# Feeding options?



## tommylee22 (Jul 14, 2012)

Hi all,

I was really interested and think I will order all my Gu's raw foods outside my colony of Dubia roaches from this site. 
https://www.hare-today.com/product_info.php?products_id=70&osCsid=a4375790432417528a58c15760f421e9

My question is if I always feed a variety of whole animals(bones included in ground meat) can I get away with staying away from Supplements for calcium and vitamins seeing that most the organs and bones will provide all that is needed?

See I'm trying to get a more natural diet rich in natural nutrition. 
Any advise and or views on this approach VS turkey mixing with oils and so on. I feel this would be easier and give more variety as I can get everything in an even less processed formula from these guys for what seems a very affordable cost.

I was going to email Bobby asking him Monday what he thinks.

Any advise???


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## dragonmetalhead (Jul 14, 2012)

That's what I do with Kodo. Combination of whole prey items and other meats. I have never used supplements for my reptiles, just as balanced and varied a diet as I can do, and for 20 years I've had no problems.


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## tommylee22 (Jul 14, 2012)

Awesome, I feel the same way. Who knows whats in those shelved supplements in order to keep them from clumping and staying preserved.


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## james.w (Jul 15, 2012)

If you are trying to feed a natural diet, it should be about 75% plant matter.


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## Vince (Jul 15, 2012)

james.w said:


> If you are trying to feed a natural diet, it should be about 75% plant matter.



75% plant or 25% plant?


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## Dana C (Jul 15, 2012)

Where are you coming up with 75% plant matter? Please cite your source material.


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## james.w (Jul 15, 2012)

My number was a bit off, its 66.8% 

According to Achaval (1977), its food consists mainly of insects, snails, bird eggs, fruits, and vegetables. Dr. Cei (1986) writes that this lizard eats birds, small mammals, insects, mollusks, fish, amphibians, and fruit. Claudia Mercolli and Alberto Yanosky describe the food more extensively in the Journal of the British Herpetocultural Society (1994, vol. 4). They examined the stomach contents of 70 Argentine black and white tegus (bought from hide-hunters) in northeastern Argentina. They found that 66.8 % of the stomach contents consisted of vegetable matter; 12.9 % were invertebrates; and 20.3 % were vertebrates. This stands in contrast to what herpetoculturists tend to feed their tegus: almost 100% rodents and eggs.


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## Dana C (Jul 15, 2012)

My thought would be that the season, locality etc. would have an effect of stomach contents. I would guess that gut load would vary according to seasonal availability of differing food item. For example, South American spring would greatly increase the availability of birds and small mammals and fish, mollusks amphibians and fruit. As you know, I have questioned the 100% rodent thing for a while now.
I would love to read more. Are there links to the papers on line or do they have to purchased?

Thanks James!


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## james.w (Jul 15, 2012)

I agree that season and locality would have a great deal to do with their diet. Here is another link I had in my bookmarks, it has some interesting information. 
http://www.floridainvasives.org/Heartland/links/TeguBioprofileSep2006.pdf


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## Logie_Bear (Jul 15, 2012)

So much meat stuffs! That website looks great! I definitely wanna try some of thaw with my gu. So much to choose from tho, not sure where to start.  
Do you think the ground products are better with or without fur? Would it matter one way or the other


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## Thelegendofcharlie (Jul 15, 2012)

I have seen another report by a team of Zoologists and Ecologists that pretty much mirrors the one posted by james.w 
(sorry cant find it)
At very least we have to conclude that they are extremely opportunistic.
As for as whole prey (only) proponents, I can only imagine what information they use to justify that practice. 
It stinks of ignorance to me.


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## tommylee22 (Jul 15, 2012)

I'll still add fruits and veggies as long as he eats it. I'm just thinking this would be a good source for his meat portion of his diet .


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## Thelegendofcharlie (Jul 15, 2012)

And for the record I didnt mean to be insulting to anyones whose Gu refuses to eat vegetation. I know this is not uncommom and what can you do?
I just find it contemptuous there are those who will never attempt to feed fruit or veggie and wont listen to reason.
With that being said I do think it is necessary for them and when taking one into our homes and family we all need to make a wholehearted effort to encourage them to do so from an early age in the best way that we can for their own good.


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## Thelegendofcharlie (Jul 16, 2012)

OH and that other comment wasnt directed towards you tommylee22.
I think you might have taken it that way?
I was just being general - sorry.


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## Dana C (Jul 17, 2012)

I wanted to share some Face Book comments between three VERY experienced herpers. Ty Park breeds successfully some of the rarest lizards in captivity.

"Ron St Pierre Iirc the bulk of the vegetable matter was palm seeds. Back when we bred tegus our most successful diet was 33% mice, 33% Superworms and 33% soft fruit. I dabbled over the years in other combos (including SDZ diet, Cat Foods, 100% rodents, etc) and the only other diet that did have good results was the 100% rodent diet. Our 33% diet was loosely based off this paper.
4 hours ago · Edited · Like · 1
Ty Park I am currently feeding 40% Mazuri Croc. Diet, 40% Mazuri Omnivore Diet with 20% Other "left over food"...such as food left over from feeding other animals such as mice (from feeding snakes), fruits (from feeding iguanas) and Chinese and other left over restaurant food (from feeding me). I had great success with breeding this year using this diet mix. With Omnivore diet being both carnivorous and herbivorous, I would guess the mix of meat to vegetable would be about 60/40. With so many mouth to feed, this has been the best formulated diet that I have come up with so far. I will stay with this diet if verified by long term result but I am always willing to add or subtract items if I see the need. I have also found that the best time to switch from diet to diet is after the hibernation, when they are hungry and their memory of their favorite diet is at the weakest.
45 minutes ago · Like
Ron St Pierre Yeah I firmly believe that tegus can be successfully raised on quite an array of combos and have it work just fine. They are not true predators and instead generalist/scavengers and are adapted quite well for that niche. I'm quite sure they exploit whatever is available at a given moment. So if palm seeds are ripe and falling they gorge themselves on those at the exclusion of all other food sources. Of course I have no doubt that they will readily consume any other animal that comes along to consume the seeds as well that they can fit in their mouths. With that in mind Im also fairly certain that with the limited availability of most fruits that at other times they are also equally exploiting times of abundant insects as well as vertebrates. The tegu is basically a mobile trash can . If I had to do it over again I believe I would use the Repashy Stew as my primary food source. His products are all I use these days and Ive been very happy with them all.
28 minutes ago · Like


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## tommylee22 (Jul 18, 2012)

No worries, My goal is to just be sure I get him everyting he needs from a nutritional stand point and would love to not have to depend on supplemental vitamins and calcium. I'll still dust the cal from time to time but would like to see that he gets more bone/egg shell into his diet for natural processing. 

SO what fruits do gu's like best? also what veggies??





Thelegendofcharlie said:


> OH and that other comment wasnt directed towards you tommylee22.
> I think you might have taken it that way?
> I was just being general - sorry.


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## laurarfl (Jul 18, 2012)

Papaya has a high calcium content compared to other fruits. I also find that mine enjoy mango, berries, banana, grape, some melon, cherries, peaches. I try to rotate and not just feed say...bananas.


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## TeguLouie (Jul 18, 2012)

my guy wont touch anything but meat unless i disguise it very well if he gets a hint of any kind of fruit he walks away, kinda funny, but i usually give him grapes, bananas, blueberries, and ive tried water melon(he wasnt a fan), but i usually put it in with his beef liver or hamburger and blend so it mixes. everything i feed him i always check with that tegu food list that is posted on this forum to make sure he can have it.


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