Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got about a 6 month old tegu and he eats about 6 pinkies one day and the a big pattie of liver and turkey the next, then switch back to pinkies and do it over again.

So last night i heated up a frozen mouse which was a bit smaller than the tegu himself and he took it and swallowed it whole and wanted another.

Is it ok to feed him that big of prey? or should I stick with a few smaller ones instead of just one large one. Only thing I can think of from him benifiting from the large ones is the high amount of calcium compaired to the pinkies.

Thanks in advance.

PS I was still feeding him pinkes because I have 400 more to get rid of.

>>I got about a 6 month old tegu and he eats about 6 pinkies one day and the a big pattie of liver and turkey the next, then switch back to pinkies and do it over again.
>>
>>So last night i heated up a frozen mouse which was a bit smaller than the tegu himself and he took it and swallowed it whole and wanted another.
>>
>>Is it ok to feed him that big of prey? or should I stick with a few smaller ones instead of just one large one. Only thing I can think of from him benifiting from the large ones is the high amount of calcium compaired to the pinkies.
>>
>>Thanks in advance.
>>
>>PS I was still feeding him pinkes because I have 400 more to get rid of.

Oh my! That's a lot of pinkies! The larger mice are better in regards to calcium content. I use the size of my tegu's head to gauge what to feed them. I choose sizes that area about as wide as their head, maybe a bit smaller. They can always take larger prey and either swallow it or rip it, but I'm not into cleaning that mess!

First i would like to say that as long as it is eating it without any choking or problems getting it down it should be ok. My Female is a little less than a year old, shes already 2 and a half feet long and shes eating on small rats, she still remains a little hungry afterwards but after she drinks a bowl of water she tends to lose that hunger haha. another helful tip for ya is if u want your tegu to grow faster dont hibernate her, they can still be bred and are still just as healthy but its proven that they can grow 4ft in one year under constant heat and no hibernation. anyways good luck with your teggy! any questions jus lemme know ive been handling tegus for awhile.

-Nick
Reaper Reptiles

Unfortunately, you as a keeper don't really have any option here. If your tegu wants to hibernate, it'll hibernate. Regardless of the temps, light cycle, etc...

>>Unfortunately, you as a keeper don't really have any option here. If your tegu wants to hibernate, it'll hibernate. Regardless of the temps, light cycle, etc...

well there are many cases of tegus that live their entire lives not hibernating, still breed healthy babies, and are perfectly healthy animals, mine are living proof, and the breeder i originally purchased them from doesnt hibernate his either, and he originally got his from agama international, and mine doesnt hibernate because shes kept at a constant temp everyday, and it drops about 15-20 degrees at night, and that is an effect of me as a keeper
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REAPER REPTILES