Just got a 2' red tegu

[Toby_H]

I've read a lot of opinions and have participated on the forum hearing experiences of others... but I've only kept one Tegu for a year now so I don't have a personal opinion on this yet... was simply sharing the diversity that I've read...

I have quite consistently read that young Tegus rarely accept fruits/vegetables… but adults do so much more readily… I’ve offered my Tegu a few veggies and a couple fruits and she has never shown them interest… She is 14 months old (hibernated last winter)…

I’ve yet to draw a personal opinion on the fruit & veggie concept… but I do know I’ve talked to keepers of old healthy Tegus that do as well as keepers of old healthy Tegus that don’t…

I have recently read of several experienced keepers putting Cod Oil on food which contains a few vitamins and also helps with shedding... I’ve adding it to my grocery shopping list but have yet to pick any up…

 

[coura]

Vegetable matter its very important in all lizards diets even carnivorus ones like monitors, they would get criticaly important nutrients from the gutts of the animals they eat and so do tegus, apart from directly eating veggys themselfes. The easiest way is like I already told you to ground up all mixed together, turkey, melon, collard greens,etc. And ofer it as first dish when your lizard is starving. Then its just rutine. Gutt loaded big buggs like grasshopers and superworms are also very important food sorces

 

[AW2EOD]

Check the pics again, a section of the backyard is fenced off as a pen for him. I live in Southern California as well, so weather conditions are ideal year 'round.

I didn't start off with a baby because this one was free. Had you bothered to read the post instead of just remarking on the title you'd have seen that.

I'm assuming you're talking about the area with what appears to be a chicken coop and maybe 2' - 3' tall wire fencing?

He'll be out of that within his first 15 minutes, in the yard.

If he gets bored of climbing the wire fence, he'll just turn around and climb the wooden fence and pop over into your neighbors yard.

You need a fully secure, enclosed area. Bottom, sides and a top.

 

[Toby_H]

Here is a link to an outdoor cage building walk through by an experienced Tegu breeder…

http://www.freewebs.com/twoteals/enclosuresandhowto.htm

Predatory birds are a thread to Tegus without a top on their enclosure…

I’ve read elsewhere that plywood 4’ tall is a safe way to box in a Tegu, less is not… screen is not…

 

[dirtyblacksocks]

Mine takes grapes and blueberries without any problems so I guess I'm lucky?

The outdoor enclosure isn't finished yet, you can see some plywood sitting on the outside that's going to be a part of boxing the enclosure in, and it used to be a rabbit hutch so there are a lot of burrows already pre-dug for it to hang out in.

 

[Mike D]

if yours is a B&W he prob wont take much as far as fruits and veggies go. but with his being a red his will most likely go for fruits easier. reds NEED fruits in there diets. many of the top breeders will agree with that. start them young, and build up from there.

 

[mattison187]

cut slits in your tegus meat and pack it full of fruits and veggies. i hear of alot of ppl duing this, your best bet is join tegu talk or another tegu forum and research the hell out of it.