# Feeding=huge food bill



## kpelzer (Jun 10, 2009)

Well i have a 41 inch male arg B&W tegu along with a 38 inch red and now that they're completely woken up from hibernation and all grown up they are just absolutely killing me in the food bill. how do you guys cut back on the food bill while still giving the tegu a healthy diet?


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## VARNYARD (Jun 10, 2009)

An adult tegu can be fed on about 7-8 dollars a week. 

Monday= Med Rat 2.00
Tuesday= 1/4 lb Ground turkey 1.77 LB
Wednesday= 3 Hard boiled eggs .50
Thursday = 1/4 LB Ground turkey The other half
Friday= Med Rat 2.00
Saturday= 1/4 lb Ground Turkey
Sunday= 1/4 lb beef liver 1.00


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## GOT_TEGUS (Jun 10, 2009)

im just glad i dont have to buy lots of bugs Dam crickets lol


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## Dom3rd (Jun 10, 2009)

VARNYARD said:


> An adult tegu can be fed on about 7-8 dollars a week.
> 
> Monday= Med Rat 2.00
> Tuesday= 1/4 lb Ground turkey 1.77 LB
> ...




Couple questions.....
whats the 1.77 Lb for tuesday?
and the 1.00 after the beef liver?
and the .5 after the hard boiled eggs?


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## VARNYARD (Jun 10, 2009)

That is the price.


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## kpelzer (Jun 10, 2009)

Thank you. man its not cheap feeding these guys haha


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## bubbategu2 (Jun 10, 2009)

Bobby- I know you dont agree with the need for fruit and vegetables in your tegus' diet but what about the studies that show the stomach contents of wild tegus to be that of omnivores, ie, with quite a bit more vegetable matter and greens? Shouldn't a captive diet somewhat emulate that of a wild tegu for optimum health? And what is it that a wild Red tegu eats to maintain their color if not fruit? I'm just asking cuz my vet told me to give my Red mostly soy, fruit, and greens instead of meat. But he was sick at the time.


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## VARNYARD (Jun 10, 2009)

bubbategu2 said:


> Bobby- I know you dont agree with the need for fruit and vegetables in your tegus' diet but what about the studies that show the stomach contents of wild tegus to be that of omnivores, ie, with quite a bit more vegetable matter and greens?



I have seen the studies, and the stomach contents had no greens that I have read. I did read they had seeds and plant matter, but not greens. I do know that they do eat dates in the wild, and that is the only type named in the study. Tegus in the wild are omnivores, and will eat what ever they can find, but this is in no way suggesting that it is the best diet for them.

I look at it like dogs, stray dogs eat whatever they can find, but it is not the best diet for them. 



> Shouldn't a captive diet somewhat emulate that of a wild tegu for optimum health? And what is it that a wild Red tegu eats to maintain their color if not fruit? I'm just asking cuz my vet told me to give my Red mostly soy, fruit, and greens instead of meat. But he was sick at the time.



How do you base this on optimum health in wild animals? And color is not maintained in Red tegus based on diet or fruit. Red tegu colors is based on genetics, and has nothing to do with diet. Tegus are the color they are regardless of what they eat, I do not know who came up with that one, but it is false.

So we should try to find Queen palm dates to feed our tegus? All of these soft fruits that are said to help keep tegus shedding great and healthy have been proven not to work. Fruit is 90% water, and IMO not the best diet for tegus. The tegus I have and breed and are 110% healthy, reproduction is very high, this must mean one thing, I am doing something right.


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## kpelzer (Jun 10, 2009)

neither of my tegus will even touch fruit or veggies. they how ever love turkey, eggs and live rodents, and occasionally will take f/t rodents. an also my red still has great color but every tegu is diff


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## VARNYARD (Jun 10, 2009)

Well the study he speaks of was not done on the wild diet of tegus at all, the study was done on the leather trade and Lee made notes of the stomach contents of one tegu that was collected for a hide. This was from one area, on one tegu, and only one species of tegu. So this would make it very hard to base this as "all tegus in South America are omnivores". It is just not the case and there are not any studies that have been done to back up this theory.

I could do a study on one dog that ate some grass, and garbage that had fruit and veggies in it. Could I then say that dogs are omnivores as well? No, I could not. Tegus show that they prefer meat to veggies and fruit, and as you said I too have many that will not eat veggies or fruit, and never have. They are 110% very healthy and reproduce each season. The first thing to go in an unhealthy reptile is reproduction. Tegus if given the choice will prove every time to desire meat over plant matter, and there is not one shread of proof that plant matter is needed at all.


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## bubbategu2 (Jun 10, 2009)

My Red had great color, too and fruit hadn't always been part of his diet. And, just for the record, I agree with you, Bobby, you are "doing something right." Your tegus look wonderful!


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## VARNYARD (Jun 10, 2009)

bubbategu2 said:


> My Red had great color, too and fruit hadn't always been part of his diet. And, just for the record, I agree with you, Bobby, you are "doing something right." Your tegus look wonderful!



Just for the record, I like you bro, I am not getting on to you, just setting the record straight. All of these myths need to be debunked, and I will be glad to help with them if I can.


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## bubbategu2 (Jun 12, 2009)

My Red, Bubbategu died several months ago and now I have a B/W Colombian that was a rescue. I had always thought Colombians were straight up meat eaters but this guy will go for fruit before ground meat every time. Course he does like his F/T mice! And he's not full grown-I don't know how old he is but I'm thinking about a year. How normal is that? I didn't realize that "study" I read about wasn't a study at all. I hate to pass on bad info-thamks for clearing that up


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## crox (Jun 21, 2009)

Thanks for posting your food schedule. This makes it very easy for me.


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## VenomVipe (Jun 24, 2009)

It says above you feed the beef liver on sundays alone right. Well on the care sheet on the other site says you add 1 part liver to 3 parts of turkey( with cod liver oil). Well which is it that you currently do or which method works better?

Would opening Lovaza pills for the liquid work instead buying it in a bottle? It is made from the fish oil its just I want to make sure my little tegu can have the best standar diet possible.


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## VARNYARD (Jun 25, 2009)

I do both, but I do run my beef liver through a food processor and mix it in with the ground turkey most of the time.


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## VenomVipe (Jun 26, 2009)

Thanks. I think i can make that work.


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## GOT_TEGUS (Jun 26, 2009)

tegu burger umm sounds good Bobby lol. the GUs love it


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