feeding

[azz123]

ok i have got my tegu eating fairly well now, raw chicken, worms, locusts, pinkies, even cut up fuzzies as a treat, my tegu is 12 inches long and i guess about 7-8 months old.

to explain i used to feed it out of enclosure in a tub fine, then it went off food for about 2 months, in the end i gave in and fed it in its cage, and slowly but surely its appetite is better than ever.

i feed it in its cage as it was being a bugger and going off food, now that it is eating more often, should i consider feeding it out of its enclosure, for the future, as i dont fancy my tegu getting cage aggressive with me, it never is aggressive it is very tame and getting tamer, any feeding tips would be appreciated, as i am going to be moving my tegu into its permanent enclosure in about 2 weeks, and i would like me and deano my tegu to have a good feeding relationship,

also any calming tips for when holding my tegu as it doesnt mind me holding it, but would prefer to walk or run off if allowed, sometimes it does seem to enjoy its head and back strocked, is it just a time thing?

 

[reptastic]

I dont think its the actual cage feeding that makes them cage aggresive, i think its associating your hand with food that does, i have fed all 6 of my tegus in their enclosures and only 1 tegu to get aggresive with me, although he was a yearling most likely going through puberty

 

[thenikkix3]

ok i have got my tegu eating fairly well now, raw chicken, worms, locusts, pinkies, even cut up fuzzies as a treat, my tegu is 12 inches long and i guess about 7-8 months old.

to explain i used to feed it out of enclosure in a tub fine, then it went off food for about 2 months, in the end i gave in and fed it in its cage, and slowly but surely its appetite is better than ever.

i feed it in its cage as it was being a bugger and going off food, now that it is eating more often, should i consider feeding it out of its enclosure, for the future, as i dont fancy my tegu getting cage aggressive with me, it never is aggressive it is very tame and getting tamer, any feeding tips would be appreciated, as i am going to be moving my tegu into its permanent enclosure in about 2 weeks, and i would like me and deano my tegu to have a good feeding relationship,

also any calming tips for when holding my tegu as it doesnt mind me holding it, but would prefer to walk or run off if allowed, sometimes it does seem to enjoy its head and back strocked, is it just a time thing?

Sometimes if I can't get Nagion to come out of the cage to eat.. I wait til hes not looking and drop a few things in a small food bowl I have in there.. then I have no problems getting him out of the cage for the rest of his meal.

 

[m3s4]

I used to feed my Columbian mice, insects, eggs etc. in his cage when he was younger.

As he grew older, I could feed him by hand. He was so careful about not biting me that, if he licked a piece of turkey that had my scent on it, he wouldn't even attempt to eat it - no joke.

Tegus are experts when it comes to scent and they can definitely tell the difference between your fingers and hand, and food.

Eventually I just started feeding him with a fork because of the scent issue he had with me and my fingers.

Ally on the other hand, can be hand-fed but is even more gentle. I can feed her by hand all day long - in fact anyone with food can. She hardly even bites when you give her bites of turkey.

Do my tegus associate my hand with food? No, because they tongue my fingers first and don't bite because they know my scent. The same hands that pick them up and rub them, and help peel skin off them and hold and carry them - are the same hands that feed them.

If they smell something on them though (like if I'm prepping turkey) I can tell if they're hungry because they get excited at the smell of food and blip and lick at my fingers repeatedly. That's a no-brainer. They smell food and want some.

Depending on how you raise them and how much time you spend with them, imo, will dictate the results you get.

 

[azz123]

cheers guys thats a real help, i would say my tegu has only recently in last 2 months built what i would say a strong appetite, if i was to put a pinkie in it would be gone straight away, i am trying to vary everything i give my tegu, if it is willing to eat everyday should i feed it everyday? what foods need to be spread out? i.e. can he have a pinkie every other day, or is that to much to digest etc. at the moment im kind of feeding him everyday, if i put in locusts he will eat about 2 a day, but i think it is getting a strong taste for meat and mice etc.

thanks

 

[TeguBuzz]

I've always fed my big boys and girls in their enclosures. Tegus are extremely smart reptiles, they see me placing the food in the enclosure and they don't get aggressive at all. I prefer feeding in enclosures as opposed to feeding them in bins. I can feed Bruce and the rest of the crew by hand, except woody, he's still only bout 2 months old. I'm expecting a high white blue tegu today, bout a year and a half old, got him from kingsnake, apparantley he's dog tame, the colors he's got are amazing!