# anyone try mazuri foods



## thatoneguy (Mar 28, 2016)

I read that the Mazuri tortise diet mixed with ground turkey is a good option for Tegus.

I noticed that Mazuri also makes a Crocdillian diet which is high in protein and has a good ratio of nutrients that would work well for tegus.

I ordered a small amount of the Crocdillian feed gonna give it a shot either as a base or mixed with other ground meat. 

Im also considering using the tortise feed as well as it has a wider mixture of non meat items, for diversity.


Just curios if anyone else has used these


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## dpjm (Mar 28, 2016)

My opinion on most Mazuri products: crap. The nutritional composition may be ok, but you really have to look at the ingredient list and you can see what I mean.

Tortoise diet: hay, oats, soybean, wheat, and sugar are the major ingredients.

Crocodile diet: fish meal, poultry by-products, wheat, pork, and corn are the major ingredients.

I personally would not feed any animal this garbage. You will do much better using real food items: whole vertebrate prey, insects, fresh fruits and vegetables, and staying away from processed junk.

The only good thing about Mazuri is that pellets are convenient to use, but convenience will only benefit the keeper, never the animal.

Sorry if I came off as harsh, please don't take it personally.


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## Walter1 (Mar 28, 2016)

If it were once in a blue moon, I'd say OK on the croc pellets, but damn rarely for variety's sake alone.


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## thatoneguy (Mar 28, 2016)

I agree they are not going to be as good as feeding whole foods, I'm more interested in adding them to give more variety to my tegus diet, as the pellets have mixed in veggie and fruits which my tegu refuses to eat normally.

While whole foods are great, I don't feed my dogs whole prey items and they are doing pretty good.


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## Trede (Mar 29, 2016)

You might want to look in to "Reptilinks". They make sausages out of ground whole prey, fruits, and veggies.


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## thatoneguy (Mar 29, 2016)

Trede said:


> You might want to look in to "Reptilinks". They make sausages out of ground whole prey, fruits, and veggies.



I will thanks


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## Walter1 (Mar 29, 2016)

If I remember correctly, reptilinks was sold as an alternative source of food for rodent-eating snakes. If so then they should be a a quality meal, even if tiny.


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## Michael Graham (Mar 29, 2016)

Interesting posts! Do you guys think tegus would eat the pellets? They seem very picky in general so I never even bothered to try.


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## Walter1 (Mar 29, 2016)

Some will, some won't. What they're picky about can be hard to tell. You could sweeten the meal with egg yolk.


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## Michael Graham (Mar 29, 2016)

I appreciate the tip, Walt. It is pretty fun introducing new foods to see what they like as of now. I did hear that adults are much less picky.


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## dpjm (Mar 29, 2016)

My tegu definitely became much less picky with age, especially more accepting of non-meat items.


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## Michael Graham (Mar 30, 2016)

I'm glad to hear that. I started to get some sort of tegu mix from one of the pet stores that I mix with ground beef and they don't mind that. Otherwise, they won't eat berries or veggies alone. I think most people here have Argentines but Colombians seem to be similar in this regard.


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## Walter1 (Mar 30, 2016)

Michael Graham said:


> I appreciate the tip, Walt. It is pretty fun introducing new foods to see what they like as of now. I did hear that adults are much less picky.


I see that with my own three. All like ripe strawberries, two like wet dogfood, one won't touch it. Two especially like liver, all like gizzards, hearts, and whole mice. Their weird, but they're my weird.


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## thatoneguy (Mar 30, 2016)

Michael Graham said:


> Interesting posts! Do you guys think tegus would eat the pellets? They seem very picky in general so I never even bothered to try.



I found my tegu stealing my dogs food, seemed to like the pellets just fine. He ate a strawberry once but is normally not interested in any kind of fruits or vegetables.


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## Walter1 (Mar 30, 2016)

I hate to demean our tegus by saying it, but they're like people in that regard.Ugh.


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## Michael Graham (Mar 30, 2016)

Just making sure I'm not the only one going through this haha


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## thatoneguy (Apr 4, 2016)

So my tegu does not seem interested in the Crocdillian diet by itself, but I've been mixing it with ground turkey and he eats it right up.


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## Walter1 (Apr 4, 2016)

thatoneguy said:


> So my tegu does not seem interested in the Crocdillian diet by itself, but I've been mixing it with ground turkey and he eats it right up.


I think worth mixing it in occasionally. I will look for it as well.


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## Fatal_S (Apr 4, 2016)

I have the insectivore diet for my blue tongue skinks, and I mix it into my tegu's food every once in a while; maybe once a month. It's a nice addition to otherwise plain ground turkey when I'm in a rush.


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## franz_seE (Apr 16, 2016)

dpjm said:


> My opinion on most Mazuri products: crap. The nutritional composition may be ok, but you really have to look at the ingredient list and you can see what I mean.
> 
> Tortoise diet: hay, oats, soybean, wheat, and sugar are the major ingredients.
> 
> ...



Actually, the tortoise diet pf mazuri is highly regarded in the tortoise community. Tortoises seem to love it, and you really do see a noticeable change in their growth rate.

But that's for tortoises of course. it may not sound like it would work in theory, but it does in


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## franz_seE (Apr 16, 2016)

thatoneguy said:


> So my tegu does not seem interested in the Crocdillian diet by itself, but I've been mixing it with ground turkey and he eats it right up.



How do you mix it up? Is it 50-50? Do you soak the pellets first? 

Also, dis you notice any positive or negative your tegu's health?

Im interested as well to know more about your experience. Thanks


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## dpjm (Apr 16, 2016)

franz_seE said:


> Actually, the tortoise diet pf mazuri is highly regarded in the tortoise community. Tortoises seem to love it, and you really do see a noticeable change in their growth rate.



Maybe, but I would not be too quick to equate faster growth rate with better overall health. And of course they make it taste good or it would not sell, just like McDonalds.

Just saying that you can easily do a lot better than this.


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## franz_seE (Apr 17, 2016)

dpjm said:


> Maybe, but I would not be too quick to equate faster growth rate with better overall health. And of course they make it taste good or it would not sell, just like McDonalds.
> 
> Just saying that you can easily do a lot better than this.



True. It is a debatable topic - especially since nobody knows what a 'normal' growth rate is  But anyway, that's a religious debate. 

What Im saying though is that many have tried it and many have loved it. Even those who wanted to stick with 'natural' food. And that includes me actually  I had my doubts, I tried it nonetheless, and now Im a happy customer 

So I guess what Im curious about for tegus is that, theories aside, has anybody actually tried it and how did they find it?

Thanks,
Franz


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## thatoneguy (Apr 19, 2016)

franz_seE said:


> How do you mix it up? Is it 50-50? Do you soak the pellets first?
> 
> Also, dis you notice any positive or negative your tegu's health?
> 
> Im interested as well to know more about your experience. Thanks




Not very precise on mixing it, and can't say I've really noticed a different in health. Ive also started feeding him some thawed rats too.

I think next time I will be getting the tortise diet and mixing that in. That will help him get the veggie and fruits he needs. The Crocdillian diet is mostly protein and I think he gets enough of that with the ground turkey


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## Roadkill (Apr 28, 2016)

Definitely want to back dpjm on a number of points.

First: Ingredients. Tegus, and all reptiles for that matter, cannot digest grains and other high grade type carbohydrates (wheat, soy, corn, etc.). These just tend to ferment in the gut. Feeding your reptile foods that contain these is like giving dairy products to a lactose intolerant person. It may not do them long term harm, but it isn't comfortable for them. Pelleted/kibble foods are usually full of this stuff, just because it is marketed to a particular animal group doesn't make it a great diet. Considering that Mazuri is on the high end of cost for kibble...why do it? If you really want a kibble to add to your tegu's diet, I suggest looking at Trout Ration or some of the other fish pellets. Again, look at the ingredients. If you see wheat/corn/soy, move on. Trout Ration instead typically has fish meal, far more digestible. About the only thing kibble diets do is keep a better track of nutrition (such as mineral/protein/fat ratios) than the average hobbyist does. It can certainly be a part of balanced diet, but keep a close eye on those ingredients.

Second: Growth Rate. Growth rate is NOT as debatable a topic as many like to say. It is an easily understandable topic if you know what you're talking about. Fast growth rate is NOT a sign of health. It is typically a result of a greater intake of nutrients. If those nutrients are not properly balanced with the appropriate minerals then fast growth rate means a weakened skeleton, or as so many people like to call it, Metabolic Bone Disease. It also tends to mean Obesity. How tegu hobbyists glued into the idea that a slow growth rate means there's something wrong, I have no idea. Growing up, did we tend to think the shorter kids in the class were diseased? Trying to get your tegu (or any other pet for that matter) to adult size as fast as possible is NOT healthy.


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## Roadkill (May 6, 2016)

A point I wanted to say but overlooked, is with the ingredients list. The ingredients list is important in two ways, one in telling what is in the product, the other is in understanding the format of said list. The order the ingredients is listed in is industry's way of complying with regulations of having to tell the consumer both what is in the product and giving a general idea in what amounts (relatively speaking, that is) without tipping off their competitors. The list is given from the most common ingredient to the least common ingredient (by mass, I believe). So when you see some of these ingredients (soy/wheat/oat/corn/etc) listed in the first half of the ingredient list, it is basically telling you that you've bought "uncomfortable filler" as opposed to "nutrition".


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## thatoneguy (May 31, 2016)

Update on mazuri foods. 

I recently got some of the Mazuri tortise diet. What I've been doing is taking my tegus bowl putting about half inch of water in it, stir in some calcium powder until its mixed with the water. I then add a handful of the Mazuri pellets, and wait until they absorb all then water. Any excess water I drain. I then mix in equal parts ground turkey or whatever meat I have for the week. I make little bite size meat balls.

My tegu seems to like them, and at least now he had some veggies and other nutrients in his diet, then just meat. My tegu does not eat fruit or veggies on his own.

I still feed him rats on occasion usually just 1 a week.


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