Colombian Tegu feeding

[treysik]

Hey folks,

So, my little tegu is settling in just nicely. Burrows a lot, but when I get home from work, he/she is out and about. For feeding, I put my hand in first and pet him a bit - he's a bit skittish at first, but not long after, he sits and lets me pet him. After that, I toss in crickets. I take out any remaining later on, if there is any - he appears to be eating 20-25 per sitting. After eating, I put my hand back in and pet him again - this process seems to be working for me.

Now, question is, should I stick to strictly crickets for now (he's only 8 inches max, in length (snout to tail tip)). Should I put in some ground raw turkey or something as well, mixing it up? I know there is a wide variety I can offer, but as he is so small, I want to offer the appropriate food for his age.

Thanks in advance!

T

 

[bfb345]

put a little bit of ground meat in their turkey chicken hare etc.

 

[TeguBuzz]

I see no problem in providing small quantities of ground turkey even with his/her given size. They will take the appropriate sized bites - or they have in my experience.

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

The sooner you start them on a variety the better.

 

[treysik]

UPDATE: So today, I bought some ground turkey and put it in there, I had to entice him/her, but he ate some.. I tell you, raw turkey has a terrible texture. I didn't like the feel of it, LOL. I mis-judged how much he can eat and made the servings way to big, so I'll save those ones for when he gets bigger and buy another pack tomorrow and make smaller portions to freeze. I mean, I made them WAY to huge, LOL. Ah well, you live and learn!

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

Since he's keen on turkey start adding other things to it like different meats, fruit, bugs veggies or what ever. After a while he'll recognize the taste and smell of the other items as food and you won't have to mix it anymore.
Start with adding small portions to the turkey or what ever base meat you use and add more over time.
Also watching how full their abdomen is gives you a good idea of how hungry they may or may not be and how much food to prepare.

 

[BatGirl1]

I made little meatballs like maybe a tablespoon size. Flattened out in snack bags then froze. Niles was eating one a day now up to almost 2 a day. Just an idea because it makes less waste this way

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I do add to these...egg yolk or cherries ...etc. different things each time. And cod liver oil and calcium.