WHAT??NO RODENTS??

[reptastic]

I was told by a fellow member of a reptile group I frequent, that he spoke with bobby hill on tegus and bobby told him rodents are bad for tegus because they are to high in fat....I have never heard that before, in fact bobby promoted feeding rodents at least once a week, am I missing something here?

 

[Venom6547]

that's a great question id love to know the answer, a guy i talk to sometimes about reptiles was trying to tell me to feed them a staple diet of rodents only but isnt the fur hard to process in their stomachs?

 

[Riplee]

I would say feed them once a week is good. Feed them as every diet is bad....

 

[reptastic]

Ok I found out he misunderstood bobby, like venom6547 he was informed that they should be a staple, bobby told him that's what's bad, btw this guy just put a deposit on 8 extreme giant YIKES!!!!

 

[Rhetoric]

Wow lol 8?!!!! I do rodents 1-2x a week during the warmer months. I haven't had any impaction issues yet.

 

[laurarfl]

I think the comment would be regarding a 100% rodent diet. Captive tegus don't get as much exercise as wild tegus, and wild tegus eat far more insects, arachnids, and amphibians. I feed my tegus rodents 2x weekly even up to 3x weekly and have for years. But I also feed smaller rodents (small rats) and also feed fruits and vegetables, lean meats.

 

[frost]

amphibians? like frogs? if i trusted my tegus eating frogs they would have a lot to eat. my parents house alone has 100s of them in there. plus there is a creek by my house that has about 10 every step you take.

 

[reptastic]

He just mistok what bobby was saying, a rodent staple diet would be bad, I feed rodents when my tegus are active, I too feed them fruit, veggies and lean cut meats also grounded meats

 

[got10]

The only reason everything in the pet trade eats rodents is because rodents are a cheap food source to get. Believe me most animals would eat chicks frogs birds other lizards bugs or anything else they could consume other than just mice ,rats and rabbits. I try to give a varied diet as possible to keep them healthy as I can. plenty of greens veggies as well as meats of all kinds.

 

[tmc001]

WoW.....8 extreme giant....he want be a breeder like Bobby...lol........

 

[dragonmetalhead]

Kodo gets rodents every Sunday, and I skin them beforehand so he doesn't have to worry about fur. Most of the fat seems to be on the underside of the hide, FYI. If you feed a varied diet, I don't think you'll have issues.

 

[laurarfl]

Yes, like frogs. But feeding them runs the risk of contamination with pesticides and parasites.

 

[got10]

Ok I found out he misunderstood bobby, like venom6547 he was informed that they should be a staple, bobby told him that's what's bad, btw this guy just put a deposit on 8 extreme giant YIKES!!!!

I just hope the extremes don't get the "RED SYNDROME" of 11'

 

[Draco D Tegu]

I tried hairless young rats once. It wasn't pretty. The fur kinda keeps the rodent together ........

 

[Rhetoric]

Kodo gets rodents every Sunday, and I skin them beforehand so he doesn't have to worry about fur. Most of the fat seems to be on the underside of the hide, FYI. If you feed a varied diet, I don't think you'll have issues.

How long does it take you to do that? Is it easier to do when frozen? I don't think I have the stomach for it lol, but I've brained a few! If I could by them pre-skinned I would.

 

[dragonmetalhead]

I let them thaw out before skinning, and that sometimes takes a while for rats. The actual skinning process itself is relatively simple, all I use is a small scissors and my hands. Doesn't take more than a minute or two. I start with a small slit in the throat and then cut lengthwise down the abdomen. The hide peels off basically like a jacket, although it is a bit difficult to get it off the base of the tail and the face. If you cut too deeply, you'll disembowel the rodent. The eyes and testicles often come away with the hide and I've found that dead, butchered feeder rodents smell like high quality roast beef. Kodo isn't large enough to swallow whole rats yet, so I butcher the carcass into small pieces. He tends to chew up the larger bones before swallowing, even with skulls he then doesn't eat, which I have been told is very unusual for a carnivorous lizard.