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Thread: Tegu feeding ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    BC, Canada
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    29

    Default Tegu feeding ?

    I wondering how much a 12" Tegu should be eating(on average). I think that the diet I will be providing it should be more than enough variety as I have 4 roach colonies, scarab beetles(the grubs are the size of a thumb),giant land snails and I always have a supply of rat pinkies and crix
    Any comments on the diet I will be feeding or how much to feed would be greatly appreciated

    Thanks
    Jordan

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    The Netherlands
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    Default

    a juvenile can eat till its full. they will stop when their bellies are nice and round and will bask the day away. But an older tegu should be kept on a diet as most tegu's in captivity will get fat due to spoiling/bad diet/inactiveness.
    Also be sure to dust the crickets etc with vit + calcium!
    1.0.0 T.rufescens
    0.1.0 T.merianae
    1.0.0 Testudo horsfieldii
    1.0.0 Stenodactylus sthenodactylus
    0.0.1 Ceratophrys ornata
    0.0.1 Geocholone elegans
    0.0.1 Python regius
    2.0.0 Mustela Putorius Furo
    0.1.0 Bouvier des flandres

  3. #3
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    Default

    It just doesn't seem like mine is eating enough. Its only eaten about 20 crix and 2 roaches in the last 5 days

  4. #4
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    Central Maine
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    Default

    That is indeed a small diet. I'd think your tegu should be eating that daily. Are you offering more and he is refusing it? Have you tried other items... ground (93% or better lean) ground turkey, small mice, fruits, bits of boiled egg, etc?

  5. #5
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    May 2005
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    I am offering more but it refuses. Its not interested in f/t pinkie mice(I don't have access to live), the live pinkie rats I have are too big. I haven't tried plain meat(beef turkey chicken), I'm also not very fond of doing so as I feel it isn't a very balanced meal because itlacks all the nutrient that whole prey would provide(having organs, a full stomach and such). I've also toyed with the idea of trying to feed fertilized chicken eggs, but I'm not sure of the best way to present it. it also refuses to eat snails of the appropriate size, which I thought was strange as I have been told that they love snails. I've only had it for about a week mabey I'm just paranoid and it needs some more time to adjust.

  6. #6
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    Central Maine
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    Lean ground turkey with vitamin and calcium supplements work well. Bennett (beardiedragon) breeds reds and recommends it as part of the diet. I recently started adding this to my tegus diet, which was primarily a whole rodent diet and they like it and seem to grow fine on it. They will actually eat the supplemented turkey before the rodents if they are sitting in plates side by side.

    I treat fertilized egg both boiled and raw (I poke a small whole and let the tegu lick it and they will work at it until it cracks open) They like it both ways, but I do it as a treat and not part of the main diet. I am now going to try to incubate eggs and feed peeps/small whole chickens to the tegus and see how that goes.

    Rick

  7. #7
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    I treat fertilized egg both boiled and raw (I poke a small whole and let the tegu lick it and they will work at it until it cracks open) They like it both ways, but I do it as a treat and not part of the main diet. I am now going to try to incubate eggs and feed peeps/small whole chickens to the tegus and see how that goes.

    Let me know how feeding chicks goes as my dad has a chicken farm and I would be able to order un-vacinated chicks from the hatchery

  8. #8
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    I have heard of many people feeding frozen/thawed chicks(peeps) as well as button quail as part of the tegus diet. I know of others who feed whole dead chicken and let the tegus rip it apart. I think I'd feel better offering mouth-sized foods.

    Rick

  9. #9
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    Thanks for the help Rick

  10. #10
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    Hey Rick, I tried the lean ground turkey with suppliments and still nothing, Loki took mabey a bite or two, and still seems to have no interest in crix. I also tried feeding an egg with no avail. There is no reason I can come up with as to why my tegu has no appetite as it was captive hatched so there shouldn't be any internal parasites or disease present, and my hum and temps are good. I really don't want my tegu to die so any other suggestions anyone might have would be greatly appreciated

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