Is it possible?

[GISHerps]

Rock Iguanas are really awesome and totally fit into your lifestyle.

Check out http://herpnut.com for David Blair stock out of California.
Really nice hybrid Grand Cayman Blues and more.
OR PM me for Robert Ehrig's contact info.
THE best rock iguanas available. Has 97% pure Blues for crazy, wicked expensive($1200!) and Rhinos for a good price.

[Care]

Why change an animals eating habits, requirements and or add health risks just because it doesn't fit your life style.

I had absolutely no intention of changing their eating habits if there was a health risk. I asked if it was possible to do this in a way that would be fair to the animal, and as it turn out, there is not. For that reason, as I have said, a tegu is not for me.

[laurarfl]

I understand that you've already made your decision, but I thought I would address your original question anyway (hope you don't mind).

Yes, tegus scavenge quite a bit in the wild, but our "civilized" society is quite a bit different. It's hard to say why those mice or birds that your pets bring you have died. Were they killed by your pets or found after they were poisoned? Do they contain certain levels of contaminants from our use of fertilizers and pesticides? Reptiles have different sensitivities to various chemicals than mammals. Parasites and bacteria may be a concern but I would think the stomach acid of a tegu could handle much of that.

There is another concern about overfeeding eggs. Unfertilized eggs have a proetin, avidin, which binds the biotin in the egg and makes it unavailable to the tegu. Supposedly the biotin deficiency does not occur unless the diet is 100%raw eggs, but I have heard varying reports. Fertilized and inubated eggs in the wild would have a reduced amount of biotin.

Tegus require whole prey items for a proper calcium and phosphorous ratio, protein for growth, plus Vit D from liver that they wouldn't otherwise be able to gain from a purely ovovegetarian diet.


That said...if you are interested in another lizard pet, there are other options. Like GISHerps mentioned, Rock Iguanas Cyclura are very popular and completely vegetarian. I wouldn't recommend a green iguana unless you are willing to dedicate a lot of time and consistency to handling an animal that may or may not enjoy your company in the long run. The uromastyx is cute but not always easily handleable.

My favorite smaller lizard is the bearded dragon, but they do eat a fair amount of insects. They are really delightful and make nice companions. I currently have four pet beardies and two rescues that need to find new homes now. They eat daily salads and crickets or caterpillars four times a week.

[txrepgirl]

I'm sorry that things don't work out about you getting a Tegu.But I wish you the best in finding a pet ( reptile ) that fits you .I'm glad that you do your research first and ask questions before getting a animal and than having to give it up.Thanks for doing that.

[divxrippimp]

Not to cut in on your beliefs but ground turkey/chicken are pretty much the EXACT same thing as cat food... Like, exact...

[laurarfl]

Not really....the ingredient list in my cat food is WAAAAAY longer than the ingredient list on my ground beef. A lot of cat food is high in phosphorous, btw.

[divxrippimp]

Not really....the ingredient list in my cat food is WAAAAAY longer than the ingredient list on my ground beef. A lot of cat food is high in phosphorous, btw.

Wait! Laura dont hate me, lol... I was saying the concept of a vegen feeding her cats cat food, ground meat (turkey/chicken) is the same thing to a tegu... i wasnt recommending cat food as a food source!
I was just saying cat food has many types of ground meat in it, so feeding a tegu ground meat is the same difference (in the sense of eating/killing animals)...

[laurarfl]

Gotcha! I was wondering if that post was to me or someone else!

BTW, I'm not really the hating type! :lol: it's no biggie

[ManlyMan7]

I know this thread is about 5 years old, but I don't mind reviving it.

I have been really interested in getting a male Blue Tegu for the past year or so, and as a vegetarian (almost pure vegan) myself (along with my whole family), I have wanted to look into what my options are for proper nutrition for a tegu.

I am a bit more flexible than Care above, but would like to avoid having to buy and handle meat cuts.

I have active feeder colonies (crickets and mealworms) I raise for my tarantulas, leopard geckos, and beardie, and if I have to, I could get used to buying frozen mice.

Are eggs essential? If so, I need to weigh my willingness to provide them for a future tegu.

I really respect Care's willingness to ask the questions she did, and to come to the conclusion that a tegu was not for her. I am in the same boat. I am trying to decide.

Proper nutrition is my biggest issue right now in deciding if I (and my family) are ready for a tegu. I can build a cage (made two for my green iguana years ago), I have lamps sitting around the house waiting to be put to use. My home office, where I keep my tarantulas, is about 85*F, so that will be warm enough. I am confident I can tame and train a tegu, and am actually seeking a large lizard that would grave attention. As a hands-on person, I WANT something that will spend a lot of time out of cage and in my lap.

[txrepgirl]

I am so sorry for not getting back with you on this and your older Post sooner. It is VERY important for the Tegu to have meat in the diet. I feed ours frozen/thawed chicks, quail, rats, hole fish. Chicken breast, liver, gizzards, heats, fish filets like salmon, tuna, cod, tilapia. Different kinds of fruits and veggies and hard boiled eggs. All the food that doesn't have bones in it need to be dusted with calcium powder. You also can grind up the egg shells and add it to the food. The reason why i mention to grind up the shells is because the edges are very sharp. Sometimes they also don't get digested as well as if it's grinded up. Feeder Roaches are also better then Crickets. Here are two sites you can check out on the products they have that you could order food from for the Tegu.

http://www.hare-today.com/

http://www.rodentpro.com/

http://www.rodentpro.com/frozen-feed...nformation.asp

This is a video of a order I got from them. So you can see how Rodentpro ships their products.