tegu trying to eat rock and substrate

[Anthony]

so i been offering my tegu food 2 to 4 times a day and she usually eats good in fact yesterday she ate 2 pinkies and a half dollar size amount of ground turkey plus some crickets... today i offered her ground turkey a few times and she ate a small amount bout size of a nickel.... so i took her out like i have been all day but she was smelling my finger a lot then tried to bite me lol i think she thought my finger was food... anyway i then put her back in her home to go get more turkey since i new she was hungry and when i came back she was trying to eat the rock and i mean really going at it... then a cricket walked by her and she snatched it up... so i then put her in the feeding bin and she just ate a bite of ground turkey.... so i put her back in her home and she goes for the same rock again and also snatched another cricket.... is this weird??? she also tried to eat substrate but luckily she realizes its not food and always spits it out even when she grabs a little substrate with the cricket she spits it out then re atacks the cricket.... i know shes doing this because shes hungry but i offer her food many times through out the day when im home and when im at work i have some crickets in there for her in case shes hungry just like bobby told me too.... should i be concerned??? by the way her tame ness is awesome now she lets me pick her up 95 percent of time but once in a while she walks away a little fast but NOTHING like the first 2 days where she tail whipped and huffed.... sorry for long post

 

[Jefroka]

I feed mine once a day, in the morning, and in a seperate feeding bin, without any substrate. My tegu is used to this routine and trust me, he is getting enough food as he has grown 5-6" in three weeks time.

Its ok to offer food, but it should be removed immediately when your tegu shows no more interest in continuing the meal.

A common problem with leaving crickets in the house with your animal is if they are not eaten they could feed on your pet's skin or eye, etc... which is not healthy for your pet, could lead to sores, you don't want that.


...Jefroka

 

[cornking4]

Try cockroaches. They're easy to breed, don't bite your tegu, and are more balanced in phosphorous/protein. They don't bite any living creature, and they'll live off of your tegu's leftovers.