veggies and fruits

[artist]

hey!!
i am new here, and was wondering if it would be wise to grow my own fruits and veggies if i was to get an arg. black and white. i was going to section off part of my yard that is sunny and put up a small greenhouse.
in it would be:
*cantaloupe and watermelon during the summer
*casaba melon during the winter
*Thompson grapes (seedless)
*blueberries
*raspberries
*blackberries
(veggies)
*okra
*green beans
*yellow squash during the summer
*collard greens
AND MAYBE...
? turnip greens
? radish
? dandelion greens
(not all pf this would be in the green house. some of it would be grown inside) and i was wondering if dubia roaches would be a better source of whole prey than crickets, and would it be worth it to have a SMALL breeding colony of ASF rats?-(african soft furred) oh, and all of these fruits and veggies would not only be for the tegu, it would be for our family to eat as well!
sorry-that was a lot!
any input is greatly appreciated!

 

[artist]

oh, and if you all could suggest any other fruits, veggies, or whole prey items that would be any more nutritious for a tegu, that would be great!-(i got these suggestions from this forum)
AND, would this be a good enough of a variety for the tegu?

 

[PuffDragon]

All those items are fine. However, you may find your efforts in vain because some tegus never come to accept fruits and veggies in their diets.

Here's a complete food list of items you could try: <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1353" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1353</a><!-- l -->

The dubia roaches are absolutely 100x better than crickets. They will definetly come in handy as most tegus love them. Depending on how many tegus or other reptiles you keep that eat rodents, an ASF colony could be useful as well. You will just have to decide what it best for your needs. I purchase my rodents online frozen.

 

[PinkPunisher]

You probably won't have very much luck with the tegu eating the greens unless you slurry it and mix it with turkey or some other type of ground meat in my opinion.

It's all worth a shot though right?! Alice my B&W loves her berries and little pieces of fruit/melon. Anything with a "new" colour she seems to like.

The roaches will save you a fortune once the tegu is larger. Most adult tegus just ignore crickets (I think?) but with roaches you could offer it them there whole life because of their size.

The rodents are really up to you. If you don't mind breeding them for the sole purpose of food then go for it. I don't think I could just because I might start to get attached to them. Not to mention killing them for the tegu, It'd break my widdle heart lol

Keep us all updated on how it goes though!

Also remember, no chemicals, you want all natural food.

Spencer

 

[Beasty]

Hi artist! :welc to Tegu Talk!
I'm an artist of sorts myself. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://myspace.com/gis" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://myspace.com/gis</a><!-- m --> = art
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://myspace.com/beastyvox" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://myspace.com/beastyvox</a><!-- m --> = music

At any rate, I have Dubias(and hissers) AND ASFs I breed for food. My single awake tegu, Belle(blue tegu) doesn't pay any attention to Dubias thus far but she's young and we're not done trying yet. My Ackies love them though. I have 2 extremes in hibernation and one hybrid(red/blue) soon to be in route to try them on yet.
While the Ackies ignore rodent offerings as much as Belle does Dubias, Belle LOVES her rodents, of any flavor. I give her rats and ASFs and also quail which she eats with gusto. If she's not stuffed from the day before she eats anything offered from the above listed items to turkey, shrimp, and chicken hearts. I'm thinking of offering some fruits soon just to see if there's any interest. Maybe I'll wait until they are all here and awake fully and established so as to not waste anything.
In short, raising any feeder item, be it animal or plant is a great idea as you know what has gone into it and how it was grown and the best part is it saves you lots of money on what can be an expensive hobby. Although some of us don't have the time to raise our own, it's a trade-off. How much is your time worth and will you be able or inclined to keep up with said project amongst all the rest of your life activities? That is the true question one should ask. If the answer is yes, grow or breed. If no, prepare to search out the bargains and spend. I do both. I try my best to never pay full price for anything.

 

[artist]

thank you sooooooooooooo much!!! (i may be getting a tegu around august!!!!) i am so excited, but i wanted to get an early start if i was to be growing fruits, veggies and breeeding roaches and ASF. thanks again!

 

[Beasty]

A head start on both would be an excellent idea! ASFs can take up to 4 months to grow to sexual maturity. I would suggest at least a trio or 4 even. I started with two pairs(was supposed to be 1.3) and they spit out 2 litters within 10 days of coming home with me! I wound up with an albino bloodline and a normal bloodline which is great as you can pair babies from each and get more diversity. I've held back a couple litters for more breeders so I can keep up with hungry 'gus! If you start with some now you could have a nice frozen stash by Aug.
On the Dubias, you'll most definitely want to get them going ASAP! They grow slowly, for bugs, taking about 3 months to grow to maturity. Research them well and the bigger colony you start with the better. I started with over 100 and now have upwards of 1000 and have been feeding out of them for quite a while.
Hissers would be another good one to get into but they grow and breed even slower. Hissers are a bit larger for when the tegu gets bigger.

As with anything you get into research as much as you can and be armed with info before you get into things. You may find something to change your mind about the whole thing, you never know.

 

[crimsonrazac]

I wish I could get soft furs In California (yay 200 posts :woot )

 

[Beasty]

:idea: Looking for ASFs or info?
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://asfrats.info/viewforum.php?f=8&sid=98f75618beba5f3ca91017541bc73337" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://asfrats.info/viewforum.php?f=8&s ... 541bc73337</a><!-- m -->
Might help.

 

[PinkPunisher]

I wish I could get soft furs In California (yay 200 posts :woot )

I wish roaches weren't illegal in Canada. All roaches except for the extremely invasive ones because they can't control them anymore like the Germans for example.

Spencer

 

[artist]

thank you all for your input!! it was very helpful! i liked that asf rat site! and i will be starting on breeding them and the dubia roaches as soon as i can.
oh, and Beasty, i liked your art! it is really neat!-(i am only 14 though, and i am currently working with rembrandt soft pastels, charcoal, watercolors, and acrylic. i like painting snakes-emerald tree boa, etc. and plants and other animals, and people!!! not as good as you, but i am working on it!!)

 

[artist]

oh, and i some of you might be wondering why on earth a 14 year old would get a tegu and if i would be able to care for it properly, my parents are fully aware that i am able to care for it and provide proper housing, food, and heating. i am fully aware of the size that this tegu could reach and i have space for a properly sized enclosure. i also would make enough money to provide for the needs of the tegu. i have also found an exotic pet vet that has had experience with large monitors and tegus. (this will not be my first reptile- i have had lots of experience with snakes, turtles, and many lizards. well, this was going to be my alternate to a female hogg island boa, but my parents said no because it is capable of reaching 6-7 feet. they liked the tegu ALOT better because of its personality and its calm demeanor.)
sorry, just wanted to clarify this...