i need help with a Tegu's Diet

[Chelsea M.]

Hey peeps... i need to know a list of food for an Argentine Black and White Tegu. I heard u can feed cat food... is that true? I just need to put a little more viriety in his dinner.
~thanx~

 

[VARNYARD]

Do not feed dog food or cat food; it is very poor for a food source. Some of these contain red dyes, yellow dyes and blue dyes, and they are derived from petroleum products. They are toxic to all living things, and are not approved by USDA. Too bad pet products are not inspected by them, if they were most would not be approved for consumption. All of these have been banned for human use, but are still used in animal foods. I am sure they would also be found to be toxic to reptiles, when tested in rats, they were found to be very toxic. They also contain ash as a filler; these are made by using burnt animal matter or even newspaper. Your reptile cannot digest it, even though it might pass through a dog or cat. Ash and newspaper can cause an impaction in reptiles without any doubt.

I am not saying they will not eat it. I am saying it is dog food or cat food. There are additives in it that are harmful to reptiles. That does not mean they will not eat it if given the chance. Lots of bad stuff can be found in these products: Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, other "numbered" dyes Ground Whole Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Rice, Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT), Natural Poultry Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Wheat Flour, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Wheat Mill Run, Carmel Color, Vegetable Oil, Wheat Gluten, Added FD&C and Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5). BHA (Butylated Hydroxysanisole), BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene), Ethoxyquin, TBHQ (Tertiary Butylhydroquinone), Sodium Metabisulphite Corn bran, peanut hulls, rice hulls, soybean hulls, oat hulls
Dyes are another unnecessary ingredient in pet food, since pets do not care about the color of their food. This is strictly aimed at making products look more appealing to humans, for example by hiding the gray color of poor quality rendered products or visible variations in ingredients, or attempting to make a food look like it contains more meat by adding red dye. While natural substances like caramel coloring are harmless, they are still unnecessary and generally only serve to make a food look more appealing and uniform to the human eye.

The bottom line is, get you tegu on a proper diet, do not try to cut corners by feeding this garbage. Your tegu will be much happier and healthier because you made the right decisions.

 

[Chelsea M.]

I haven't feed him any of the cat food so dont worry about that, I am feeding him pinkies once a week, fruit mixtures (when out of fresh fruit), fresh fruit, crickets, mealworms, and waxworms (worms and crickets dusted with the right nutrients). He's is getting pretty big and so i thought maybe there would be something else he will be able to eat that would be on a normal Argentina Black and White Tegu's diet. I would like to give him what I normally do and add things that wouldn't hurt him and still be okay for his diet. If u dont mind i would like a list of fruits and other foods i havn't thought of.

~thanx~

 

[DaRealJoker]

<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1353&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1353&start=0</a><!-- l --> Here's a list already put together. HAs been here for some time. Search button really works honest JK