Reptile & Amphibian Forums

"Monaco", our juvenile Argentine B&W, is a picky eater!

As I stated in previous posts, this tegu eats a huge variety of nutritious items...the way he does this is by eating pinkies stuffed with diced veggies and crickets. We also mix veggies, worms, and dead/nearly dead crickets in with Wellness cat food, which he loves.

Now, as some of you may know, we had quite a scare with MBD/Vitamin D3 deficiency that is unbelivably almost healed a month after symptoms started.

We had to feed him a liquid diet that ended up being very nutritious with a variety of veggies, bug guts, and meat mixed together.

However, I am wondering when he will start to seek out fruits & veggies on his own (he just lost the green head 2 months ago, we got him as a tiny baby 3 months ago, this past shed left his dark brown head much lighter. He is about 16 inches total, with 7 inches nose to vent length. estimated age, anyone?)

Also, why isn't he chasing crickets like he used to? Granted, he is still rebuilding bone & muscle from our MBD scare, but he will go after nearby wiggling worms but ignores crickets. Are they just not a satisfying meal anymore because he's getting larger? Do you think he is discouraged from chasing down crickets due to his recent illness & inability to catch them?

Do big tegus stop eating crickets altogether when they get large?
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Melissa and Corny

Baby and juvie tegus seem to prefer insects to anything I got fruit into mine by putting cut up oranges in for the crickets to eat. As they get older, mine lost interest in crickets. (Little Rocza preferred crickets long after she could have eaten mice; she just detests anything with fur on it.) If yours doesn't want to chase crickets, pour the dusted crickets into a bowl. Crickets are stupid; most of them will stay in the bowl.

I get fruit into mine by mixing it with raw ground turkey and Minerall. They still don't like to eat fruit on its own, but will gobble it up if it tastes at all like meat.

Leslie

They are not supposed to eat " veggies "
They are not built to digest greens ,
They have no need to eat fruit as long as they are feeding on insects and will not normally eat any fruit untill they are almost 30" inches in length .

If you didn't feed him cat food he would eat crickets like he is suppose to and if he was eating his crickets he would be getting all his vitamins from the crickets and he would be getting enough calcium and d3 from the crickets being dusted to grow like he is suppose to .
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Stella St.Pierre
www.bluetegu.com

Does that not needing to eat fruit until they are that big apply to red tegus too? Everything i read about them says that they need fruit for a proper shed? Should i be trying to feed my juvi red tegu fruit or not?

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1.0 green iguana-Deitrich
1.1 Common Boa-Un-Named, Ursula
1.0 Ball Python-Anabell (go figure!)
1.0 Red Tegu-Uteg
1.0 Albino Cal King-Pig
0.1 Mexican Black King-Morticia
1.1 Bearded Dragons-Unnamed, Hanabil
1.0 Albino San Diego Gopher-Unnamed
0.1 Hermans tort-Esio
1.1 JCP-Milton, Medusa
1.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn-Unnamed
0.1 Snow Corn-Unnamed
1.0 Hypo Okeetee Corn-Unnamed
0.1 Motley Okeetee-Unnamed
1.0 Western Hoggie-Wyrm
0.0.1 Rose Hair Taruntla-Unnamed
2.0 Leopard Geckos-Reptar, Pogo
4.1 cats-Tucker,Poe,Abhib,Emerald, Felicity
0.1 Bullmastiff-Asha

If your baby is feeding soley on crickets and your crickets are well fed before you feed them to your tegu they will contain enough vitamins that you won't need to feed fruit .

Well fed baby Arg .reds and Arg .black and white normally will not eat fruit. If you feed a bunch of junk food this does not apply .

Stella St.Pierre

Blue Tegu (Ron St.Pierre)

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Stella St.Pierre
www.bluetegu.com

i feed gut-loaded crickets, superworms and pinkie mice. The reason I am concerned about the vitimins is that my Tegu doesn't seem to care much for the crickets. I want to keep his diet as varied as possible and don't want him eating only pinkies. What other insects should i try? and is there a way to supplement the pinks as well?
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1.0 green iguana-Deitrich
1.1 Common Boa-Un-Named, Ursula
1.0 Ball Python-Anabell (go figure!)
1.0 Red Tegu-Uteg
1.0 Albino Cal King-Pig
0.1 Mexican Black King-Morticia
1.1 Bearded Dragons-Unnamed, Hanabil
1.0 Albino San Diego Gopher-Unnamed
0.1 Hermans tort-Esio
1.1 JCP-Milton, Medusa
1.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn-Unnamed
0.1 Snow Corn-Unnamed
1.0 Hypo Okeetee Corn-Unnamed
0.1 Motley Okeetee-Unnamed
1.0 Western Hoggie-Wyrm
0.0.1 Rose Hair Taruntla-Unnamed
2.0 Leopard Geckos-Reptar, Pogo
4.1 cats-Tucker,Poe,Abhib,Emerald, Felicity
0.1 Bullmastiff-Asha

Try feeding Silkworms if you can find them they are very nutrisious also,Russ

and around here.. its not only the reptiles that have sharp tounges
=P

I don't think the comment was meant to be rude, but the point is important. Lots of people misfeed tegus and then they refuse to eat the proper diet.

When young, through juvinile.. dusted crickets, mealworms, pinkies, etc - no catfood. It's a tegu, not a cat. Little to no fruit.. it's not required, but if you wanna see if yours will eat a grape, or such, its fine as a treat but don't try to make it a regular diet.
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Rick
theTegu.com

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