# Tegu Food No-No's



## Logie_Bear (Sep 7, 2011)

Hey guys, I love the Tegu Food List sticky and it has tons of great info. I've already read through it a few times.  
What it's lacking, that I'd really like to compile, is a list for is food NOT to feed your tegus. Once upon a time I used to care for an iguana (belongs to my ex now, ugh...) and we kept a list over his enclosure of what foods should never be fed. Especially handy when someone had to pet sit, or if we just needed a reminder. When reading through all the comments on the Food List thread someone mentioned how avacado's were a big no-no and to avoid them. I never would have guessed! What other fruits/veggies do you guys know of that should just flat out be avoided as a treat or food-source?


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## spidersandmonsters (Sep 7, 2011)

They aren't no-no's, but eggs and bananas inhibit calcium absorption.


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## Strange_Evil (Sep 7, 2011)

Tegu's eat just about anything! Only thing i can say is avoid cook meats, and like said don't feed eggs and bananas often. 

I read something once on teguterra, Johnny (owner of teguterra) was sitting and one of his adult tegu's took a bite of his pizza, ha ha lol .While of course that's not recommended,it shows they will eat just about anything, no worries as far as i know the tegu was good.


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## Kebechet (Sep 7, 2011)

Strange_Evil said:


> Tegu's eat just about anything! Only thing i can say is avoid cook meats, and like said don't feed eggs and bananas often.



Why should cooked meats be avoided? The reptile vet I've talked to, specifically said that cooked meats (as well as whole foods like rodents) should be encouraged due to salmonella etc. From what I can tell, there's some debate over whether one method or the other is superior. I personally feed mostly raw, but Link does get his share of my roast chicken, and it hasn't hurt him in the least.


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## Strange_Evil (Sep 7, 2011)

Kebechet said:


> Strange_Evil said:
> 
> 
> > Tegu's eat just about anything! Only thing i can say is avoid cook meats, and like said don't feed eggs and bananas often.
> ...




Its what i read, i read all things accept eggs should be feed raw. They're stomachs are not made to eat cooked meats. But the eggs are cooked for the reason you sated above. I'm no expert, but raw meats are what's recommended (even by Varnyard), so i will go that way. You continue to feed your tegu cooked meat and let us know how that goes.


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## roastedspleen (Sep 7, 2011)

i dont have a tegu but it doesnt seem like its gaining anymore when you cook it from when you dont as it eats raw meat in the wild and is completely fine doing so


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## dragonmetalhead (Sep 7, 2011)

Wild animals don't cook their meat but I can't see how an occasional bit of cooked meat could do any harm. Hell, I gave Kodo a bite of cheesecake and he seemed to like it.


Logie_Bear said:


> Hey guys, I love the Tegu Food List sticky and it has tons of great info. I've already read through it a few times.
> What it's lacking, that I'd really like to compile, is a list for is food NOT to feed your tegus. Once upon a time I used to care for an iguana (belongs to my ex now, ugh...) and we kept a list over his enclosure of what foods should never be fed. Especially handy when someone had to pet sit, or if we just needed a reminder. When reading through all the comments on the Food List thread someone mentioned how avacado's were a big no-no and to avoid them. I never would have guessed! What other fruits/veggies do you guys know of that should just flat out be avoided as a treat or food-source?



Dude, that sucks about the iguana. I am so sorry.


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## Logie_Bear (Sep 7, 2011)

dragonmetalhead said:


> Wild animals don't cook their meat but I can't see how an occasional bit of cooked meat could do any harm. Hell, I gave Kodo a bite of cheesecake and he seemed to like it.
> 
> 
> Dude, that sucks about the iguana. I am so sorry.





I have also read that cooked meat is not a problem (not as a stable) because in the wild they are scavengers and have pretty much stomachs of steel. Carrion that has rotted in the sun a few days... or grilled chicken. I don't see it being to detrimental to their health. xD

That ig was pretty kick ass. He was litter trained and free-roamed. And bright red. Really cool guy. (the lizard, not the ex  )


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## laurarfl (Sep 8, 2011)

I don't know if there's a no-no list, but variety will keep nutrients in check. I feed eggs because they offer Vit A, D, phytonutrients, Vit B, iron, cholesterol for hormone production, and protein. But the ca: P ratio is like 1:3, so I supplement w calcium when I feed them. And they can inhibit the absorption of a B vitamin called biotin, so I supplement. Bananas also have a undesirable ca: P, but are a great source of potassium and fiber. Most fruits are high in potassium, but are a great source of other nutrients. So, just supplement with extra calcium when you feed, and rotate so one food isn't providing too much of one nutrient. Oxalates prevent the absorption of calcium and can be found in blackberries, strawberries, grapes, spinach, to name a few. Garlic and onion can casue anemia in dogs and cats, so I would definitely avoid them in reptiles as well.

As for the raw, I feed raw because cooking food denatures the protein. The problem is that ground meat is more of a hazard than fillets because if there is bacteria on the meat, it is then mixed throughout the whole product instead of remaining on the surface. I try to use common sense and not anything gross or that has been sitting out and letting bacteria like Salmonella or E. coli have a chance to grow. But you know, a tegu could probably survive on either cooked or raw. Anyway...just my 2 cents on the subject.


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## Strange_Evil (Sep 8, 2011)

laurarfl said:


> I don't know if there's a no-no list, but variety will keep nutrients in check. I feed eggs because they offer Vit A, D, phytonutrients, Vit B, iron, cholesterol for hormone production, and protein. But the ca: P ratio is like 1:3, so I supplement w calcium when I feed them. And they can inhibit the absorption of a B vitamin called biotin, so I supplement. Bananas also have a undesirable ca: P, but are a great source of potassium and fiber. Most fruits are high in potassium, but are a great source of other nutrients. So, just supplement with extra calcium when you feed, and rotate so one food isn't providing too much of one nutrient. Oxalates prevent the absorption of calcium and can be found in blackberries, strawberries, grapes, spinach, to name a few. Garlic and onion can casue anemia in dogs and cats, so I would definitely avoid them in reptiles as well.
> 
> As for the raw, I feed raw because cooking food denatures the protein. The problem is that ground meat is more of a hazard than fillets because if there is bacteria on the meat, it is then mixed throughout the whole product instead of remaining on the surface. I try to use common sense and not anything gross or that has been sitting out and letting bacteria like Salmonella or E. coli have a chance to grow. But you know, a tegu could probably survive on either cooked or raw. Anyway...just my 2 cents on the subject.



We'll said. I'm sticking to raw though.


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## Retnoo (Jul 17, 2021)

spidersandmonsters said:


> They aren't no-no's, but eggs and bananas inhibit calcium absorption.


eggs and banana make up half of my tegu's current diet. luckily I've gotten him to accept other fruits like grapes. and eat other protein sources like ground turkey mixed with calcium powder.


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## WiccaBaby (May 31, 2022)

Kebechet said:


> Why should cooked meats be avoided? The reptile vet I've talked to, specifically said that cooked meats (as well as whole foods like rodents) should be encouraged due to salmonella etc. From what I can tell, there's some debate over whether one method or the other is superior. I personally feed mostly raw, but Link does get his share of my roast chicken, and it hasn't hurt him in the least.


It's not necessarily that cooked meats are bad for them, it's that alot of the nutrients get cooked out of the meat. So it's healthier for them to have raw meats. Tegu's stomaches, along with other reptiles like Bearded Dragons, already contain small amounts of salmonella. It actually helps them to digest their food. That's why it's recommended that you wash your hands after handling your precious babies.....In the event any fecal matter is on their body as some is expelled in their BM. It's also recommended not to let them lick you near your mouth so that you don't risk salmonella poisoning. I can't resist my Wicca's kisses though, lol. Hope this was helpful!


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