Hello guest! Are you a Tegu enthusiast? If so, we invite you to join our community! Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Tegu enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your Tegu and enclosure and have a great time with other Tegu fans. Sign up today! If you have any questions, problems, or other concerns email josh@tegutalk.com!

Reply to thread

Message

I know this thread is a little old now but I felt the need to add...

The whole "It's natural" argument drives me insane. Argue all you want but nothing is natural about what we're doing with any exotic pet.

Also, feeding live for "mental stimulation" grinds my gears as well. There are many other ways to provide mentally stimulating enrichment without the risk of causing harm to your animal. I know ferret owners who frequently have begun feeding live mice to their ferrets for "enrichment" and I'm sorry, there's so many more safer enrichment techniques. No excuses.

Personally, I think feeding live is wrong. It's risky for the reptile involved and I personally think it's cruel and inhumane to the prey item. The predator animal doesn't always make the kill properly. Sometimes it's a long, painful death for the prey item. Not nice.

It seems that some people don't understand that what happens in the wild isn't all peaches and gravy. The predator doesn't just eat kill and eat its prey unscathed. Most large snakes and lizards who feed on mammals larger than mice are decorated in scars and wounds.

I actually just watched a clip of a Green Anaconda killing a Capybara(?) in the wild and suffering from a massive gash in its side. Like, I mean skin hanging, muscle exposed and even almost bone...

I'm all for natural diets with ANY animal (cats, dogs, ferrets) but I don't believe in feeding live because it's NOT natural, it's not something that's without risk, and there are much safer ways to provide mental stimulation and enrichment.

/rant

Oh, and I wanted to say that it's our job and responsibility to keep these animals healthy, safe, and happy. Willing to let harm fall upon your animal for the benefit of "enrichment" or how "natural" it is is a little counter-productive...

<blockquote data-quote="Guest" data-source="post: 75294">I know this thread is a little old now but I felt the need to add...The whole &quot;It's natural&quot; argument drives me insane. Argue all you want but nothing is natural about what we're doing with any exotic pet.Also, feeding live for &quot;mental stimulation&quot; grinds my gears as well. There are many other ways to provide mentally stimulating enrichment without the risk of causing harm to your animal. I know ferret owners who frequently have begun feeding live mice to their ferrets for &quot;enrichment&quot; and I'm sorry, there's so many more safer enrichment techniques. No excuses.Personally, I think feeding live is wrong. It's risky for the reptile involved and I personally think it's cruel and inhumane to the prey item. The predator animal doesn't always make the kill properly. Sometimes it's a long, painful death for the prey item. Not nice.It seems that some people don't understand that what happens in the wild isn't all peaches and gravy. The predator doesn't just eat kill and eat its prey unscathed. Most large snakes and lizards who feed on mammals larger than mice are decorated in scars and wounds. I actually just watched a clip of a Green Anaconda killing a Capybara(?) in the wild and suffering from a massive gash in its side. Like, I mean skin hanging, muscle exposed and even almost bone... I'm all for natural diets with ANY animal (cats, dogs, ferrets) but I don't believe in feeding live because it's NOT natural, it's not something that's without risk, and&nbsp; there are much safer ways to provide mental stimulation and enrichment./rantOh, and I wanted to say that it's our job and responsibility to keep these animals healthy, safe, and happy. Willing to let harm fall upon your animal for the benefit of &quot;enrichment&quot; or how &quot;natural&quot; it is is a little counter-productive...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Guest, post: 75294"] I know this thread is a little old now but I felt the need to add... The whole "It's natural" argument drives me insane. Argue all you want but nothing is natural about what we're doing with any exotic pet. Also, feeding live for "mental stimulation" grinds my gears as well. There are many other ways to provide mentally stimulating enrichment without the risk of causing harm to your animal. I know ferret owners who frequently have begun feeding live mice to their ferrets for "enrichment" and I'm sorry, there's so many more safer enrichment techniques. No excuses. Personally, I think feeding live is wrong. It's risky for the reptile involved and I personally think it's cruel and inhumane to the prey item. The predator animal doesn't always make the kill properly. Sometimes it's a long, painful death for the prey item. Not nice. It seems that some people don't understand that what happens in the wild isn't all peaches and gravy. The predator doesn't just eat kill and eat its prey unscathed. Most large snakes and lizards who feed on mammals larger than mice are decorated in scars and wounds. I actually just watched a clip of a Green Anaconda killing a Capybara(?) in the wild and suffering from a massive gash in its side. Like, I mean skin hanging, muscle exposed and even almost bone... I'm all for natural diets with ANY animal (cats, dogs, ferrets) but I don't believe in feeding live because it's NOT natural, it's not something that's without risk, and there are much safer ways to provide mental stimulation and enrichment. /rant Oh, and I wanted to say that it's our job and responsibility to keep these animals healthy, safe, and happy. Willing to let harm fall upon your animal for the benefit of "enrichment" or how "natural" it is is a little counter-productive... [/QUOTE]

Verification