Yearling Male diet?

[CrowsCaw]

I have a black and white yearling male coming to me and I put together a diet for him out of all of the things I have read. I want some feedback to make sure I'm not forgetting anything, or if something should be omitted or added.

Ground Turkey
Chicken heart and gizzards
beef liver
salmon
crab
boiled eggs
strawberries
grapes
f/t fuzzies
banana occasionally
fish oil
chicken necks
calcium powder
egg shells

I know that there is a debate on whether or not fruit is required so there wont be much fruit, but it will still be included as treats and such. any input would be appreciated

 

[donnaranee33]

That's pretty much the same diet that I have my girl on. I also heard that Tilapia fish is good for them too, and they're suppose to really like it. I'm going to get some this week and try it. The important thing is variety.

 

[Deac77]

I don't feed ground meat diets, they are so incomplete it's pathetic. Stick with whole prey my diet is like this

Rats
Mice
Rabbits
Quail
Chicks
Smelt
Snails
Crawfish
Crab
And pretty much any other whole prey item I can get my hands on

Then fruit every couple of days to help digest and help sheds. Fruit is essential for healthy skin and proper sheds

 

[Sway]

Everything that I've read says to feed the ground meat diets. Even zoos and breeders use it. I read to stay away from rats and mice except for on occasion.

 

[Deac77]

You've read wrong. Zoos and breeders are not to be modeled by and the zoo I worked for did not even use this diet.

The so called san Diego zoo diet isn't even used by the zoo anymore because of how incomplete it is. The sad truth is their are to many out of date info, especially on this site, written by a breeder that eventually had problems with his animals laying eggs and caused him to go under.

We've make great progress in the last 2-3 years in understanding these amazing animals. So we've also found what they thrive on.

I feed whole prey every meal and have NEVER had a problem. The whole impaction thing from whole prey is a myth. However if you feed a ground meat diet, lots of eggs, and bask at low temps you'll have a obese tegu that can end up with organ damage

 

[Sway]

Guess that's why I don't bother to read much anymore. There is just too much out there, and everyone thinks that their way is the correct way.

 

[Deac77]

People don't update stuff, that's the problem for me. Proper husbandry should always be changing, getting better we should only strive for for the best

 

[CrowsCaw]

so far eggs and tilapia fish seem to be the favorite right now hes tearing through his lunch and he seems to looove it. I guess ill have to buy him more fish, this was just an experiment. I was going to say I was worried hes not eating enough, but the way hes eating as I type, it would be a lie. He doesn't seem to like turkey anyway. So I will omit it, im tired of cleaning turkey off the wall lol. I'm going to get him some mice tonight and see how he likes them. how old are your tegu Deac77?

 

[Deac77]

2 next month lol

 

[Josh]

Different things will work for different people. The important thing is to make sure your tegu is getting a varied diet with all the proper vitamins. For some, this means ground diet with supplements and some whole prey. For others this means solely whole prey items. It will depend on where you live and what you can purchase in your area. Let's collaborate and help each other find things that work!

 

[apocalypse910]

Variety is really key - I don't think there is anything wrong with ground meats so long as your are also providing organ meats and adequate calcium. The variety of whole prey items available to most people is pretty limited - I think that providing a mix is going to be better than sticking with just mice and rats if that is what's available. Personally I think the whole ground animals are a lifesaver - I can't really get Loki to eat whole prey (anything with fur) but the whole ground animals he loves. I'm able to cycle through 8 or so different meats that are all fairly lean/healthy while keeping a ton of bone and organ in his diet. Every portion may not be as well balanced as a whole animal but his overall diet ends up very balanced.