Food question

[Michael Soto]

http://www.mazuri.com/mazuricrocodiliandiet-1.aspx

I read an article from a Lady who owns 3 or more Tegus and Monitors. She does not feed this food as their staple diet but offers it in her enclosure. My question is what do you think about it and would you use it?

 

[Michael Soto]

Here is the article. http://www.wanderingherpetologist.com/tegu-diets-ins-outs-uglies/

 

[Mootworm]

I would rather turn a bunch of roaches loose. Healthier and gives a bit of mental stimulation. I'm not a fan of kibble though. Not even for dogs. Protein gets denatured when cooked, and there are tons of preservatives that are added. This is just for kibble kn general, I dont know how that stuff is processed. But I would hazard a guess that it's very similar.

 

[Roadkill]

While I won't say Mazuri is bad, they still take an approach to kibble diets that seems highly influenced by convenience as opposed to researched nutrition. This crocodilian diet is admittedly one high in animal based protein - a very good point. However, it still incorporates wheat and corn as binders and filler - reptiles can't digest these and it is felt among veterinarians and researchers that these, being starch rich, foster fermenting in the GI tract. This isn't exactly hazardous, but ask any person who is lactose intolerant what it is like when they consume food containing dairy - uncomfortable to painful. For my own purposes, I avoid kibble that has these ingredients for feeding to reptiles. They certainly aren't necessary, I've worked with/known people that did nutrition research in kibble for aquaculture purposes and while the current trend in many aquaculture diet research programs is looking into incorporating more plant based nutrients for better health, they too seem to avoid the use of grains. Interestingly enough, I've found that many of the aquaculture oriented diets are far more nutritious and cheaper than any of the pet oriented kibble for reptiles - for example, with my turtles I predominantly use what my local agricultural supply calls "Trout Ration" (http://www.hiprofeeds.com/products/nu-way-trout-grower-finisher-ration-pellets) , it has no grains and I get a 20kg for CAN$15; Mazuri fresh water turtle diet's primary ingredient is corn, has another high content of soy, and a 25kg bag sells for about CAN$45.