A balanced and varied diet is key
One food that you should feed to your tegu for the entirety of its life is a raw turkey and chicken mix. You will be able to shape the raw meat into meatballs and then place them separately into the freezer. You will then want to take out portions as your tegu needs to be fed (raw meat will go bad if left out and thawed). Try to take out enough so that you can feed your tegu for a few days at a time. After you allow a portion of the meats to thaw you will want to place half of the turkey and half of the chicken together and mix them well with a good calcium/vitamin D3 supplement and keep this mixture sealed in the fridge until you need to use it. You can also add in a small amount of cod liver oil and beef liver to this mixture in order to ensure vitamin A and vitamin D absorption. You will want to use about 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil per pound of ground mix and you will want to use about 1/3 the amount of beef liver per serving of turkey/chicken mix. Once feeding time rolls around, you will need to blend the part of the mixture you are giving with mashed lightly cooked vegetables and raw fruit (always varying the type of fruits and vegetables you use), make them into small, bite sized balls and serve with extra fruits and vegetables on the side. Think of this as your tegu's main dish and serve other foods as a side to complement it.
As your tegu ages it will have slightly different dietary needs. Always make sure when feeding mice or rats that they are frozen (and then thawed) and not live, as live food can encourage your tegu to develop a prey drive. Little fingers can look a lot like moving animals. To thaw your frozen meal simply place it in a cup of warm water until it is fully thawed. NEVER place frozen mice or rats in the microwave unless you feel like cleaning up an exploded rodent. Mice and rats will come in all different sizes and stages of life, ranging from pinkies all the way up to adults, the size of your tegu at its different stages of life will dictate which size mice or rat you will feed. Also, you will want to feed your tegu food in a bowl or on a large flat surface so they do not ingest any of the substrate which can cause impactions.
NOTES:
Photograph: Adult Argentine Black and White Tegu
As your tegu ages it will have slightly different dietary needs. Always make sure when feeding mice or rats that they are frozen (and then thawed) and not live, as live food can encourage your tegu to develop a prey drive. Little fingers can look a lot like moving animals. To thaw your frozen meal simply place it in a cup of warm water until it is fully thawed. NEVER place frozen mice or rats in the microwave unless you feel like cleaning up an exploded rodent. Mice and rats will come in all different sizes and stages of life, ranging from pinkies all the way up to adults, the size of your tegu at its different stages of life will dictate which size mice or rat you will feed. Also, you will want to feed your tegu food in a bowl or on a large flat surface so they do not ingest any of the substrate which can cause impactions.
- Hatchlings (feed once or twice a day as much food as they want over the course of an hour, starting with a small portion and working up)
- Yearling (feed once a day, as much food as they want over the course of an hour, starting with a small portion and working up)
- Sub Adult (feed once every day or two)
- Adult (feed once every day or two)
- List of fruits and vegetables that are acceptable for your tegu
NOTES:
- When feeding eggs, keep the shells on
- Feed rodents sparingly, they are very high in fat
- You will need to dust calcium with vitamin D3 on all of your live foods (worms, crickets, etc). You should do this for 3/4 of your feedings to help prevent Metabolic Bone Disease (see "Should I Watch For Certain Illnesses?" tab for more details)
- You can add in bone meal as a natural source for calcium and vitamin D3
- Your tegu can become obese, so do not overfeed. Keep in mind they are a heavier built lizard so they will look a little chunky, but not fat
Photograph: Adult Argentine Black and White Tegu