Reptile & Amphibian Forums

with tegus that are approx. 3 months old what is recommended ?mice pinkies/rat pups etc? or should frozen /thawed rodents be avoided----i have offered monitor canned food/ cat food with no results(hopefully because of the time of year--brumation/hibernation kicking in)Any info?-BRIAN

depends on how big your 3-month old is, but rodents are a great food source for you tegu. Mine was taking small fuzzies at 14" long (both live and f/t). He is now about 7-8 months old and right at the 3 foot mark. His favorite food is small rats (p/k or f/t) that are about the same width as the widest part of his head. Any bigger than that and he just can't quite figure out how to gulp it down. I would recommend getting your little one on appropriately sized rodents as soon as possible along with insects and fruits. Your best bet is just to stay away from canned foods and stick to whole prey animals. Best of luck! Billy

>>with tegus that are approx. 3 months old what is recommended ?mice pinkies/rat pups etc? or should frozen /thawed rodents be avoided----i have offered monitor canned food/ cat food with no results(hopefully because of the time of year--brumation/hibernation kicking in)Any info?-BRIAN

thanks for rodent info---i plan on stocking up on frozen "treats" while this first hibernation is taking place---i got the b/w tegus about a month ago but they immediately dug deep into mulch refusing any food; so i really didn't get the chance to try any variety(offered them tegu can food and cat food)--the male nibbled/ female nothing--do yours hibernate?my male seems to brumate--BRIAN

Hi Brian. My male went through a short sluggish/lazy period about a month ago when his appetite seemed to decrease a little, but he's back in full force now. I haven't let his temps drop too much from the norms so I don't really expect him to go down. He's also Paraguayan, so I'm not sure if they're "programmed" to go down like their more southerly cousins. Billy

>>thanks for rodent info---i plan on stocking up on frozen "treats" while this first hibernation is taking place---i got the b/w tegus about a month ago but they immediately dug deep into mulch refusing any food; so i really didn't get the chance to try any variety(offered them tegu can food and cat food)--the male nibbled/ female nothing--do yours hibernate?my male seems to brumate--BRIAN