New rescue!

[Amberru]

Hey guys. Just rescued a male black and white. He's rather small for his age. Poor thing was with a owner that had no idea how to properly take care of him. In the process of building a cage because he was living in an aquarium. He is now being properly fed and is very finicky about foods since he didn't get a variety. We're trying salmon and squash today! Hope he likes it. Although he didn't get handled much he is slowly starting to trust me, he actually gets excited when I open the cage now!

 

[Walter1]

Congrats. You're both winners. How old reckon?

 

[Amberru]

They said he is about 2ish years old. He is 38 inches from nose to tail and he's got a bit of tail rot. It's being treated. His name is Bernard, I didn't name him but he really seems like a Bernard so he's keeping the name. The previous owner surrendered him to me so yes, we're both winners! He fits in nicely with my 8 other reptiles and 1 furry mammal. Ha.

 

[Walter1]

2 yrs old at 38+ inches isn't bad. Good job.

 

[Amberru]

His length isn't what concerns me, he's super slim for his size. His ribs and hips stick out currently at only 2.6 pounds. I'm feeding him whatever he wants right now to get his weight up. Any suggestions on the best/most fattening food items?

 

[Walter1]

Frozen/thawed adult mice. Include a lot of that in diet. Some high Quality wet dog food. Sprinkle calcium on food

 

[Vastra]

My rescue tegu does great on frozen mice, ground turkey with a little organ meat, and he absolutely goes crazy for scrambled eggs (with shell mixed in). He likes bananas but only if they were frozen first and once in a while he will take cantaloupe but doesn't much care for fruits or veggies yet. Sometimes I mix ground tortoise diet in with his ground turkey so he gets some fruit and veggie stuff, but I only use it sparingly because it does have d3 in it. I haven't tried wet dog food yet. Check out my thread about Strax the second chance tegu and you can see how much it helped his weight. Has Bernard been checked for worms? I had to use wormer on Strax for a little bit before he would keep weight on. Good luck and can't wait to hear an update!

 

[Amberru]

Bernard is putting on weight great currently so I didn't even think to have him checked for worms. He enjoys salmon, ground turkey, chicken, a little chicken liver, f/T mice, eggs, and most of the fruit I have offered him. He will sneak a but of cat food now and then but that is not offered to him. I have heard bad things about cat and dog food for tegus. Except for this 'instinct raw' brand of dog food. It's supposed to be all natural meats. I have yet to try it but have heard from another tegu owner that hers go crazy for it.

 

[Walter1]

Sounds like you have the diet down.

Re. wet dog food, I use either Rachel Ray's food or Caesars. Two of my three like it. The other stares and tongue-flicks but won't eat it.