# feeding tegus wild birds



## joshandjack (Mar 5, 2008)

i dont know if anyone else does this, but i started giving my tegus meat from wild birds.that i shoot in my yard, and i just wanted to check and see if anyone knows of any risks with feeding tegus wild birds, that i might not be aware of.


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## snakehandler (Mar 6, 2008)

Seems like not a very good idea to me.
First of all birds can be infected with diseases or parasites.
Second birds need to be protected instead of being shot.


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## nat (Mar 6, 2008)

I worked for a bird rehabilitation center (for wild birds.. not pets) and there are at least two reasons I can think of why that's not a good idea. I don't know what the laws are in your area but I know in Canada you aren't allowed to shoot wildlife without a permit and most bird species are protected (in that you are never allowed to shoot them). Doing so can and will result in hefty fines and even jail time. 

The second reason I can think of is the fact that the birds I came across were usually infected with some sort of parasite or disease (even when that parasite or disease was not the reason for them being at the center). They can carry some pretty nasty parasites and diseases some of which there are no treatments for. 

its just not worth it, and unfair to the native populations of birds. They already face trouble due to people invading their habitat, and not to mention the cats that wipe out thousands of them after that. Go find a quail supplier and everyone will be better off as a whole.


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## joshandjack (Mar 6, 2008)

well i dont really want to get into arguements about the morals of it, i know we are all animal lovers here, but if its game birds and such i dont see why its a bad idea, if humans can eat wild birds, i would certainly think my tegus could. and im curious to know if quals from a reptile food supplier are garunteed to be any safer than quails from my own backyard. If any one knows the answer to that, id really appreciate it.


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## ApriliaRufo (Mar 6, 2008)

Darn Hippies..... I wouldn't think there would be much of an issue besides a possibility of parasites, so.... freeze em. Here in AMERICA we can hunt things that are overpopulated, like quail, and people who hunt, generally have hunting licenses. I hunt duck and I've fed it to my tegus after freezing so I don't see why not. I killed Bambi's Mom too.


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## Lexi (Mar 6, 2008)

i would do it if i had bebes for my rifle... Just make sure you freeze them first!


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## dorton (Mar 6, 2008)

One of the things I can think of besides parasites could be the BBs or Lead shot, or Lead Pellets used 
staying in the bird, then being in your tegu's digestive system.


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## Lexi (Mar 6, 2008)

well I would hope he would be smart enough to take the bebe/pellets out of the bird first.


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## Zelera (Mar 6, 2008)

well, one of my friends feed his columbian B&W a finch once and he was fine


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## joshandjack (Mar 6, 2008)

hunting license and removing bb's arent a problem for me, and yes i do freeze and thaw the meat. and no i dont illegally kill song birds and such. i have taken parasites into consideration, but i would like to think that the gut content of game birds may have more nutrients then that of farmed mice and qual. sorry if i didnt specify enough at first.


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## hoosier (Mar 6, 2008)

dorton said:


> One of the things I can think of besides parasites could be the BBs or Lead shot, or Lead Pellets used
> staying in the bird, then being in your tegu's digestive system.



you cant use lead shot anymore. atleast not here in missouri. i hunt all the time and i even went quail and phesant hunting this weekend. if you freeze it im sure it will be fine.


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## dorton (Mar 6, 2008)

Only thing you can't use lead shot on here is migratory game all else is whatever.


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## nat (Mar 6, 2008)

joshandjack said:


> well i dont really want to get into arguements about the morals of it, i know we are all animal lovers here, but if its game birds and such i dont see why its a bad idea, if humans can eat wild birds, i would certainly think my tegus could. and im curious to know if quals from a reptile food supplier are garunteed to be any safer than quails from my own backyard. If any one knows the answer to that, id really appreciate it.



you didn't specify what kind of birds, you just said birds which can range from over populated game birds to a whole host of others. I wasn't trying to get into a moral debate... just pointing out negative consequences to your activities (not know what species of birds you are referring to). The birds I saw with high incidences of disease and parasites were corvids (crows, ravens, etc) and song birds... didn't see much in the way of game birds and water fowl (not that its not possible but due to their feeding habits etc, less likely)

and Aprilia - its not an issue of being a hippie, its an issue of me being a concerned environmentalist with a background in wild bird populations and their depleting numbers :woot the question was about risks and I merely presented some that I am aware of. Take it or leave it.


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## DZLife (Mar 6, 2008)

hoosier said:


> dorton said:
> 
> 
> > One of the things I can think of besides parasites could be the BBs or Lead shot, or Lead Pellets used
> ...



Lead shot is rapidly becoming outlawed around the US, for obvious reasons. It is illegal to hunt with here, too....well not HERE here, but down near mexico where I hunt. And yes, I am a minor who hunts legally, under the supervision of a responsible guardian. I went through a long gun certification course, and get my permits renewed yearly. I really only hunt fowl (dove, quail, duck, etc...)
Come to think of it, I haven't been hunting for the last two years; I have been too busy.

Another point: you must take into consideration pesticides and other chemical build-ups that might be in the bird.


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## PuffDragon (Mar 6, 2008)

When feeding game...are you cleaning them first and just feeding meat or are you going to feed whole?


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## joshandjack (Mar 6, 2008)

well, my tegus arnt big enough to eat the whole gamebirds yet, so i just clean and feather the birds, and then freeze the meat in bite size segments, but i do also include some of the innards.


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## ApriliaRufo (Mar 7, 2008)

When I feed duck, I remove any areas that took the shot, and feed parts whole. Thank God for meat cleavers. Gotta chop that badboy up into pieces to eat. I've fed deer to Apollo as well. I fed quail chicks whole a few times, and they turn him into godzilla.


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## joshandjack (Mar 7, 2008)

no joke, ive noticed my blue growing inches a week since brumation. ive had to substitute a hatchet for a meat cleaver for a while, haha i need to just go by one.


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## DZLife (Mar 8, 2008)

joshandjack said:


> no joke, ive noticed my blue growing inches a week since brumation. ive had to substitute a hatchet for a meat cleaver for a while, haha i need to just go by one.



HAHAHA LMFAO I can just see you hacking away at some dead bird with your big ol' machete! XD


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