# My tegu seems to be a meat eater..



## Tigger (Nov 7, 2015)

Is it odd my tegu doesn't eat fruit?? ( I've tried a few now can u list more.) I tried bananas, grapes, a few berries..


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## Walter1 (Nov 7, 2015)

I wouldn't worry about it. Keep offering.


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## thatoneguy (Nov 8, 2015)

Mine doesn't either, from my understanding younger tegus usually just stick with meat until they get older


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## viejo (Nov 8, 2015)

My young 18" ♂ will eat blueberries. Doesn't care for fuzzy mice but loves roaches. I sneak veggies into his ground meat mix though along with powdered Mazuri croc diet. Haven't tried grape or banana, he may go for them but doesn't like any other berries that I have tried.


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## Vastra (Nov 17, 2015)

Mine will be two this coming spring and he still doesn't take fruit. The only one I have found that he will eat is bananas, but only if I freeze them first.....


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## Walter1 (Nov 17, 2015)

I get the feeling that fruit might be what they eat when prey are limiting.


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## Vastra (Nov 17, 2015)

I can see that. He gets mice and eggs and turkey ect, so there is no lack of nutrition. Sometimes I sprinkle ground tortoise diet in with his ground turkey once in a while too. (though sparingly since it has d3 in it.) Strax is doing great so I am not too worried about it yet, but I would feel better if he at least took a little lol


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## franz_seE (Apr 16, 2016)

viejo said:


> My young 18" ♂ will eat blueberries. Doesn't care for fuzzy mice but loves roaches. I sneak veggies into his ground meat mix though along with powdered Mazuri croc diet. Haven't tried grape or banana, he may go for them but doesn't like any other berries that I have tried.



What's your experience with mazuri? Is it good? Bad? Neutral? 

Thanks


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## Dee-Dee Idrais (Apr 16, 2016)

My babies love papaya, grapes and strawberries


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## Mishaaa (Apr 25, 2016)

My guy will not touch fruit or veggies alone. He hates them. So what I do is I take chunks of fruit and put them in the center of his turkey balls. He doesn't even notice. Fruits and veggies are important in a tegu's diet because they hold necessary vitamins and trace minerals. Try hiding them in his regular food. It helped me!


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## dpjm (Apr 29, 2016)

I think that tegus are subject to ontogenetic dietary shifts, meaning that their food preferences change as they develop. Younger tegus tend to want higher amounts of protein and will often refuse produce. My tegu was definitely this way. He was mostly interested in any type of meat for the first few years and slowly started to develop an interest in fruit and then in vegetables. He is 12 now and I would estimate that his diet is around 50% vegetables, 40% whole prey, and 10% fruit. He eats everything voluntarily, I don't have to hide any of the vegetables in his meat, for example.


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## Justsomedude (May 3, 2016)

Interesting


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## Walter1 (May 3, 2016)

Once an adult,enough animal protein hard to meet so compensate with plant protein.


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## Justsomedude (May 4, 2016)

that's interesting! I tried the vegan diet I am on it now for three months. I def lost a lot of weight however my strength is still there considering I switched from a meat eating diet to a plant based diet you would think you would completely wither. My tegu loves his meat though lol hes a baby and right now he wont even look at fruits and veggies!....cant say I blame em! lol


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## Tigger (May 6, 2016)

Mishaaa said:


> My guy will not touch fruit or veggies alone. He hates them. So what I do is I take chunks of fruit and put them in the center of his turkey balls. He doesn't even notice. Fruits and veggies are important in a tegu's diet because they hold necessary vitamins and trace minerals. Try hiding them in his regular food. It helped me!


Good idea.. We do something like that with our dogs meds when needed.. I will have to try bc she needs to eat other things.. N mayb after getting a taste of it after a lil she may eat them alone..


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## Tigger (May 6, 2016)

dpjm said:


> I think that tegus are subject to ontogenetic dietary shifts, meaning that their food preferences change as they develop. Younger tegus tend to want higher amounts of protein and will often refuse produce. My tegu was definitely this way. He was mostly interested in any type of meat for the first few years and slowly started to develop an interest in fruit and then in vegetables. He is 12 now and I would estimate that his diet is around 50% vegetables, 40% whole prey, and 10% fruit. He eats everything voluntarily, I don't have to hide any of the vegetables in his meat, for example.


Do u know how to find out their age..?? We got " Oreo" last yr. n she was already about 22in. N now she's up between 30-31in. She grew pretty fast. But I'm guessing bc we built her a 4' by 2' cage so she had space to grow into.. We r hoping soon to build her a bigger one..


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## Walter1 (May 6, 2016)

She could be 1-1.5 yr old.


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