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Feeding habits and slow growth

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41
My son's tegu is a 2 month old red. He seems to be frowning slowly and I am wondering if it has to do with his eating. Right now, he only eats dubias. Every once in a while he'll eat a bite of boiled egg, and has eaten a little of our meat mix once or twice.

Is it okay that all he will eat regularly, at this time, is the dubias?

If not, what are some suggestions on trying to feed him other stuff and getting him to eat it??

He's about 12 inches right now and was around 11 when we got him 2 months ago.
 
Messages
41
Well all tegus grow at different rates. But I would suggest to add some pinky mice in the diet too. Also maybe feed some mealworms and super worms!


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I've heard that mealworms can cause impaction. Is that accurate?

Also, how long would you leave a pinkie in with them? We tried to feed one today and he wouldn't eat it, so we put in in the aquarium with him. Still has not eaten it, and burrowed instead. Should I let it stay in there over night, or toss it?
 

firfy

Member
Messages
142
Mealworms can cause impaction if fed too much, my tegus have never had a problem with them. As for the pinkie, I would just offer it then put it back in the fridge then keep offering it later in the day, for one of my tegus it definitely took awhile before it would eat whole prey, I even had to cut open the mouse so the tegu would smell the insides and not the outside and that worked for me, I would throw away that pinkie you left out personally because I like to be as safe as possible and from parasites or something bad happening


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Messages
41
Mealworms can cause impaction if fed too much, my tegus have never had a problem with them. As for the pinkie, I would just offer it then put it back in the fridge then keep offering it later in the day, for one of my tegus it definitely took awhile before it would eat whole prey, I even had to cut open the mouse so the tegu would smell the insides and not the outside and that worked for me, I would throw away that pinkie you left out personally because I like to be as safe as possible and from parasites or something bad happening


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Do you let your pinkie sit out until it get room temp? Or just until its thawed in the fringe, over a 24 hour period?
 
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41
slithers of organ meats can bee good...;);)
Where are you getting these from? If I go shoot a dear or catch a fish, can I just feed the heart, liver, and kidneys to her?

I'm just kidding, since I've been told not to feed them wild game. But really, where do you get the organs from? Just livers and stuff from the local grocery store I guess?
 

AlphaAlpha

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5 Year Member
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1,022
In the UK yes just your local butchers or grocery store.

Also I believe you can feed anything you catch as long as you freeze it first to kill parasites, but someone may want to jump in and correct me here if I'm wrong.
 

Debita

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Prescott, AZ
I've left thawed mice in the tank for about 4 hours - that's my limit. It's worked for me. (maybe pinkies only 2-3 hours?)

Having good luck with super worms.
 
Last edited:

onnie0047

Active Member
Messages
100
My Red Tegu, Felix, refused to eat when I first got him. I tried everything. I finally got him to eat some chicken gizzards. he ate, but he worried me because he would only take a mouthful and go hide or sun himself. I tried and tried various items and then I tried a live pinkie. He was alright until he grabbed it and it moved. it frightened him and he ran and hid for days. I finally got him back on chicken gizzards and other raw meats and a dubia once in a while, but his eating or lack of eating worried me. When weighing him, he wasn't gaining a lot, but he was gaining weight. Winter came and he went down and woke up around the mid of last April. The first feeding was a few Dubia, which he seem to eat but not with much enthusiasm. later, I then put in unfrozen pinkies he took one and seemed not to know what to do with it, but in a few minutes he ate it and went for a second one. Since then he has only one thing in mind EATING. As of today, He has outgrown 1 female B/W I have and closing in on the other. Not sure why yours might not be eating or if this is common behavior in juvenile Red Tegu but what you are going through is the same thing I was going through before he went in to his first bermation. Once he woke up, his eating habits totally changed. Good luck!
 

James Smith

Active Member
Messages
200
Hello, it sounds like your kids gu is doing fine actually, but it is good to have a inquisitive nature about yourself when caring for them. If you make sure they have plenty of water ,and some organs meats along with live prey implemented into their diet, their growth rate will be up to to them at that point. Every gu growth rate is different, but it's our job to make sure they have a healthy diet to help them along as much as we can.
 

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