# Tegu Food List



## PuffDragon (Apr 10, 2008)

*Whole prey *
Captive raised insects 
Crickets 
Roaches 
Mealworms 
Super worms 
Wax worms 
Silk worms 
Horn worms 
Earth worms 
Snails 
Crayfish 
Pinkie mice 
Quail hatchlings 
Baby chickens 
Mice 
Rats 
Hamster 
Gerbil 
Feeder frogs/toads/lizards 

*Meat *
Soft-boiled or scrambled eggs
Raw meats: turkey, lamb, venison, fowl, beef 
Fresh fish filets 
Organ meats: liver, hearts, gizzards 
Sea food: Crab, Scallops, Shrimp 

*Fruits *
Tropical fruits: Mango, Papaya
Melons: cantaloupe, honeydew, casaba, watermelon 
Bananas- _in moderation, peels can be fed if grown organic _
Apples- _in moderation _
Cherries 
Grapes- Thompson seedless; green and red 
Concord grapes higher in oxalates 
Tomatoes- _high in oxalates**_ 
Berries: 
Strawberries- _high in oxalates** and goitrogens* so in moderation_ 
blueberries, raspberries, & blackberries 
Figs -_fresh or dried _
Dates 
Kiwi
Peaches- _high in goitrogens* _
Pears- _high in oxalates** _
Pumpkin 

*Veggies *
Acorn squash, butternut squash 
Kabocha squash 
Parsnip 
Alfalfa 
Okra 
Green beans 
Green peas, snap peas 
Leeks 
Prickly pear cactus

Dark leafy greens like: 
Chicory greens (Escarole) 
Collard greens 
Dandelion greens 
Endive 
Mustard greens 
Turnip greens

Spaghetti squash 
Bell peppers 
Rapini 
Zucchini 
Yellow squash 
Radish 
Yucca root- cassava- _tough, should be shredded _
Asparagus 
Broccoli _in moderation, high in oxalates** _
Beets and Beet greens _in moderation, high in oxalates** _
Carrots and tops i_n moderation, high in oxalates** _
Bok choy - _in moderation, high in goitrogens* _
Brussels sprouts- _high in goitrogens* _
Parsley- _good source of calcium_ 
Cabbage- _in moderation, high in goitrogens* _
Cauliflower- _in moderation, high in goitrogens* _
Coriander- _in moderation, high in oxalates** _
Rutabaga 
Sweet potato- _feed rarely_ 
Corn- _feed rarely or never, low in Ca and high in Phosphorus _
Spinach- _feed rarely or never, high in oxalates and goitrogens _
Swiss chard- _feed rarely or never, high in oxalates** _
Lettuces -_low in nutrition_ 
Celery- _low in nutrition _
Cucumber- _low in nutrition _
Flowering plants like- Nasturtiums, Dahlia or hibiscus, _just be careful of pesticides and herbicides _
Lentils-_cooked _
_Cooked_ pasta or rice 
Whole wheat bread 


Lets make this thread never ending. Got a suggestion? Add it. Don't agree with an item listed above? Tell us. 



> *Goitrogens are naturally-occurring substances that can interfere with function of the thyroid gland. Goitrogens get their name from the term "goiter," which means an enlargement of the thyroid gland. If the thyroid gland is having difficulty making thyroid hormone, it may enlarge as a way of trying to compensate for this inadequate hormone production. "Goitrogens," like circumstances that cause goiter, cause difficulty for the thyroid in making its hormone.
> 
> <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=47">http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=47</a><!-- m -->





> **Oxalates are naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and in humans. In chemical terms, oxalates belong to a group of molecules called organic acids, and are routinely made by plants, animals, and humans. Our bodies always contain oxalates, and our cells routinely convert other substances into oxalates. For example, vitamin C is one of the substances that our cells routinely convert into oxalates. In addition to the oxalates that are made inside of our body, oxalates can arrive at our body from the outside, from certain foods that contain them.
> 
> <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=48">http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=48</a><!-- m -->




*Top Healthiest Fish*
_Click on chart to view better_


----------



## VARNYARD (Apr 10, 2008)

Awesome Joe!!


----------



## redtail2426 (Apr 10, 2008)

Why should blueberries , raspberries , and blackberries be fed in moderation my tegu gets blueberries or raspberries with just about every meal except for when I have some papaya or mango on hand to rotate in.


----------



## PuffDragon (Apr 10, 2008)

Honestly, I don't know why it's like that. I did not comprise the list. I think they are fine to feed often. Editing the list right now.


----------



## PuffDragon (Apr 11, 2008)

Bump. New fish chart added if anyone is interested.


----------



## CaseyUndead (Apr 11, 2008)

Nice list! Once i get my tegu, i'll have to print that out so i can bring it with me when i shop for food


----------



## Mike (Apr 11, 2008)

Wow, nice going!


----------



## jose2187 (Apr 11, 2008)

great list, worth holding onto.


----------



## scotty93801 (Apr 11, 2008)

Thats great Thank you very much Puff.


----------



## Toby_H (Apr 12, 2008)

Question to you experienced Tegu ownersÃ?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?Â¢Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¬Ã?Æ?Ã¢â?¬Å¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¦ 

If you had an unlimited supply of healthy clean fish to feed your TeguÃ?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?Â¢Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¬Ã?Æ?Ã¢â?¬Å¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¦ what is the maximum percentage of itÃ?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?Â¢Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¬Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¾Ã?â??Ã?Â¢s diet you would offer as this free fishÃ?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?Â¢Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¬Ã?Æ?Ã¢â?¬Å¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¦

If interestedÃ?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?Â¢Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¬Ã?Æ?Ã¢â?¬Å¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¦ the fish in question are baby Central American Cichlids (Jack Dempseys mostly)Ã?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?Â¢Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¬Ã?Æ?Ã¢â?¬Å¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¦ spawned and raised in my own tanksÃ?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?Â¢Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¬Ã?Æ?Ã¢â?¬Å¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¦ still young enough that their fins donÃ?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?Â¢Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¬Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¾Ã?â??Ã?Â¢t have hard spinesÃ?Æ?Ã?â??Ã?â??Ã?Â¢Ã?Æ?Ã?Â¢Ã?Â¢Ã¢â??Â¬Ã?Â¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¬Ã?Æ?Ã¢â?¬Å¡Ã?â??Ã?Â¦


----------



## PuffDragon (Apr 12, 2008)

I think it would be a good alternate food source. You will have to evaluate your water quality. Do you use chemicals? What possible diseases do the fish carry? Also, I would think the same idea that applies to feeder insect would apply here. That is, they are only as nutritional as you make them. So feed them good!


----------



## shadowsong (May 15, 2008)

what is the effect of giving too much banana? since it is prymary fruit that i give to my tegus before i read vanyard's care sheet.


----------



## ZEKE (May 15, 2008)

nice list!!


would you mind if i posted this on another site? the other site people keep asking about what is ok to feed their tegus. one guy said he feeds his bologna uke


----------



## CoexistExotics (May 15, 2008)

Awesome list. Definately gunna keep this around. I am always looking for new stuff to feed my little Sangria . He loves his scrambled eggs that he gets every morning before I go to work, but I want to try new stuff with him.


----------



## Little Wise Owl (May 15, 2008)

Thanks for this. I was looking for something EXACTLY like this before getting a Tegu. I could hug you.


----------



## wendy93 (Jun 6, 2008)

WOW, Great list/. Best I've seen, I always run out of ideas. Going to print this and stick on fridge. Thanks


----------



## VARNYARD (Jun 6, 2008)

wendy93 said:


> WOW, Great list/. Best I've seen, I always run out of ideas. Going to print this and stick on fridge. Thanks



Hi Wendy, and welcome to the TeguTalk community, glad you joined us.


----------



## PuffDragon (Jul 8, 2008)

Bumping for all the soon to be new tegu owners!


----------



## angelrose (Jul 8, 2008)

ok, I finally have to ask ....what is this 'bump' and 'bumping' mean ?


----------



## PuffDragon (Jul 8, 2008)

"Bump/Bumping" means that you post a comment into the thread you want bumped back up to the top of the threads and in this case back onto the top thread scroller. In hopes that more people see it.


----------



## angelrose (Jul 8, 2008)

I got it. thank you Puff ! I should have asked a long time ago


----------



## Mvskokee (Jul 8, 2008)

ya i had to eventually figure that one out on my own took a minute


----------



## DaRealJoker (Oct 16, 2008)

Wow I just got a year old juvinile Columbian Tegu. I needed this page so badly I am so glad I've found this info Thank you so much for posting this. I didn't have a clue what to feed my lil buddy. The previous owner claimed he knew it all. Doesn't seem that way anymore Thank you for helping people raise and preserve a wonderful species of reptilia Plus I live with a tegu not the tegu is mine as a possesion how can anyone ever OWN a living creature I'm also a new member so Hello to everyone


----------



## John_E_Dove (Jan 7, 2009)

Okay, since I am new here, and attempting to learn, would whole chickens, geese or turkeys ground into a hamburger like substance be considered a complete food for Tegus?
Just for clairification I raise my own poultry and am talking about grinding the whole freshly killed bird, feathers, bones, internal organs etc.


----------



## PuffDragon (Jan 12, 2009)

I would say complete for one meal yes. But, I think you are asking if you can raise your tegu's on just this alone, correct? 

As a owner you have to decide what's best for your animal but I would just suggest that variety is a whole lot better than just one thing over and over again.


----------



## John_E_Dove (Jan 16, 2009)

PuffDragon said:


> I would say complete for one meal yes. But, I think you are asking if you can raise your tegu's on just this alone, correct?
> 
> As a owner you have to decide what's best for your animal but I would just suggest that variety is a whole lot better than just one thing over and over again.



Thank you for the reply.
No, I too am a firm believe in a varied diet for captive reptiles. I even vary the diet for my snakes when I can. I was just wondering if ground whole bird would be acceptable for Tegus since I also raise poultry.


----------



## Tux (Jan 16, 2009)

I can't see any downside to a ground whole bird, especially one you raised yourself so you know what it was fed etc. The feathers probably wouldn't add any value to the equation though besides saving time plucking.


----------



## DaRealJoker (Jan 24, 2009)

Bumping for new members


----------



## VARNYARD (Jan 24, 2009)

As for the fruits and veggies, some of my tegus just will not eat them. I do not even try to feed them to my tegus any longer, I also do not think they are needed to keep tegus healthy.

I feed mine Crickets, Roaches, Mealworms, Super worms, Pinkie mice, Quail, Baby chickens, Mice, Rats, whole small fish, Soft-boiled or scrambled eggs, ground turkey, Fresh fish filets, beef liver, chicken liver, beef hearts, chicken gizzards, chicken hearts, ducklings and even a toad every now or then.


----------



## BagootheTegu (Feb 22, 2009)

I love the variety that a tegu will go through i just hope that when i get one and i know for sure its going to be a Blue Tegu that it will eat its fruits hopefully i can get him young so he gets used to the routine and treats


----------



## Retic11 (Mar 13, 2009)

This is one Awsome Post Man. I have learned a lot from it.
Thanks 
Keep this one on top


----------



## zgoldsmith (Mar 24, 2009)

What insect(s)/worm(s) are the best to feed to your *baby* tegu? I feed mine crickets and supers but I am wanting to order in bulk and I would like to know what is/are the best?

Thanks, this is an awesome list!
ZG


----------



## kethry (Jun 4, 2009)

can you realy feed your tegu pasta or rice?
and can i plant lettuce in his cage and if he eats it as a snack plus feeding him his normal food would that be ok? or would i over feed him
it prob. wouldn't happen but just in case...


----------



## White_Lotus (Jul 29, 2009)

great list i'm printing it as we speak...i'll be using this from now on


----------



## GOT_TEGUS (Aug 3, 2009)

awesome list Joe. Great work on it too.


----------



## kaa (Sep 16, 2009)

Can you feed a strict diet of ground turkey? or would it be better to vary the diet?


----------



## Zilch (Sep 17, 2009)

kaa said:


> Can you feed a strict diet of ground turkey? or would it be better to vary the diet?


I can't speak for the OP, but for reptiles in general it's always best to feed a varied diet, in the wild a tegu would eat COUNTLESS food items in a day, so while they might survive just fine on a staple of turkey it's always a good idea to spice things up and add some variety.


----------



## Dvdh1 (Oct 9, 2009)

Great list. Does anyone know if avacado is ok to feed them?


----------



## Zilch (Oct 9, 2009)

I'd venture to say probably not a great idea, avocado has a pretty decent fat content for a plant. Maybe if he likes it as a treat, but I wouldn't make it a regular thing.


----------



## Dvdh1 (Oct 9, 2009)

Thanks


----------



## obsessedwithserpents (Oct 9, 2009)

excelllent list maybe you should add for any supplements for certain foods


----------



## Meg90 (Oct 9, 2009)

I fed avocado to one of my torts once, as a treat. It looked like I almost killed him. I'd stay farrrrr far away from it. I do (now)


----------



## Dom3rd (Oct 9, 2009)

Avacado if i remember right is toxic to most reptiles


----------



## Dvdh1 (Oct 9, 2009)

Good to know


----------



## Meg90 (Oct 9, 2009)

And birds. Its toxic to them too.


----------



## Herplings (Oct 9, 2009)

Meg90 said:


> I fed avocado to one of my torts once, as a treat. It looked like I almost killed him. I'd stay farrrrr far away from it. I do (now)



Lol.


----------



## TanMan57 (Oct 9, 2009)

Yay im so excited to give my gu's the best tomorrow. I bought them sime steak for soups just big enough and some chicken liver. I hope they like it


----------



## Dvdh1 (Oct 10, 2009)

TanMan57 said:


> Yay im so excited to give my gu's the best tomorrow. I bought them sime steak for soups just big enough and some chicken liver. I hope they like it



I take better care of Bumblebee than I do myself. My kids hardly eat anything. Frozen processed chicken nuggets anyone? Lol!


----------



## ReptileFinatic (Nov 4, 2009)

I was just wondering if I can give pumpkin to tegus. Pumpkin is a type of squash and you can give it to beardies, my beardie loves it, just curious.

-Brandon


----------



## Meg90 (Nov 4, 2009)

I think it would be fine for tegus. Torts can eat it no problem.


----------



## ashesc212 (Nov 12, 2009)

ReptileFinatic said:


> I was just wondering if I can give pumpkin to tegus. Pumpkin is a type of squash and you can give it to beardies, my beardie loves it, just curious.
> 
> -Brandon



You definitely can to a certain extent. My vet uses plain pumpkin pie filling to help with impactions. Lucky used to a few times when fur clogged him up.

Nice list, Puff. I might disagree with the tomatoes though. I read somewhere in my research that tomatoes are toxic to reptiles.


----------



## ashesc212 (Nov 12, 2009)

Also, many plants like hisbiscus and dahlia that are mentioned in the list have been known to be toxic to animals like dogs, cats, and horses...

Reptile are different but they still may be toxic, right?


----------



## Marlene (May 10, 2010)

I have an all natural fruit juice with no preservatives or chemicals in it (I read the label carefully!) it has Acai, Acerola (cherry), Aronia (Black Choke Berries, I think?), Cranberry, Passion fruit, Prunes (plums), Wolfberry, Pomegranate, Lychee, Camu Camu and Bilberry in it. It has some other fruits in it, but they're all on the "fine to eat" list, so I didn't mention them. Are any of those fruits fine for tegus to consume? They would only get this juice as a treat. My B&W likes to drink its fruit rather than eat it. It just kept licking the apple pieces and never tried eating it, lol.


----------



## Curtis T (Aug 29, 2010)

Hello Everybody,
As of yet I do not have any Tegus yet. I am doing my research on them so I can have all my ducks in a row so to speak. I have kept many reptiles Snakes, Corns, King, Milks, Boas and Pythons. Lizards Bearded Dragons,Veilds, Panthers and Geckos. And I have breed most of these plus birds and fish. I always do research befor I get another pet. As I was reading the list of food I seen Hissor roachs I have read on other sites it's not good to feed adults because of their shell being so hard. I am breeding Dubia roaches to feed to my Beard Dragons ect because their is a problem with the crickes dying off I bought 1000 3 week old and by the 4th week they were all dead. So I set up a Dubia roache colony and also starting to produce Superworms and thinking about doing meakworms and waxworm. I do like to feed diffrent things to my animals ( I would not like to eat the same thing all the time.) I can also get chicken and quial eggs as I have freinds who breed and show them. So what about the adult hissors shells? Thanks Curtis


----------



## reptastic (Aug 29, 2010)

i have never tried roaches, but i would imagine that the shell shouldnt be a problem since the wild tegus tend to eat a lot of land snails and i would believe their shells are much more harder than say a dubia's! but i would be more careful when dealing with the hatchlings(which i believe you are reffering to) just make sure the roaches arent larger than the tegus head and you shouldnt have a problem!


----------



## Guest (Nov 8, 2010)

one side note about bananas,most of the bananas grown and shipped to the us are contaminated with the pesticides used to keep the bugs off of them.the reason being is that a bag on the bottom of the banana stalk soaks up every kind of moisture and chemical used on the banana and over time the peel absorbs those chemicals.


----------



## armison89 (Jan 1, 2011)

great list. now i have to go to the store and buy some stuff.


----------



## murilstone (Mar 30, 2011)

Just for convenience i took all the foods on the list and the fish info and made it into a PDF...[attachment=2212]


----------



## Toby_H (Mar 30, 2011)

murilstone said:


> Just for convenience i took all the foods on the list and the fish info and made it into a PDF...



people around here are just awesome.........


----------



## AvaHal12 (Mar 31, 2011)

Great list. Do you feed cooked eggs with the shell?


----------



## turtlepunk (Apr 30, 2011)

thanks so much for the PDF!! =D very helpful!


----------



## TheTeguGurl (Apr 30, 2011)

Great List I found one like this online 2 yrs ago and printed it out.. its a life safer when you are needing to know what to feed them


----------



## Kimmie (Aug 1, 2011)

I would like to ask can they eat nectarines? any1 have tried


----------



## Rhetoric (Aug 14, 2011)

Bump bump bump. Page 4, third post from the bottom, has a PDF that can be printed


----------



## spidersandmonsters (Aug 14, 2011)

Question about mice: how often should you feed them say two or three fuzzies at a time? That being a diet with calcium without D3 dusted turkey as a staple, with some ground beef, beef liver, all with a bit of cod oil.


----------



## Rhetoric (Aug 14, 2011)

I think its your preference. Some members feed their tegus a diet that is almost completely whole prey. Other members feed their tegus whole prey once a week. I have not (yet) seen anyone having issues with doing it either way. I started off doing whole prey once a week, I am now doing it ~3x a week. The main concern would be passing all of the fur, fuzzies aren't as furry as an adult rat lol but something to consider down the road.


----------



## Bubblz Calhoun (Oct 25, 2011)

_I didn't feel like copy and pasting this time so I'm just bumping it also,.. Why is this not a sticky?_


----------



## Rhetoric (Oct 25, 2011)

It should be one now


----------



## BillieJeAn (Oct 25, 2011)

Dom3rd said:


> Avacado if i remember right is toxic to most reptiles



Avacado is not only toxic to most reptiles but also most animals. :O


----------



## boyd1955 (Oct 26, 2011)

Really useful list ... Thank you ... Always trying to think of something new to tempt him and this gives me loads of possibilities )


----------



## Dana C (Nov 29, 2011)

A thought on feeding fish. I feed my youngster tilapia and trout, tilapia because it is inexpensive and trout because I can catch it. I chop up the fish after scaling them. I chop them fine so I can include the smaller rib bones in very small pieces. 
Just a thought. :idea:


----------



## Jonzin4Reptiles (Nov 29, 2011)

Awesome list ... and to have it in PDF for a noob like me is above and beyond of you. Thanx very much i`ll refer to it daily. So far i`ve only been feeding him turkey balls but have some beef out for 2morrow.

Cheers,

John


----------



## teguboy77 (Nov 30, 2011)

I use to give my tegus,mice,ground turkey,super worms,quail,chicken peeps,grapes,beef liver.That worked for my tegus.


----------



## boyd1955 (Nov 30, 2011)

Boomer is going wild for red peppers ( bell ) at the moment ... He's even eaten them out of a red pepper and turkey mix ... Just left the turkey !!!


----------



## Aden (Jan 2, 2012)

I read out this list,good...I have entered this thread and find some interesting things there....i appreciate you...Thanks for sharing this.


----------



## Bubblz Calhoun (Jan 16, 2012)

_It's that time again_


----------



## Kimmie (Feb 27, 2012)

im gonna buy some worms for Cookie what worms is healthties or which ones is best to feed like a daliy thing ?


----------



## 305 Tegu (May 21, 2012)

this is good info


----------



## skyloc (Jun 12, 2012)

what about dog food? I adult male Bubba keeps stealing from my dog? should I keep him out?

thanks


----------



## Bananasplit121 (Aug 20, 2012)

I am soon to become a Tegu owner and have read through this food list and want to say THANK YOU! Great information. One question I had, that was asked earlier but never answered... when feeding boiled egg, do you give them the shell as well or not? We offer the shell to our birds for extra calcium so I wasn't sure if it would have the same affect with Tegu's or if it would cause problems.


----------



## Scott Hogge (Aug 20, 2012)

Yeah, the shells are great. Even if you aren't feeding eggs, you can break up egg shells for extra calcium and mix them in with whatever.


----------



## Bananasplit121 (Aug 20, 2012)

todeyius said:


> Yeah, the shells are great. Even if you aren't feeding eggs, you can break up egg shells for extra calcium and mix them in with whatever.



Great! Thank you!


----------



## Ntyvirus (Aug 20, 2012)

just picked up a baby blue, im sure ill be running through the list to see what the little dude likes.


----------



## nhood97 (Mar 15, 2013)

This needs to be bumped and put back at the top.
Also, as for eggs don't give them more than about twice a week. And I crush up the shells in it and also put in my little guys veggies and bits of shrimp I got from the store
Anyone know a safe place to get live snails? Pet store snails aren't the best...


----------



## Dubya (Mar 15, 2013)

Equal parts of cocktail franks, Hillshire Farms Lil Smokies, and saurkraut.


----------



## BatGirl1 (Mar 15, 2013)

Toenail clippings. Don't forget the toenail clippings. But seriously... once niles is up I'm definitely going to mix it up instead of just ground stuff with calcium powder. Boiled egg with crushed up shell and all sounds good. And going to order some day old f/t quail from haretoday. . .


----------



## tjohnson722 (Mar 16, 2013)

I love this list. So very helpful. Printing it out tonight to post on fridge. 

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2


----------



## laurarfl (May 17, 2013)

Another food list for herbivores, but plant matter always works for tegus.

http://reptileapartment.com/2013/04/12/reptile-food-chart-by-dr-bogoslavsky/


----------



## TheTeguGurl (May 17, 2013)

Thank you laura
that is great info


----------



## Concept Dragons (Jul 30, 2013)

awesome list! this is really helping me out to get ready for my first Tegu


----------



## Concept Dragons (Aug 18, 2013)

what about Avocado? My gu seems HIGHLY interested in those.


----------



## Renske (Aug 20, 2013)

This is something i have posted in an other topic. Maybe its usefull.
I never feed rats, mice or chicks. I buy sausage of cut meat, bones or meat and bones. I buy it at a zoo food website for zoo animals but you can also buy it for dogs.
It looks like this:
View attachment 6920

But i feed also this:
View attachment 6921
All kind of fruit

View attachment 6922
View attachment 6923
Fresh water fish

View attachment 6924
Frog legs

View attachment 6925
View attachment 6926

I also feed them eggs.

I think my animals are realy healty and happy. I also breed them.
View attachment 6927

View attachment 6928

View attachment 6929

View attachment 6930

View attachment 6931

View attachment 6932

View attachment 6933

View attachment 6934
If you feed them wrong the eggs look crap.


----------



## apocalypse910 (Oct 3, 2013)

Concept Dragons said:


> what about Avocado? My gu seems HIGHLY interested in those.



They are pretty toxic to reptiles (And pretty much all non-human animals). I'd avoid them.


----------



## Concept Dragons (Oct 14, 2013)

apocalypse910 said:


> They are pretty toxic to reptiles (And pretty much all non-human animals). I'd avoid them.


 I had talked about avocado's for Tegus with Ty Park a few weeks ago and he said they are very good for them ...


----------



## apocalypse910 (Oct 14, 2013)

Concept Dragons said:


> I had talked about avocado's for Tegus with Ty Park a few weeks ago and he said they are very good for them ...



I can't say 100% that he is wrong but I personally would not risk it. It is very possible for animals to show no ill effects from a small quantity of a toxin, and tolerance can vary between individuals of a species. Toxicity also varies wildly between varieties of avocado. Avocado is known to be toxic to a large array of mammals, birds, and reptiles and there are no studies establishing a safe dose in reptiles. I personally wouldn't risk my animal on one persons testimony that it worked out OK.

I doubt having a small quantity is going to cause severe issues - but I can honestly see no compelling reason to take a chance on it. I'll put it this way - every time I see a discussion of dogs & chocolate there is one person that pipes up that their dog eats it all the time without ill effect. It is very well established that it is toxic but the size of the dog, the type of chocolate, the quantity all matter and just because one person got lucky doesn't mean it is a remotely good idea. I'd also say that when in doubt avian toxicology seems to be a very good indicator of toxicology in reptiles (and has been studied much more extensively) the strong toxicity in birds makes me think this is a very poor bet to take. 

*From Reptile Medicine & Surgery-*
http://books.google.com/books?id=7A...#v=onepage&q=Reptile toxicity avocado&f=false

*Other Sources- *
http://reptile-parrots.com/forums/showthread.php/4113-Reported-Toxicities-in-Reptiles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado#Toxicity_to_animals
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/avocado


*Not geared at reptiles but relevant - *
http://animals.pawnation.com/list-food-not-good-parrots-4920.html
Parrots can safely eat many fruits, but the ones they should avoid are highly toxic to them. Avocado tops the list of fruits parrots cannot safely eat. This fruit's pit and skin are the most toxic parts of the fruit to parrots. However, even its flesh is highly dangerous. As explained by Bird Channel, avocado persin acts as poison in a bird's digestive system. While some parrots have eaten avocado and guacamole with no incident, veterinarians advise against including it in your parrot's diet because for most birds, it is deadly.


----------



## Concept Dragons (Oct 14, 2013)

oh wow, Thanks for the info I haven't fed it in huge quantities but I did give it to him every once in a while. But I'll cut it out of his diet immediately.


----------



## apocalypse910 (Oct 14, 2013)

Concept Dragons said:


> oh wow, Thanks for the info I haven't fed it in huge quantities but I did give it to him every once in a while. But I'll cut it out of his diet immediately.



Glad you found it useful! Avocado was one if the first foods I wanted to try with my tegu as well - got a bit obsessed reading up on the possibly toxic foods as a result.


----------



## Matthew Colella (Nov 24, 2013)

could I feed my tegu, Tank, canned tuna?


----------



## apocalypse910 (Nov 25, 2013)

Matthew Colella said:


> could I feed my tegu, Tank, canned tuna?



probably not a wonderful staple as it is pretty high in salt, but I do keep some pouches of tuna packed in water as an emergency meal for Loki. I've given him some a few times and he definitely loves it. Again I'd only feed it occasionally though.


----------



## Matthew Colella (Nov 25, 2013)

so it would be fine for a resort if I run out of mice?


----------



## critterlover (Dec 15, 2013)

Great List... Can anyone tell me what not to feed them. I herd that avocado is poison to reptiles, bananas are not to be eaten lots and eggs have to be cooked. Anyone know of dangerous foods. Also what ages should they be eating this stuff. The place I got TAZ from was feeding him calcium powdered crickets and REPASHY VEGGIE BURGER once a day that is it. I just started feeding him fish and strawberries today. He is about 3 months old


----------



## critterlover (Dec 15, 2013)

Dvdh1 said:


> Great list. Does anyone know if avacado is ok to feed them?


I herd that avocado was toxic for reptiles but don't quote me on that


----------



## critterlover (Dec 15, 2013)

*Avoid Feeding these Toxic Items to your Reptile Seed from: Apples, Apricots, Cherries,Nectarines, Peaches or Pears.
Avocado, Eggplant, Rhubarb, Rosemary, or Sage.
Azalea, Buttercup, Daffodil, Lilly of the Valley, Marijuana, or Tulip.
Dr. Bogoslavsky DVM Animal Veterinary Hospital of Orlando*


----------



## SnakeCharmr728 (Dec 16, 2013)

Eggs do not have to be cooked, infact I believe its better raw - no one is boiling them in the wild. The idea behind cooking the eggs is that the heating absorbs the avidin which binds biotin leading to a biotin deficiency but for a deficiency to occur, the animal would have to have a diet made up of almost only eggs for some time. So if eggs are just an every now and then thing, raw would be healthier as cooking anything kills nutrients. Mine love raw quail egg, whole with shell.


----------



## laurarfl (Dec 16, 2013)

If I can add to Kayla's post... Avidin is an enzyme which is a protein. Heating to temperatures of approximately 106 and up (it varies depending on the type of protein) will begin to break down the protein in a process called denaturation. Cooking will break down the avidin, but it will also break down other proteins found in the egg considered to be beneficial.


----------



## Michael Soto (Feb 4, 2014)

I know this is an on going form, what types of snails do people feed their tegus, and where do you get the snails?


----------



## SnakeCharmr728 (Feb 4, 2014)

frozen apple snails can be purchased at asian markets - feed without shell. or you can get can-0-snails at petstores made my zoomed


----------



## ManlyMan7 (May 4, 2014)

Great thread. I am learning what I can to gear up to get my own tegu eventually. I will eventually post this on the cage for reference.

Question about foods to avoid: someone last week told me spinach was toxic to tegus. True or no?

Also, my family and I are vegetarians and would like to know how much meats are required for good nutrition. I am committed to proper nutrition for a tegu if I get one, and if I determine that a more-or-less vegetarian diet is untenable, and I decide I am unwilling to provide any meats that ARE necessary, I won't get a tegu.

With my tarantulas, leopard geckos and beardie I currently have, I do have/breed/use crickets and mealworms, so this wouldn't be a completely vegetarian diet. I would likely get other feeder bugs too for them. I do buy superworms occasionally too at present. I know of others that would be good nutrition for a tegu that I don't use as they are not good for tarantulas.

I live in Canada, where roaches are illegal. 

The next meats I am more willing to deal with are frozen (and maybe live) mice, and eggs.

Do I HAVE to bring home meats?

And finally, would dog/cat foods be an acceptable substitute to meat cuts?

I am new here and am hoping we can discuss the facts involved here without emotion or attitude. I am genuinely exploring my options here and am determined to only get a tegu if I can provide him with the nutrition he needs.

Thank you.


----------



## ManlyMan7 (May 4, 2014)

One more observation.

Do any of you feed your tegus kingworms/giant mealworms? I doubt I ever will.

After trying unsuccessfully to raise a colony of kingworms, I read online that they are just mealworms that are fed juvenile growth hormones (JGH). JGHs prevent the bug from maturing, allowing them to grow bigger. And for this reason, JGHs are one of the more (if not most) prevalent forms of insecticide.

I called a feeder bug breeder in my province this past year that I know on a first-name basis and asked him about it. He confirmed this is indeed the case and said that they are thus not fit for feeding to tarantulas/scorpions (which are bugs themselves). 

Some have said kingworms are thus not fit for anything but fishing.

Do any of you have perspective on this?


----------



## ManlyMan7 (May 4, 2014)

One more feeder. Anyone ever feed there tegus Jamaican Field Crickets? How did they do?

Jamaican Field Crickets are larger than the typical domestic cricket used in the pet industry, and I have seen them a few times in the last few years as domestic crickets colonies have collapsed at times because of disease.

I got excited when I first saw them as they were a larger feeder for my tarantulas, but I soon learned that they BITE! they have some hefty chompers and can be considered dangerous to less aggressive tarantulas. I have read on gecko forums that they can and will kill leopard geckos, and even have a friend on a tarantula forum who shared that her bearded dragon died because of Jamaican Field Crickets. She took her beardie to a vet who confirmed the beardie had bites down its throat from the crickets.

As such, I can imagine these would not be good to feed baby tegus, but I don't know how well an adult chews its food, so I don't know if I should avoid feeding these to my future tegu.

Anyone have any experience with these?


----------



## diver165 (May 23, 2014)

ManlyMan7 said:


> One more feeder. Anyone ever feed there tegus Jamaican Field Crickets? How did they do?
> 
> Jamaican Field Crickets are larger than the typical domestic cricket used in the pet industry, and I have seen them a few times in the last few years as domestic crickets colonies have collapsed at times because of disease.
> 
> ...



I believe you've said enough to convince anyone that Jamacian Crickets aren't a very good alternative. Crickets in general suck as a feeder insect, IMHO. They smell like a sac full of buttholes, they die if looked at cross eyed and they're noisy. I switched to roaches for my beardies. I know you said you can't do roaches in Canada. (I didn't know that...I thought only certain kinds). But addressing your last few posts. Tegus eat meat. I understand that you're a vegan. But your future Tegu isn't. He needs meat. And insects won't fill the bill when he gets bigger.


----------



## SnakeCharmr728 (May 24, 2014)

Ground meats, meat cuts, organ parts, and other "grocery" store meats are not nessicary and are actually not recommended although still okay to offer for those that do. In your case youwould be okay not offering those if you chose not to. However whole prey is a better alternative and a MUST. this means whole rodents, chicks, quail, fish, shrimp etc that can be ordered online frozen shipped to your door. Adult argentines do eat fruits but meat/wholeprey is a must for any tegu. Dog/Cat food should not be a substitute ever.


----------



## Skimba (Sep 21, 2014)

What a great list, I've been researching what else to feed my little man and this list is fab, he'll get so much nutrition with such a wide variety


----------



## Brocey (Jan 4, 2015)

PuffDragon said:


> *Whole prey *
> Captive raised insects
> Crickets
> Roaches
> ...


Can I feed my young tegu ground whole salmon for his staple diet? (Supplemented by fruits and other things) will the fish bones provide enough calcium?


----------



## Jackie & Hellboy (Jan 16, 2015)

Brocey said:


> Can I feed my young tegu ground whole salmon for his staple diet? (Supplemented by fruits and other things) will the fish bones provide enough calcium?


I wouldn't use it as a staple, using ground meat with no skin, bones, hair, and guts as an everyday staple will not give him enough diversity in his diet. His digestive tract needs that odd stuff in there for a proper meal. However using the ground salmon as a twice a month/ once a week meal I wouldn't see any problem with it. Try to stick with mostly insects for a young tegu's meat portions, with properly sized rodents (avoid pinkie mice and rats as their nutritional buildup is not very good yet, bones are still soft and they're extremely fatty) hopper mice with fur developed will make much better meals (chop them up if your tegu is too small to eat whole).


----------



## Brocey (Jan 17, 2015)

Whole salmon has bones and guts in it.


----------



## Jackie & Hellboy (Jan 17, 2015)

Ok I thought it just said ground salmon. Not a bad food to give, again I would not use as a staple, I would stick to a rodent, insect, chick, quail, and when they're bigger I give guinea pigs (all frozen thawed except insects). Then maybe weekly use the ground whole salmon. I have heard that a high fish diet causes runny stools.


----------



## Brocey (Jan 19, 2015)

Awesome thanks!


----------



## Jomatty (Oct 13, 2015)

ManlyMan7 said:


> Great thread. I am learning what I can to gear up to get my own tegu eventually. I will eventually post this on the cage for reference.
> 
> Question about foods to avoid: someone last week told me spinach was toxic to tegus. True or no?
> 
> ...


You are not going to be able to raise a tegu in a healthy manner sing a vegetarian diet. One thing I would look into if I wanted to not bring meats home is the mizuri crocodilians diet. I have read about people having success with that as a staple, although I have not tried it and I have heard that some tegu owners have reported difficulty getting their gu's to accept it. Even if you got your gu to accept it you would still want to add in some whole prey at least occasionally. While most will eat some fruit, many will not eat vegetables at all, and even if they do, they are mostly carnivorous. Frozen mice and rats are an easy way to go and you would not have to have meats in the fridge, just in the freezer, and it doesn't look like anything people eat. Check out the croc diet, but be prepared to do the right thing if your gu is not accepting it readily (I can tell by the tone of your post that you definitely would). Personally if I wanted something vegetarian I'd get a uromastyx or a blue tongue skink (not veggie but can do well on cat dried cat food)


----------



## Walter1 (Oct 13, 2015)

Or a green iggy. Otherwise this is a species that leans heavily towards carnivory, especially when growing up. Thereafter, still a meat-eater but will take some fruits/veggies I think because some thing is better than nothing in the wild.


----------



## Dana Brown (Oct 14, 2015)

What and when do you feed a tegu. I just got a big one a few days ago and I am clueless about it. Anyone have a feeding chart by any chance? I am so new to this!


----------



## Walter1 (Oct 14, 2015)

Hi Dana- I want you to succeed. You have a 1+ yr old. She's still growing. Every other day offer her frozen/ thawed mice to her fill, dusted with "calcium with D3". This way she gets whole animal nutrition. Once a week, offer her chicken hearts or gizzards or chicken tenders, or ground anything or good quality wet dog food, all dusted with calcium that has D3. This is a starting point to be adjusted as things progress.


----------



## Dana Brown (Oct 14, 2015)

Walter1 said:


> Hi Dana- I want you to succeed. You have a 1+ yr old. She's still growing. Every other day offer her frozen/ thawed mice to her fill, dusted with "calcium with D3". This way she gets whole animal nutrition. Once a week, offer her chicken hearts or gizzards or chicken tenders, or ground anything or good quality wet dog food, all dusted with calcium that has D3. This is a starting point to be adjusted as things progress.



Thank you Walter1


----------



## Walter1 (Oct 14, 2015)

You're very welcome. Be flexible. For mice, consider rodentpro.


----------



## fcasey (Oct 14, 2015)

Walter1 said:


> Hi Dana- I want you to succeed. You have a 1+ yr old. She's still growing. Every other day offer her frozen/ thawed mice to her fill, dusted with "calcium with D3". This way she gets whole animal nutrition. Once a week, offer her chicken hearts or gizzards or chicken tenders, or ground anything or good quality wet dog food, all dusted with calcium that has D3. This is a starting point to be adjusted as things progress.


I'm curious as to why you would need to dust mice with calcium and D3.


----------



## Walter1 (Oct 15, 2015)

In case the mice aren't fully grown. Especially important while the tegu is rapidly growing and bone development.


----------



## Lizardess (Nov 2, 2015)

Perfect list! Now if we just had an app for the iphone with this as a prominent button.


----------



## Scale1234 (Nov 25, 2015)

Hello,I was wondering if this list of food concluding tegus of all stages as some of these food may not be a good diet depending on the tegus age. Also I haven't got a tegu yet but I may be getting one in the next few months or so!​


----------



## BeWatee (Dec 2, 2015)

Love this list. This will be a great help for me as a beginner.


----------



## Walter1 (Dec 2, 2015)

Hi Scale- more often feed as young and more important calcium as young unless a breeding female. Pretty much same food throughout life, though. Mostly, a matter of frequency and amount. 

For Bewatee- Great. When you get your Argie, update.


----------



## shawn-n-jessica (Dec 29, 2015)

so newb question can I just take the raw turkey, fowl, beef, and use crickets, worms, roaches and mix fish like salmon, catfish, tilapia, shrimp and crap.... and grind it all together and make meatballs for food, just sounds like a way to get a lot of everything... still put on plate fruit light vegs, and dust everything, also his eggs but that's what I have been wanting to do and was curious. right now just rotating like crazy and wish to just blend it all


----------



## Walter1 (Dec 29, 2015)

For a fresh meal, blend it all and serve. For freezing, not sure about egg. Also, freezing will slowly diminish nutritive value.


----------



## shawn-n-jessica (Dec 29, 2015)

No eggs always fresh but yes the rest make enough for 2 weeks and blend fruits vegs and all meats into tons of meat balls... this will be fine no issues... I kno freeze will harm in long run but freeze each days in a pack and only 2-3 weeks ahead of time... not months would it be fine... last time I tried I did only turkey shrimp earth worms and vitamins and had so much he couldn't eat it all fresh so b I threw out was unsure of freeze


----------



## Walter1 (Dec 29, 2015)

Seems ideal to me. Lucky lizard.


----------



## Joanne Julia (Mar 1, 2016)

Great list thank you very informative


----------



## CameronJayBauer (May 15, 2016)

Dubya said:


> Equal parts of cocktail franks, Hillshire Farms Lil Smokies, and saurkraut.


I realize I'm quoting you from a post written 3 years ago haha. But I read through all 7 pages of this thread, and this comment stood out to me. Looking back at it, I now realize you were most likely just making a joke, which I can appreciate. XD 
But if this was meant to be a joke, I wanted to clarify that before any uneducated new tegu owners accidentally start feeding their lizards hilshire farms sausage (or any cooked sausage for that matter)... Because I can see that mistake being made by someone missing the joke here XP


----------



## CameronJayBauer (May 15, 2016)

On a separate note, I've seen a couple mentions of beef liver, or other beef organs here, and that made me wonder.
I remember reading somewhere not so recently that you should avoid giving your tegu beef in it's diet. Mainly because a cow is not a prey that a tegu would ever be consuming in the wild, which makes sense to me. 
That being said, the reality is that a captive lizard's diet will consist of whatever the owner chooses to feed it. Therefore if beef has nutritional benefits that would be good for the tegu, it might then be a good idea to feed it accordingly.

Anybody have any input, or experience with success, as far as including beef in a tegu's diet?


----------



## Moral3x (Jul 21, 2016)

Are plums good to feed them?


----------



## dpjm (Jul 21, 2016)

Plums are fine. Most fruit is fine, but watch the sugar content. Try to use low sugar fruits as much as possible.


----------



## dpjm (Jul 21, 2016)

> I remember reading somewhere not so recently that you should avoid giving your tegu beef in it's diet. Mainly because a cow is not a prey that a tegu would ever be consuming in the wild, which makes sense to me.



I don't think that in itself is a good reason to avoid a certain food item. Wild tegus probably don't eat most of the food we give them in captivity. As long as it's a good approximation, that's the key.

Unless there is something specific about beef that makes it indigestible or otherwise toxic to tegus, but I doubt that is the case.


----------



## Moral3x (Jul 21, 2016)

dpjm said:


> Plums are fine. Most fruit is fine, but watch the sugar content. Try to use low sugar fruits as much as possible.



Thank you!


----------



## CameronJayBauer (Jul 23, 2016)

dpjm said:


> I don't think that in itself is a good reason to avoid a certain food item. Wild tegus probably don't eat most of the food we give them in captivity. As long as it's a good approximation, that's the key.
> 
> Unless there is something specific about beef that makes it indigestible or otherwise toxic to tegus, but I doubt that is the case.


I'll agree with you there. I feel like you can really only take the "wouldn't happen in the wild" logic so far when dealing with an animal you have in captivity to begin with haha.

But I also think due to its size, beef would be tricky to feed a gu. Because managing to break down beef into pieces a gu could eat, and getting the bones and organs and such to proper size would prove complicated IMO


----------



## dpjm (Jul 23, 2016)

> But I also think due to its size, beef would be tricky to feed a gu. Because managing to break down beef into pieces a gu could eat, and getting the bones and organs and such to proper size would prove complicated IMO



Yup, not an ideal food. Better to use much smaller prey that can be eaten whole. I haven't heard of whole ground beef being available (meat, organs, bones, etc. all ground up together), but that's the only way I'd use beef.


----------



## BuffaloBill420herp (Aug 17, 2016)

I gave my tegu raw eggs he loved it. Is this ok?


----------



## Karri (Jun 2, 2017)

Are fresh water fish okay?


----------



## dpjm (Jun 16, 2017)

Fish are ok, but in moderation. These should be whole fish, not just the meat. Watch that you limit fatty fish like herring, tegus should not eat a high fat diet.


----------



## Zcal93 (Oct 20, 2017)

Honestly clutch I just got a hatchling and have been feeding it primarily ground turkey and the occasiaonl horn and super worm. much love for this post.


----------



## ReptiFiles (Jan 8, 2018)

Kale can be added back onto the list. Found a study stating that it's far lower in oxalates than previously assumed: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/kale-sheds-bum-rap-on-kidney-stones/


----------



## dpjm (Jan 8, 2018)

> Kale can be added back onto the list. Found a study stating that it's far lower in oxalates than previously assumed: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/kale-sheds-bum-rap-on-kidney-stones/




Kale is super low in oxalates, and that goes for almost all cabbages. The only one I know of that is higher is collard greens. However it does contain a sugar called raffinose that can cause some intestinal discomfort. You can minimize this and increase digestibility by cooking it, I'd recommend steaming for about 3 min.


----------



## Guman (Jan 29, 2018)

PuffDragon said:


> Honestly, I don't know why it's like that. I did not comprise the list. I think they are fine to feed often. Editing the list right now.



High in sugar which increases obesity.


----------



## Guman (Jan 29, 2018)

shadowsong said:


> what is the effect of giving too much banana? since it is prymary fruit that i give to my tegus before i read vanyard's care sheet.


High in phosphorous. Many of the reasons can be found on green iguana society.


----------



## Guman (Jan 29, 2018)

dpjm said:


> http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/kale-sheds-bum-rap-on-kidney-stones/
> Kale is super low in oxalates, and that goes for almost all cabbages. The only one I know of that is higher is collard greens. However it does contain a sugar called raffinose that can cause some intestinal discomfort. You can minimize this and increase digestibility by cooking it, I'd recommend steaming for about 3 min.



Kale and cabage are high in goitrogens. Goitrogens can cause thyroid problems. Green iguana society has a nice food list that list ca+, goitrogens, oxalates, and nutritional make up including Ca+-P, Protein, Fat, Water, and Fiber.


----------



## Guman (Jan 29, 2018)

Since I refrenced it a few times here is the link for good plants. I know as today I am much better educated on the vegetarian aspect of lizard care. (Do to our iguana). However, I am here to learn more about my sons Tegu.

Www.Greenigsociety.org/foodchart.htm
Address for green iguana society


----------



## EnjoysWine (Apr 28, 2018)

Just found this ten year old thread. Looks super useful. Does anyone know of anything that should be updated on it?


----------



## Zyn (Apr 29, 2018)

It’s not a 10 year old thread it’s a constantly updated stickied at the top thread.


----------



## EnjoysWine (Apr 29, 2018)

Oh ya, I actually noticed that there were so many pages to the thread after I replied haha.

Hey, the list mentions fish and rice, but no mention of wasabi


----------



## Kre8sioN (Jun 29, 2018)

How the heck did you come up with this. Fantastic for a new tegu owner. I mean how much time and research? I feel at ease, my Tegu REALLY likes to eat and just want to make sure 1 - its good for him and 2 - variation...Thanks Puff


----------



## Joanna (Aug 7, 2018)

I have a quick question. We are new to tegus and just got a beautiful 3 year old male. I know they can eat raw meat but I have heard of people freezing it first and then thawing it for them to eat. Does that kill bacteria and is it even necessary? Thanks!! Any advice is appreciated as I have not one clue about feeding meat. All the rest of our reptiles stick to meal worms and veggies.


----------



## VenusAndSaturn (Aug 7, 2018)

Joanna said:


> I have a quick question. We are new to tegus and just got a beautiful 3 year old male. I know they can eat raw meat but I have heard of people freezing it first and then thawing it for them to eat. Does that kill bacteria and is it even necessary? Thanks!! Any advice is appreciated as I have not one clue about feeding meat. All the rest of our reptiles stick to meal worms and veggies.



If it's store bought meat you shouldn't have to worry about freezing it however if its wild game and it hasn't been frozen yet you'd probably wanna freeze the animal for at least 3 weeks before feeding it just so theres no chance of parasites or bad bacteria.


----------



## Zyn (Aug 7, 2018)

Most people make it in large amounts then put them in individual packages then freeze it. Son not to waste any, and only thaw what’s needed for the day.


----------



## Ginny Mastandrea (Aug 9, 2018)

PuffDragon said:


> I think it would be a good alternate food source. You will have to evaluate your water quality. Do you use chemicals? What possible diseases do the fish carry? Also, I would think the same idea that applies to feeder insect would apply here. That is, they are only as nutritional as you make them. So feed them good!


I have well water with a lot of minerals. Should I get the big jugs of spring water?


----------



## Stef_W (Aug 13, 2018)

cassava needs to be cooked to not be toxic. It should never be eaten raw, not even by humans. Boiling is sufficient, just dispose of the water (which carries away the cyanide). "Sweet" cassava, which is what you'd undoubtedly find in the grocery store, carries only a small amount of cyanide... but better safe than sorry.


----------



## Embers Lair (Mar 24, 2021)

This is one Of the best list I have found yet by far I am new to the tegu world looking forward to experiment with all these different options. I have a b/w Argentine. About 2 yrs old. Looking for a new name for him as well.


----------



## Longfellow777 (May 6, 2022)

This is going to help us immensely thank you


----------

