# Feeding my red tegu eggs; cooked well or slightly raw?



## MaryMayhem (Jul 10, 2012)

I apologize if this has been discussed already!

My tegu absolutely loves eggs... my boyfriend will usually cook a slight sunny side up - but i'm always afraid it's cooked too raw for Zelda's tummy. I remind myself that she's a tegu and "i'm sure it's fine" (she freakin' gulps it up within seconds as well) but i'm curious as to public opinion and am open to better suggestions if slimy sunny side up isn't the best.


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## got10 (Jul 11, 2012)

I know I am in the minority here but I only feed raw eggs . I give biotin from the pet store once a month to make up for whatever "loss " of it from the unfertilized eggs.


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## Neeko (Jul 11, 2012)

The only thing I've really come across is on a raw egg she'll there can be bacteria. Something elseabout the make up of a raw egg vs a cooked egg is different too. I think Bobby mentioned this... Been years my information could be bad now. Eggs give my guys gas... ???


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## Jeremyxb12 (Jul 13, 2012)

never ever give raw egg. it must be fully cooked or you will wind up going to the vet


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## laurarfl (Jul 13, 2012)

I almost always feed raw....never been to the vet because of it


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## james.w (Jul 13, 2012)

Jeremyxb12 said:


> never ever give raw egg. it must be fully cooked or you will wind up going to the vet



Who is cooking the eggs in the wild?


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## Dana C (Jul 13, 2012)

Laura and James are correct. During the South American spring, eggs make up a large part of a Tegu's diet and I am fairly sure they don't scramble them before eating them. As far as bacteria go, Tegus have more than raw eggs. As for Salmonella, tegus are loaded with it. As for Avidin which is mentioned on the Varnyard web site, a tegu would have to eat a ton of eggs before calcium uptake disruption occurred. I eat raw eggs occasionally. My tegus eat raw eggs occasionally as well as scrambled. Neither them or I have become sick.

Jeremy, please tell us the source of your information and what you read.
Thannks


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## Diablo (Jul 13, 2012)

Dana C said:


> Laura and James are correct. During the South American spring, eggs make up a large part of a Tegu's diet and I am fairly sure they don't scramble them before eating them. As far as bacteria go, Tegus have more than raw eggs. As for Salmonella, tegus are loaded with it. As for Avidin which is mentioned on the Varnyard web site, a tegu would have to eat a ton of eggs before calcium uptake disruption occurred. I eat raw eggs occasionally. My tegus eat raw eggs occasionally as well as scrambled. Neither them or I have become sick.
> 
> Jeremy, please tell us the source of your information and what you read.
> Thannks



This is a little off topic, but since tegus carry salmonella is there any risk in handling them and catching it? Or are you fine as long as you wash your hands after and all that.


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## monstruo-the-tegu (Jul 13, 2012)

Just do quail eggs you can cook them or leave them raw.The reason why is quails have a high body temp so the eggs don't get salmonella which is pretty cool. One side note is, quail eggs are kinda hard to find


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## james.w (Jul 13, 2012)

Diablo said:


> Dana C said:
> 
> 
> > Laura and James are correct. During the South American spring, eggs make up a large part of a Tegu's diet and I am fairly sure they don't scramble them before eating them. As far as bacteria go, Tegus have more than raw eggs. As for Salmonella, tegus are loaded with it. As for Avidin which is mentioned on the Varnyard web site, a tegu would have to eat a ton of eggs before calcium uptake disruption occurred. I eat raw eggs occasionally. My tegus eat raw eggs occasionally as well as scrambled. Neither them or I have become sick.
> ...



There is a risk in getting salmonella from a tegu, but I would say it is a very small risk. Of course you should wash you hands before and after interaction and before and after handling the food you feed your tegu.


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## Diablo (Jul 13, 2012)

james.w said:


> Diablo said:
> 
> 
> > Dana C said:
> ...



So it would generally be a good idea to keep a tegu away from small infants or children? I have a nepthew who is almost 2, but I'm not sure if I wanna risk giving him anything at all. In case he ever wants to see my tegu


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## james.w (Jul 13, 2012)

Generally, yes. If you want them to interact obviously you would be keeping a close eye and just make sure they don't put their hands in their mouths or near their face before you wash them.


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## tommylee22 (Jul 13, 2012)

I think it's more on how the eggs are processed that make the non cooked eggs bad.


My question is shell or no shell when feeding boiled eggs?


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## james.w (Jul 13, 2012)

tommylee22 said:


> I think it's more on how the eggs are processed that make the non cooked eggs bad.
> 
> 
> My question is shell or no shell when feeding boiled eggs?





Can you explain the first half of your post and shell on is fine.


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## Dubya (Jul 13, 2012)

I have backyard free range chickens. I get eggs every day. I have read that you don't have to worry about salmonella if your chickens eat only vegetable matter, which they do. I feed them organic chicken feed (incredibly delicious eggs). Would an occasional raw egg be OK?


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## james.w (Jul 13, 2012)

Dubya said:


> I have backyard free range chickens. I get eggs every day. I have read that you don't have to worry about salmonella if your chickens eat only vegetable matter, which they do. I feed them organic chicken feed (incredibly delicious eggs). Would an occasional raw egg be OK?



Yes it will be 100% ok.


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## Dana C (Jul 13, 2012)

As far as a tegu infecting you with salmonella, the key phrase is......are you ready?..................................................................................................
Don't lick your tegu.......LOL


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## Dubya (Jul 13, 2012)

Dana C said:


> As far as a tegu infecting you with salmonella, the key phrase is......are you ready?..................................................................................................
> Don't lick your tegu.......LOL



Damn. Too late.


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## Dana C (Jul 13, 2012)

Sorry Dubya, I just couldn't help myself with the quip.


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## Jeremyxb12 (Jul 13, 2012)

Dana C said:


> Laura and James are correct. During the South American spring, eggs make up a large part of a Tegu's diet and I am fairly sure they don't scramble them before eating them. As far as bacteria go, Tegus have more than raw eggs. As for Salmonella, tegus are loaded with it. As for Avidin which is mentioned on the Varnyard web site, a tegu would have to eat a ton of eggs before calcium uptake disruption occurred. I eat raw eggs occasionally. My tegus eat raw eggs occasionally as well as scrambled. Neither them or I have become sick.
> 
> Jeremy, please tell us the source of your information and what you read.
> Thannks



I went by what Bobby Hill told me but now looking at all this im starting to question lol


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## Neeko (Jul 13, 2012)

Just get the pasturized eggs that are "cooked" but raw.


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## laurarfl (Jul 14, 2012)

You have Salmonella, I have Salmonella, we all have Salmonella...sing with me!!!

Salmonella is a genus of bacteria species and we have no less than 27 species of it living in our intestinal tracts. All of us...animals too. The problem is when we get an overgrowth. That is typically an immune problem and not too much bacteria, per se. We have yeast and other bacteria in our gut that keep Salmonella overgrowth under control. Young kids, sick people, the elderly, etc have more to worry about. 

For young kids, they can touch tegus, but have them wash their hands well with soap right after and don't let them crawl around where the tegu walks a lot. Only 6% of reported cases of Salmonella are from reptiles, most are from kitchen contamination with raw food. Turtles are notorious for carrying Salmonella and getting people sick. It's not that they have a lot of Salmonella, it's because people keep them in crappy little containers, the turtle poops in the water which is never cleaned, the kid plays with the turtle and doesn't wash his hands afterwards. It's the owner's issue for having a dirty habitat, not a dirty turtle.

Cooking eggs will kill Salmonella, but also denature all the good protein. As for avidin, all the veterinary reports I've read say that avidin is only an issue with monitors being fed a 100% egg diet in captivity.


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