Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've noticed that a lot of folks on the list add bone meal as as supplement to ground meat for their tegus. Two questions:

1. What kind of bone meal is this, and where do you get it? To judge by the label, it sounds like the stuff in a gardening center would kill a lizard (nitrogen, phosphate, all that).

2. With proper supplements, can mice be omitted from a tegu's diet? We feed our young 35" Argentine B&W a varying diet of chicken, turkey, ground beef, tomatoes, cantaloupe, green beans (he loves them!), and an occasional banana, always dusted with Miner-All. So far, he seems healthy, but I've heard that a weekly mouse provides nutrients he can't get elsewhere.

Jonathan

It sounds like you are doing awesome with feeding! Yes, the bonemeal found in garden centers will kill them! The bonemeal people here are referring too is sold in some health food stores. Though around me (Mich) it is difficult to find.
In our San Diego Zoo diet we will mix in the rep-cal Vit D3 supplement as well as rep-cal's herpevite. You need to be carefull because some sumplements can create a counter balance and deplete and/or cause calcium not to be proken down. The rep mineral supplement is made so this does not occur.

All in all it sounds like you are doing awesome and can actually teach others on the tegu diet. Oh one other not.........about the mouse. It won't hurt, though mice really do not carry the total nutritional value needed by tegus. They can be used as a treat though.........I do not feed ours mice or rat pups, but would highly suggested thawed frozen ones and not live.

The male w/ the regrown tail is at another home now......

Take it easy!

Greg