# "Picky Eater" problem



## Fork (Oct 10, 2009)

So, I've had my Argentine B/W Tegu for a few weeks now and the only things I've actually successfully fed to him were turkey, pinkies/fuzzies, and some berries. I've offered him several other things, but have had no success. I've tried, crikets, superworms, eggs, etc. Any tricks or advice will be greatly appreciated. I don't want to have a picky eater on my hands for life :hifit


----------



## txrepgirl (Oct 10, 2009)

I know how you feel.I have 4 adult Tegus since they were hatchlings and they ate great from day one.Now I have a all american Tegu and she doesn't want to eat anything but pinkies.Every now and than she takes a few bites off the ground turkey and maybe one bite off the hard boiled egg.I have tried every trick that I know ans so far nothing has worked.


----------



## Fork (Oct 11, 2009)

txrepgirl said:


> I know how you feel.I have 4 adult Tegus since they were hatchlings and they ate great from day one.Now I have a all american Tegu and she doesn't want to eat anything but pinkies.Every now and than she takes a few bites off the ground turkey and maybe one bite off the hard boiled egg.I have tried every trick that I know ans so far nothing has worked.


I don't know any tricks


----------



## MIKE-ZILLA (Oct 11, 2009)

> Any tricks or advice will be greatly appreciated


ground turkey is great because you can hide other foods in in. make ground turkey balls with whatever you want stashed inside. your tegu wont even know or care. some of the things i have put inside ground turkey are grapes, cantelope,broccli, kale,spinach, tomatoes. another trick is to use soft boiled egg (some people use raw egg too, but thats your call, cause some people dont use raw eggs) if your tegu likes eggs you can coat foods with beaten egg. Another trick: if your tegu eats only pinkies, use a blender with a small amount of water to make "pinkie paste" it can be used to coat food items. you can also freeze it in small film containers ect.


----------



## DaveDragon (Oct 11, 2009)

EWWW!!! Pinkie paste!

Last year our hatchlings were started on crickets. Not all of them were interested immediately but they quickly got the idea that the crickets were food. It did take them 3 or 4 days to figure out turkey was food.

They won't starve themselves. Eventually he will give in and try something new.


----------



## Fork (Oct 11, 2009)

DaveDragon said:


> EWWW!!! Pinkie paste!
> 
> Last year our hatchlings were started on crickets. Not all of them were interested immediately but they quickly got the idea that the crickets were food. It did take them 3 or 4 days to figure out turkey was food.
> 
> They won't starve themselves. Eventually he will give in and try something new.



So should i just stop feeding him anything else and just offer him superworms until he decides to take them?


----------



## Meg90 (Oct 11, 2009)

Just keep offering variety....I wouldn't stop any one food item--try for a routine, like eggs one day (i found that soft boiled, so the yolk is a bit runny) and then turkey, and then one day offer supers, and the next pinkies.

Is Zero from the same clutch Cleo is? If so, he should be eating larger whole prey items. Cleo eats rat fuzzies.


----------



## Fork (Oct 12, 2009)

Meg90 said:


> Just keep offering variety....I wouldn't stop any one food item--try for a routine, like eggs one day (i found that soft boiled, so the yolk is a bit runny) and then turkey, and then one day offer supers, and the next pinkies.
> 
> Is Zero from the same clutch Cleo is? If so, he should be eating larger whole prey items. Cleo eats rat fuzzies.



Yeah, the same clutch, I'm just about to run out of the mice pretty soon here, and then he's gonna move up to bigger better things. I feed him more than one of course. :doh So basically, just offer supers one day and if he doesn't like them he doesn't eat?


----------



## Meg90 (Oct 12, 2009)

I would say so. Its not gonna kill him to miss a meal, and hopefully, he will start to be conditioned to the bin by then, and be all primed to go on Super day, so that his "training" just takes over.


----------



## Fork (Oct 12, 2009)

I tried to make today "superworm day" Zero wouldn't have that, he knocked the superworm bowl thingy over on himself and got scared, then started running away from the superworms. I felt bad though because he kept sniffing around for the turkey. I ended up giving him some turkey later


----------



## rrcoolj (Oct 12, 2009)

Ground turkey especially with cod liver oil has a very "distinct" smell if you know what I mean. It might help to cover the worms in the ground turkey so that they catch the scent. He might take to it. My little guy avidly eats pretty much anything. He, so far has eaten salmon, tuna, ground turkey, eggs, superworms, and even an african cichlid. I guese each lizard really is different.


----------



## MIKE-ZILLA (Oct 12, 2009)

> [I tried to make today "superworm day" Zero wouldn't have that, he knocked the superworm bowl thingy over on himself and got scared, then started running away from the superworms/quote]next time try cutting the worms in half and stashem in a turkey ball. he will probably love it!


----------



## Fork (Oct 12, 2009)

MIKE-ZILLA said:


> > [I tried to make today "superworm day" Zero wouldn't have that, he knocked the superworm bowl thingy over on himself and got scared, then started running away from the superworms/quote]next time try cutting the worms in half and stashem in a turkey ball. he will probably love it!


Alright, I'll try that. Hope they're not as messy as earthworms haha.


----------

