# Help: need help for making my tegu eat fruit..



## evan k (Feb 15, 2021)

Hello. Can I ask for some tips again about my tegu?

Currently I own one tegu that I have kept for 6,5 years and is 7 years old biologically I think. The sex is unknown but some people in here said it is probably a male from the jowl even though it is very small for its age I think (97 or 98-ish cm). 

I already know from long time ago that a tegu should be give a variety of diet that consist meat but also a quite bulk of vegetables and fruits. I have tried to give banana or grapes to my tegu since 3 years ago but it never show any interest to those fruits. The only food it accept are mice (but haven't gave it mice since one year ago because it is kinda hard to obtain one in my local pet store in this situation) , boiled or scrambled eggs, raw fish (some kind of sardine), prawn, chicken meat and liver, and also cow meat. I usually switch these meats for each feeding session at different day and dust them with some calcium.

Are those foods good and healthy enough for my tegu in a long term care? I really afraid that my tegu will die prematurely because of the imbalance and the unvaried diet that I am giving it.. Thank you and sorry for my bad english and time-taking post..


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## livvsha (Feb 15, 2021)

Try purchasing a meat grinder! I got one as a gift for my tegu (she doesnt like veggies). I throw everything in there and it is all grinded up so she cant pick around the stuff she doesnt like.


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## evan k (Feb 15, 2021)

livvsha said:


> Try purchasing a meat grinder! I got one as a gift for my tegu (she doesnt like veggies). I throw everything in there and it is all grinded up so she cant pick around the stuff she doesnt like.


Hmm. Never thought of using that before.. But do they still can eat the meat that have been grind or mashed up by the machine?


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## Chris & Stitches (Feb 15, 2021)

My female didn’t take anything but live mice until just a few months ago amd she is almost considered adult sized. One day I let her and my adult male eat together and she just started eating everything and has since. Strangest thing


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## livvsha (Feb 15, 2021)

evan k said:


> Hmm. Never thought of using that before.. But do they still can eat the meat that have been grind or mashed up by the machine?


Yes. Make it into little meat balls and it’s easiest to do it all at once and freeze the rest! Then you only have to clean the meat grinder once lol


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## evan k (Feb 16, 2021)

Chris & Stitches said:


> My female didn’t take anything but live mice until just a few months ago amd she is almost considered adult sized. One day I let her and my adult male eat together and she just started eating everything and has since. Strangest thing


Aah I see. How old is she now?

And what a lovely pair you have right there!


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## evan k (Feb 16, 2021)

livvsha said:


> Yes. Make it into little meat balls and it’s easiest to do it all at once and freeze the rest! Then you only have to clean the meat grinder once lol


Aah I see.. I will give it a shot then. Thanks a lot!


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## Chris & Stitches (Feb 16, 2021)

evan k said:


> Aah I see. How old is she now?
> 
> And what a lovely pair you have right there!


She is about to be two from my knowledge and I think my male is the same or a year older. They are great very happy calm lizards I have two Nile monitors also and they are what I call full spectrum lol there are better and worse moments with them


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## evan k (Feb 17, 2021)

Chris & Stitches said:


> She is about to be two from my knowledge and I think my male is the same or a year older. They are great very happy calm lizards I have two Nile monitors also and they are what I call full spectrum lol there are better and worse moments with them





Chris & Stitches said:


> She is about to be two from my knowledge and I think my male is the same or a year older. They are great very happy calm lizards I have two Nile monitors also and they are what I call full spectrum lol there are better and worse moments with them


Wow, that's a quite big tegus you got there for their age.. and lol. Full spectrum


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## Chris & Stitches (Feb 17, 2021)

evan k said:


> Wow, that's a quite big tegus you got there for their age.. and lol. Full spectrum


Thank you I do a lot of activity and a lot of feeding for everyone


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## evan k (Feb 17, 2021)

Chris & Stitches said:


> Thank you I do a lot of activity and a lot of feeding for everyone


You're welcome.. Yeah, I think I can imagine a bit how much effort and your pet food bill is for four medium to very large lizard species..


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## Chris & Stitches (Feb 18, 2021)

evan k said:


> You're welcome.. Yeah, I think I can imagine a bit how much effort and your pet food bill is for four medium to very large lizard species..


Yeah we did the math today it’s actually not bad about 25 a week per adult lizard so reasonably after the expense of the lizard and enclosure one could sustain feeding one lizard for less than what a pack a day smoker spends a week/month


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## Wickedtactical (Feb 20, 2021)

evan k said:


> Hmm. Never thought of using that before.. But do they still can eat the meat that have been grind or mashed up by the machine?


Cook for your taken, egg casseroles are a huge hit! If you use eggs leave shells in the food.


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## Wickedtactical (Feb 20, 2021)

evan k said:


> Hmm. Never thought of using that before.. But do they still can eat the meat that have been grind or mashed up by the machine?


Cook for your Tegu , egg casseroles are a huge hit! If you use eggs leave shells in the food. You're on the right track.


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## ToadHallBetty (Feb 26, 2021)

Little Buddy and Tonks like dark colored fruit, dark grapes,blackberries, blue berries and also bananas. They eat roaches, the occasional mouse/pinkie, silver side fish and I sometimes get them raw dog food that has meat and vegetables in the mix. They love it.


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## Wickedtactical (Feb 27, 2021)

ToadHallBetty said:


> Little Buddy and Tonks like dark colored fruit, dark grapes,blackberries, blue berries and also bananas. They eat roaches, the occasional mouse/pinkie, silver side fish and I sometimes get them raw dog food that has meat and vegetables in the mix. They love it.


How old?


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## ToadHallBetty (Feb 27, 2021)

Tonks is a young adult, Little Buddy around 5 months or so.


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## Wickedtactical (Feb 27, 2021)

Wickedtactical said:


> How old?


Still very young. Stay away from the dog food has cereal in it not good for them. they love eggs. I feed mine with the shells broken up so it gets the calcium. 15% fruits and veggies Max. Many things will affect their diet mainly temperature! A little sand and rocks in the water bowl for minerals. Keep me posted!


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## ToadHallBetty (Feb 28, 2021)

I feed very little dog food, today we're having fish and bananas.
Thank you for your advice.


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## Wickedtactical (Mar 1, 2021)

ToadHallBetty said:


> I feed very little dog food, today we're having fish and bananas.
> Thank you for your advice.


Using egg and make him an omelette they love omelette


ToadHallBetty said:


> I feed very little dog food, today we're having fish and bananas.
> Thank you for your advice.


If you make him play one egg omelet you can slip all kinds of goodies in there


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