Feeding regiment

[BrunswickBoas]

Hey all. I am probably jumping the gun but I just want to make sure I am well prepared. I am getting two tegus from Bobby's 09 clutch this summer and I have a couple of questions about food. I have seen the food list sticky (which is very helpful) but my questions deal more with method.
1. With hatchlings what portion size is appropriate? Do you feed until they are satisfied or allot a certain amount? Frequency?
2. I have read that all of the meat be served raw, is it alright to buy frozen pinkies, chicks, etc after they are thawed? Should I add calcium powder to that if so where can I get the calcium?
3. Is it best to feed insects live?
4. With beef and chicken does it need to be certain cuts or types?

If you can't tell these will be my first tegus. Thanks for the help.

 

[omgtaylorg]

for portions they will stop eating when they are full, I usually fill a plate or bowl up with ground turkey if thats what im feeding him that day and he will stop when hes ready, for frozen rats and chicks, let them thaw out and then its ready to go, no need for calcium powders on a rat at all, they have everything the tegu needs, as for insects, i sprinkle calcium on crickets, worms, etc...u can find this at ANY petshop locally, and yes I fed insects live, but those only last so long, once they are too big it would take way too many crickets and worms to fill them up. But remember, live food only leads to more food agression, so thats for you to decide, ive never tried dead insects though and mine isnt agressive. And for the beef and chicken, you can use tons of diff kinds Ive never seen anything saying a certain kind isnt good, but raw is probably best...beef liver as well. They will eat anything you give them most of the time.

 

[BrunswickBoas]

Thanks that was really helpful. So is it best to feed on thing per meal (just turkey or just pinkies) and rotate each night or offer a variety of food at each sitting? Also as far as the ground meats would lean work or do they need the fat in their diet from fattier meat? Thanks again!

 

[omgtaylorg]

Well during the winter months they may not eat very much if at all, but during the spring and summer they can eat eat eat like a garbage disposal, some people give them breakfast lunch and dinner, just depends on how much your tegu can eat. You cant overfeed a tegu really, they havent been known for overweight issues. And as they are growing, fat protein and calcium are good for their development, rats tend to have more fat than mice, and just more meat to them in general, i would always feed rats>mice just bc of their makeup. And it all really just depends on the feeding a variety, sometimes Ill do like ground turkey and some super worms, or some eggs with ground turkey, than a rat the next day, than crickets, you can just use as much variety as possible...all depends on what the tegu will eat and what you have available. Like i said they will eat anything and everything. I would use more fat when they are younger and once they are older like over the one year mark i would start using more lean meats, but ground turkey really is the best thing and they LOVE it, no need to drift off much into ground beef and stuff like that.

 

[PuffDragon]

Does anybody have any information on the foraging habits of wild tegus?