Going out of town, feeding?

[Dirkthejerk41]

Hi all. In the upcoming months I will be going out of town once a month for two days. During this time, what should I do about feeding my colombian? Would it be necessary to have someone come over to feed him, or would I be okay giving him a large meal before, or maybe leaving something in there for him to eat? I'm not too sure. Also, there is a possibility I may be rescuing a sub-adult red tegu, probably about 3 feet long. How often do you feed a tegu of this size?

 

[Jstew]

How old is the tegu you're leaving? I'd say feeding a 3ft tegu bi-daily would be good. If you don't have someone to feed your gu I guess feeding a large hardy meal would be best. Possibly before you leave offer a large portion of the canned tegu monitor food or the meat pie carnivore formula?

 

[Dirkthejerk41]

The colombian is young, not sure of the age but he is only about 16 inches long. Yeah we will see, that won't start for another two months, so by then the colombian will probably be closer to two feet at the rate he is growing!

 

[Bubblz Calhoun]

It's nothing for a healthy tegu not to eat for a couple of days, even longer, baby or adult doesn't matter.

 

[Deac77]

I work out of town 2 on 3 off 3 on 2 off thats my schedule i just feed a LARGE meal before i leave and feed while im home. even on my 3days home i only feed every other day the the day i leave a BIG meal, doesnt lose any weight. hopefully this month ill be working in my town so it wont be a problem but even then he may only be fed every other day or every 3 days. (he's also only 10 months old to give a idea)

 

[HeatherN]

reptiles are hardy creatures, and will have no ill effects from missing a meal for two days or more (within reason!). of course, we all know most would love to eat every waking moment, but leaving them with a big meal before you take off should be sufficient. My tegu, almost a year old now, could go a week without eating if he had to, probably more if situations were dire, but that isnt necessary for me.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

One of the perks of being a cold-blooded means a tegu, or any other reptile, only needs about 10% of the food a warm-blooded animal the same size needs and that food can sustain them for a while. Kodo once went a week and a half without eating when I was on vacation in Florida and he was totally fine. Also, Kodo typically doesn't eat if someone other than me feeds him. Do you have a friend or family member who can come over and feed your animals while you are gone?

 

[Dirkthejerk41]

yeah i could arrange it

 

[BatGirl1]

This thread is helpful to me, as i will be going away in sept for maybe 10 days (to italy). My plan was to feed my snakes before i go. Some eat once a wk some every other wk. Niles(tegu) I'm hoping my kids will feed him and also the ferrets, cuban anole, bearded dragon, tarantula... and two dogs...haha. i have to make a list. The spider is mostly the water drying out that concerns me. Bearded needs veggies daily. Cuban if i put 100 crickets this lasts him...just water replacement. Luckily most of the animals will just sleep while I'm gone. Dogs and ferrets need daily of course. Any advice on the others?