Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my cat found a mouse or shrew in the cuboard and i let it go outside, but was curios if he ever found another one could i feed it to my lizards or might it make em sick because its wild. like could it carry parasites. cuz my tegu are captive breed and came from a captive breeder so they never been near anything from outside

Hey Xardion,

Yeah, letting the little mammal go was definitely the right thing to do. Not only could it have parasites, but it could also kill your tegu even if it doesn't since mice and the like are capable of nasty bites which can get infected easily. You're best off not feeding wild caught food to your tegu because of the risk of parasites, and if you're going to feed Badger and his new buddy live prey from the pet store, make sure that you stun/kill the prety beforehand, just so that you don't run the risk of your tegu being bitten.

Chris

Just because your tegu can kill that rodent and because it could deal with any parasires it may get fromitdoesn't make it a really good idea.

Remember:
1. A few generations of captive breeding have not changed tegus or other reptiles. They are still wild animals as "god" created them. Tegues can kill small mammals and host a certain parasite load with little or few ill affects.

2. Every wild animal carries a certain parasite load. These parasites may have little or now effect on a healthy host. But if said host becomes injured or ill or in some manner compromised the parasites may significantly contribute it that host's demise. This is one reason that captive bred animals are superior pets. Why put your tegu in that position.

Just my thoughts,

Brian

Yes, but there are also chemical contaminants in animals that live in and around people, due to pesticides or waste, its always better to pay for healthy food items, dead, or alive.

It's also good to remember that because reptiles often don't show signs of illness until they are very sick, we may not be aware of the damage parasites are doing until it's too late. For example, certain types of parasitic infestations (according to my reptile vet) can cause inflammation, nodules of fibrous tissue, and problematic scar tissue. As in humans, internal scar tissue can form adhesions and "stick" together internal organs and tissue that shouldn't be stuck together or can grow around part of an organ and strangle it by cutting off its blood supply.