AM I FEEDING TO MUCH

[mr.tegu]

When i first got my hatchling tegu in early october i fed him/her once a day every day,crickets,mealworms,waxworms,grass hoppers. After about 3 weeks i started feeding him/her ground turkey,boiled eggs,pinkie mice,ect, I was still feeding once a day everyday these food items. I then found this web-site {tegu talk} and i read that young tegus should be fed as much as they will consume in the first year of their lives. I started keeping the food bowl full all day long of turkey and pinky mice with eggs and the tegu has doubled in size and weight and sheds everyother week now, He/she also sleeps alot more to. HE /SHE is around 18 or 20 inches long and about 3 in wide and like i said has doubled in size. My enclosure is a 7'by3'by3' hot side 86 to 88 basking 108 to 112 cool side 72 and 74 humidity is around 58 to 65.

 

[mr.tegu]

Just to add to my question my tegu was about 9 inches when i got it. It is now around 18 to 20 inches.Thats a growth rate of 1 inch plus a week, maybe more because im under estimating its size a little i think.

 

[DaveDragon]

How old is yours now?

I feed our hatchlings twice a day. Crickets in the morning and turkey in the afternoon. Pinkies once a week as a treat. They're 17" to 18" long at almost 8 weeks old, growing at least an inch per week.

 

[mr.tegu]

mine eats about 6 pinkies a week, i was under the impression that pinkies were a good complete meal. Eveyday my tegu gets 1 pinkie mouse and some ground turkey,The next day he gets boiled egg and a small amount of tegu canned food.next day ground turkey and 2 pinkie mice, and so on, Thats kinda my feeding routine. Is this a good diet for a hatchling?

 

[mr.tegu]

im going to assume that my tegu is between 10-12 weeks old i didnt ask when the clutch hatched but it was only 8 or 9 inches when i got it. i got it around the 1st week or two of october this year 08. Im also waiting for clues as to weather its a male or female, how much longer do i have to wait?

 

[DaveDragon]

mine eats about 6 pinkies a week, i was under the impression that pinkies were a good complete meal. Eveyday my tegu gets 1 pinkie mouse and some ground turkey,The next day he gets boiled egg and a small amount of tegu canned food.next day ground turkey and 2 pinkie mice, and so on, Thats kinda my feeding routine. Is this a good diet for a hatchling?

Pinkies are high in fat and low in calcium.

 

[DaveDragon]

im going to assume that my tegu is between 10-12 weeks old i didnt ask when the clutch hatched but it was only 8 or 9 inches when i got it. i got it around the 1st week or two of october this year 08. Im also waiting for clues as to weather its a male or female, how much longer do i have to wait?

They normally hatch in July but you never know. He will have to me over 24" to possibly see bumps or spurs at the Cloaca.

 

[mr.tegu]

does size at hatching have anything to do with gender,like bigger ones possibly being males versus smaller babies being females

 

[DaveDragon]

does size at hatching have anything to do with gender,like bigger ones possibly being males versus smaller babies being females

I've been wonder about that myself. I'm wondering about the biggest ones being male.

 

[mr.tegu]

I wonder if bobby would have that answer for us because mine was the galiath of the clutch

 

[DaveDragon]

This is the Monitor forum. Is this a regular B&W Tegu or an Extreme?? I'll move it to the proper forum.

 

[mr.tegu]

argentine black and white

 

[DaveDragon]

This has been moved to the B&W forum where more people will see it.

 

[ashesc212]

How old is yours now?

I feed our hatchlings twice a day. Crickets in the morning and turkey in the afternoon. Pinkies once a week as a treat. They're 17" to 18" long at almost 8 weeks old, growing at least an inch per week.

Not to thread-hijack but what size pinkies?

 

[DaveDragon]

Not to thread-hijack but what size pinkies?

I've got a bunch of small pinkies that they swallow easily. Regular pinkies should be no problem.