1904]

I'm a believer in whole prey items when possible. My young tegu loves crickets, mice and superworms. From the research I've been doing in the wild young tegus are largely insectivores much like my bearded dragons and become more omnivorous as they hit adulthood. Even their teeth are different when they are adults.
As far as the humidity, what kind of setup are you using? I have found that deep soil substrate seems to keep the humidity well if your enclosure is decently sealed. Where in the world do you live is another consideration. It's winter here in San Diego,CA but its Summer in the southern hemisphere which would affect your tegu's appetite. What are his options for temperatures? What's the basking spot temp? What's the cool side? I believe all of these things could have an affect on your tegu's appetite.

[paul9115]

I have a similar problem with mine, its not that she wont eat or isn't eating enough, she's just picky about what she eats preferring raw meat and boiled/scrambled eggs to anything else, she will eat rodents but flat out refuses to eat crickets is there any nutrients she's missing out on and if so could I substitute them for something else.