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How important are veggies?

Acre

Member
Messages
40
Newbie here with two 3 month old Tegus of mixed parentage. They look like Argentines but with hints of red.
I just can't get them to eat veggies. I try to mix finally chopped chard or mustard greens into stuff they like and they find a way to shake almost all of it off. I'm supplementing twice a week with ZooMed Reptivite and their calcium supplement. They have mercury vapor heat/light. Is that adequate? The diet is superworms, mango, papaya, salmon and chopped up mice. I skin the mice over concerns of fur impaction and too much fat; a whole fat layer comes off with the skin.
 

Tiigu

Member
Messages
36
Get organic chicken or turkey, add some organ meat, as well as the veggies, fruit, and some dried bugs. put them in a food processor, blend them to the consistency of cat food purée. They’ll get the nutrients regardless, and the blended food is easier to tear chunks rather than trying to swallow whole.
Mice is fine as a part of the diet, but for my reptiles, it’s never been more than 30%. I’ve seen too many obese reptiles with rodent heavy diets.
 

AnimalNerd

Member
Messages
44
Seconding what Tiigu said. I 'smuggle' my veggies into ground turkey along with organ meat for my lil dude, and I've found he really goes for pumpkin puree just by itself. I also use the mega fruit and veggies blend reptilinks with quail eggs since those have veggies in them too. I give him something else from the links at least once a week bc I've had problems with constipation if he eats nothing but. Also make sure you're gut loading any bugs you're feeding them!
 

Acre

Member
Messages
40
Try reptilinks. You can order them with fruit, veg, bugs,roaches, quail eggs. All of my reptiles love them.
Thanks. I had partial success today. Blending without liquefying proved hard but I slit a peeled mouse, squeezed out the organs and viscera and then stuffed it with chard and kale. He's incredibly skilled at expelling the veggies through a combination of squeezing and shaking but I think if next time I stuff my "veggie wrap" front to back and wrap what's hanging out with the intestines I can nail it. This will get easier as he graduates to larger skinned mice.
 

Tiigu

Member
Messages
36
Thanks. I had partial success today. Blending without liquefying proved hard but I slit a peeled mouse, squeezed out the organs and viscera and then stuffed it with chard and kale. He's incredibly skilled at expelling the veggies through a combination of squeezing and shaking but I think if next time I stuff my "veggie wrap" front to back and wrap what's hanging out with the intestines I can nail it. This will get easier as he graduates to larger skinned mice.
Squeezing out the organs defeats the purpose of whole prey. Blending to a smooth pate is fine (again, think canned cat food consistency) and offer that. They are opportunistic feeders, so to them, purée is no different than extra squashed road kill. They will eat it. Skinning mice is just a lot of extra work for no reason.
 

Acre

Member
Messages
40
Squeezing out the organs defeats the purpose of whole prey. Blending to a smooth pate is fine (again, think canned cat food consistency) and offer that. They are opportunistic feeders, so to them, purée is no different than extra squashed road kill. They will eat it. Skinning mice is just a lot of extra work for no reason.
I figure the skinning is reducing the fat and maybe preventing constipation by eliminating the fur - but maybe not.
I'd thought to do a mix of whole prey and veggie wraps. Plus the squeezed out organs can be eaten separately. But I think I'll also have a go at those reptilinks, the ones specifically for Tegu's, and see if they are taken readily.
 

Tiigu

Member
Messages
36
I figure the skinning is reducing the fat and maybe preventing constipation by eliminating the fur - but maybe not.
I'd thought to do a mix of whole prey and veggie wraps. Plus the squeezed out organs can be eaten separately. But I think I'll also have a go at those reptilinks, the ones specifically for Tegu's, and see if they are taken readily.
I’ve had all sorts of reptiles, from geckos to snakes of all sorts to monitors, turtles, tegu, and more… I’ve never had an issue with rodent prey, other than a live mouse biting a snake and injuring it, and obesity from too high of rodent in the diet for insectivores (savanna monitors). Used sparingly, rodents are fine for the tegu, but it will process and eliminate the indigestible. If you have constipation problems with your tegu, add a tiny bit of fish oil to the diet or mix in fresh pumpkin. Tegus seem to love it. The healthiest diet is the best variety. My freezer is filled with different mixed raw meatballs. One fish and fruit, one turkey and veggies, one chicken hearts and fiber rich plants (dandelion greens, turnip greens, and kale). She gets a different meatball a day, and it keeps her excited about dinner, not knowing what option she’ll get. It also keeps her open to try new things. Today she ate a slice of banana with her turkey ball. All sorts of enrichment can be done with food. Best of all, it’s a great way to bond, knowing that you are providing the complete meal for your reptile, rather than just tossing a mouse at the lizard. I love the challenge of food prep. Looking for what’s on sale, comparing the list to approved nutritional guides, and making it myself. I only buy healthy food for my tegu, and it’s made me eat healthier too. I buy organic free range chicken for her, and I buy an extra pack for me. Chilean sea bass fillets? Two pounds instead of one. It’s a great mindset to be in. If I make too much for the ice cube tray, my dogs get a snack too. Total win!
 

AnimalNerd

Member
Messages
44
I’ve had all sorts of reptiles, from geckos to snakes of all sorts to monitors, turtles, tegu, and more… I’ve never had an issue with rodent prey, other than a live mouse biting a snake and injuring it, and obesity from too high of rodent in the diet for insectivores (savanna monitors). Used sparingly, rodents are fine for the tegu, but it will process and eliminate the indigestible. If you have constipation problems with your tegu, add a tiny bit of fish oil to the diet or mix in fresh pumpkin. Tegus seem to love it. The healthiest diet is the best variety. My freezer is filled with different mixed raw meatballs. One fish and fruit, one turkey and veggies, one chicken hearts and fiber rich plants (dandelion greens, turnip greens, and kale). She gets a different meatball a day, and it keeps her excited about dinner, not knowing what option she’ll get. It also keeps her open to try new things. Today she ate a slice of banana with her turkey ball. All sorts of enrichment can be done with food. Best of all, it’s a great way to bond, knowing that you are providing the complete meal for your reptile, rather than just tossing a mouse at the lizard. I love the challenge of food prep. Looking for what’s on sale, comparing the list to approved nutritional guides, and making it myself. I only buy healthy food for my tegu, and it’s made me eat healthier too. I buy organic free range chicken for her, and I buy an extra pack for me. Chilean sea bass fillets? Two pounds instead of one. It’s a great mindset to be in. If I make too much for the ice cube tray, my dogs get a snack too. Total win!
Knowing someone else makes weird raw meatballs with different veggies makes me happy. I was doing that before I could get reptilinks but I'm looking at adding them back in for some more variety. An ice cube tray is an ingenious way to portion it it out and I wish I'd thought of that sooner haha.
 

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