# My baby tegu is crazy! Help!



## Jaci (Sep 2, 2020)

So I recently bought a baby b/w argentine. While I’m new to owning one I do have a little experience dealing w them, as I used to help a friend of mine That bred them. I’ve never experienced the feeding issues I’m having with this guy. First off he’s incredibly picky. I’m having a lot of trouble getting him to eat veggies or fruits. Even ground up in turkey he won’t touch the turkey if there’s anything in it. I’ve tried many different fruits and veggies in his meat, cut in tiny pieces by themselves and even fruit and veggie baby food, the baby food he will, on occasion, give a lick or two. He also seems to get fixated on certain foods. When I first got him he would eat plain turkey w no issue, then I introduced salmon into his diet and he went on a hunger strike until he was given it again. I’m trying really hard to give him a varied diet but he’s really fighting me on it. Weekly, he’s given turkey, salmon, chicken hearts, a pinkie, crickets and shrimp Or tilapia every now and then. I sprinkle zoo med calcium powder On all of it. He wouldn’t touch the calcium powder at first either, that was struggle.
Now to the aggression part, he gets fed in the late morning pretty much every day. If I attempt to touch him or interact with him in any way before he’s fed, he considers me food. I realize he’s still little but being repeatedly bitten every time I try to move him to eat is ridiculous. I’ve now given up on moving him to feed. I think it’s incredibly stressful for both of us at this point. After eating he’s completely fine to touch and hold, still a little skittish but not at all aggressive. I’m sitting in front of his enclosure right now and he’s going after my fingers through the glass as I type. He was fed today already but he’s having a tantrum because I put his chicken hearts (normally one of his favs) on top of vegetable babyfood so now he won’t touch them. Last thing, he also intentionally eats his substrate if his food doesn’t come quickly enough or if he doesn’t like it. His substrate is reptichip, forest floor and peat moss. So I also have to soak him daily because he understandably has trouble going to the bathroom. I was told to try the bigger bedding bc that might discourage him from eating it... NOPE! I’m kinda at a loss with this little guy.


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## SheriDemou (Sep 5, 2020)

Your doing an amazing job on variety. Of foods. Sounds like my baby. I’m just hoping things get better. Mine is an ******* so far. Excuse the swear but it fits. She tries to escape and hates us. Open mouth to bite. I now only keep her in her tank. I’m at a loss too


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## Jaci (Sep 8, 2020)

Really hope things get better!


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## SheriDemou (Sep 9, 2020)

Jaci said:


> Really hope things get better!


I gave up on snaking veggies in. Bought quail eggs and she loves them. Also eats Dubia roaches. Held her tightly yesterday and she calmed down for a few minutes. How’s your baby?


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## Jaci (Sep 9, 2020)

SheriDemou said:


> I gave up on snaking veggies in. Bought quail eggs and she loves them. Also eats Dubia roaches. Held her tightly yesterday and she calmed down for a few minutes. How’s your baby?


Been eating baby food veggies and fruit a little more. Having even more trouble getting him out. I always feed him so he associates me with food and goes after my hand whenever I put it in the enclosure. My husband can take him out and once he’s out he’s fine with me. I, just the other day, started wearing a colored dish glove to put his food in the enclosure. Hoping he’ll learn that no glove means no food.


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## Dylan koch (Sep 18, 2020)

First off you should get a big tubaware and leather or cow hide gloves. Which I do both got the cow hide gloves because I was tired of people thinking I'm a cutter from all the scratches on my arm from my 4 tegus. They dont try to but claws are sharp! But for the tubaware I would start feeding immediately in the tubaware and not in the enclosure! It seems your tegu could already have impaction issues which can be severe and be very costly! I had that same issue with 1 of my 4! Had to massage him in warm water with sugar till it finally passed after multiple prolapses and having to use lube and push his cloaca back in.. now I never feed my tegus in their cages. It also helps with bonding and being used to being held. Dont try and push stuff too fast every tegu is different and bonding takes time! But my question is are you feeding until your tegu is full? And you dont have to feed vegetables or fruits.. some tegus will never eat stuff like that. Or you could try blending it all to a mush. Or a great alternative if you have the money is reptilinks! I've never seen a tegu turn it down. But mainly as young tegus mine all preferred insects for a long time. But now I just feed them as treats plus helps with exercise even though mine come out for yard time in morning sometimes afternoon but always morning and night daily once I built up trust. At first was just in tubaware. But I breed all my insects because they get costly. Also quail eggs are great protein and calcium. But tegus do very well on reptilinks or whole prey in general. I feed mine insects occasionally, mainly ground turkey, quail or chicken eggs, salmon or cod, chicken, quail, rats, mice, fruits occasionally, chicken gizzards, liver, hearts and other stuff but mind is going blank I fed mine daily until 3 months ago or so I switched to every other day. But mine are a year old supposedly but I think might be older. They were small when I got them but after they got out of hibernation they grew a ton and now are 3 to 3 and half feet and I always when not feeding whole prey use calcium supplements with d3


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## Jaci (Sep 18, 2020)

Dylan koch said:


> First off you should get a big tubaware and leather or cow hide gloves. Which I do both got the cow hide gloves because I was tired of people thinking I'm a cutter from all the scratches on my arm from my 4 tegus. They dont try to but claws are sharp! But for the tubaware I would start feeding immediately in the tubaware and not in the enclosure! It seems your tegu could already have impaction issues which can be severe and be very costly! I had that same issue with 1 of my 4! Had to massage him in warm water with sugar till it finally passed after multiple prolapses and having to use lube and push his cloaca back in.. now I never feed my tegus in their cages. It also helps with bonding and being used to being held. Dont try and push stuff too fast every tegu is different and bonding takes time! But my question is are you feeding until your tegu is full? And you dont have to feed vegetables or fruits.. some tegus will never eat stuff like that. Or you could try blending it all to a mush. Or a great alternative if you have the money is reptilinks! I've never seen a tegu turn it down. But mainly as young tegus mine all preferred insects for a long time. But now I just feed them as treats plus helps with exercise even though mine come out for yard time in morning sometimes afternoon but always morning and night daily once I built up trust. At first was just in tubaware. But I breed all my insects because they get costly. Also quail eggs are great protein and calcium. But tegus do very well on reptilinks or whole prey in general. I feed mine insects occasionally, mainly ground turkey, quail or chicken eggs, salmon or cod, chicken, quail, rats, mice, fruits occasionally, chicken gizzards, liver, hearts and other stuff but mind is going blank I fed mine daily until 3 months ago or so I switched to every other day. But mine are a year old supposedly but I think might be older. They were small when I got them but after they got out of hibernation they grew a ton and now are 3 to 3 and half feet and I always when not feeding whole prey use calcium supplements with d3




I just recently tried the glove. He’s terrified of it lol he sees it coming and immediately hides. My husband has been able to pick him up, before feeding, to move him. I guess he just correlates me with food since I’m the one that normally feeds him. 
He eats like a cow, when he’s not throwing a tantrum over food choice . I’m not even sure how he fits so much in his little body. I’ve watched videos on other tegus his size And how much they are fed. He puts them all to shame. We’ve only had him for a little over a month, and he’s in the process of his third shed. He has been eating wood chips less, thank god. I don’t think I’ve found any in his poop in about a week.He’s also been eating more crickets and cockroaches. He absolutely loves them. Overall he does seem to have chilled out a bit lately. He’s coming out less but eating more. I think he may be getting ready for brumation. Little dude has definitely Taught me tons thus far n I’m guessing will continue to.


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