My friend, not the brightest of people, bought a tegu while she was in upstate NY because she thought it was cute. Then she came home, and told me about it. Then I told her they get about 4 feet long, sometimes even longer. she freaked out lol. So I checked it out, it looked very healthy and big. She said the tegu would be better in my care. So now I have a red tegu lol. He is an absolute animal! Ate 20 large crickets this morning in less than 10 minutes! I was wondering if anyone has a diet they follow for about a 3-5 month old red tegu. I was thinking crickets, then pinkies, as treats, bananas strawberries and hard boiled eggs?(not the yolks). He's in a 50 gallon tank right now, humidity about 55, basking temp 110 and cool side 80. At night it gets no lower than 73. Substrate is mulch mixed with sand dirt and topsoil. He's very active and VERY STRONG for such a little guy.

At under a year old, you can disregard the veggies fruits and large prey animals.
Your staple meat food should be ground turkey and insects, I get a lot for cheap at Costco (turkey, not insects). Remember to all ways supplement it with calcium powder and once a week with multivitamin.

Whole prey
Captive raised insects
Crickets
Roaches
Mealworms
Super worms
Wax worms
Silk worms
Horn worms
Earth worms
Snails
Crayfish
Pinkie mice
Quail hatchlings
Baby chickens
Mice
Rats
Hamster
Gerbil
Feeder frogs/toads/lizards

Meat
Soft-boiled or scrambled eggs
Raw meats: turkey, lamb, venison, fowl, beef
Fresh fish fillets
Organ meats: liver, hearts, gizzards
Sea food: Crab, Scallops, Shrimp

Fruits
Tropical fruits: Mango, Papaya
Melons: cantaloupe, honeydew, casaba, watermelon
Bananas- in moderation, peels can be fed if grown organic
Apples- in moderation
Cherries
Grapes- Thompson seedless; green and red
Concord grapes higher in oxalates
Tomatoes- high in oxalates**
Berries:
Strawberries- high in oxalates** and goitrogens* so in moderation
blueberries, raspberries, & blackberries
Figs -fresh or dried
Dates
Kiwi
Peaches- high in goitrogens*
Pears- high in oxalates**
Pumpkin

Veggies
Acorn squash, butternut squash
Kabocha squash
Parsnip
Alfalfa
Okra
Green beans
Green peas, snap peas
Leeks
Prickly pear cactus

Dark leafy greens like:
Chicory greens (Escarole)
Collard greens
Dandelion greens
Endive
Mustard greens
Turnip greens

Spaghetti squash
Bell peppers
Rapini
Zucchini
Yellow squash
Radish
Yucca root- cassava- tough, should be shredded
Asparagus
Broccoli in moderation, high in oxalates**
Beets and Beet greens in moderation, high in oxalates**
Carrots and tops in moderation, high in oxalates**
Bok choy - in moderation, high in goitrogens*
Brussels sprouts- high in goitrogens*
Parsley- good source of calcium
Cabbage- in moderation, high in goitrogens*
Cauliflower- in moderation, high in goitrogens*
Coriander- in moderation, high in oxalates**
Rutabaga
Sweet potato- feed rarely
Corn- feed rarely or never, low in Ca and high in Phosphorus
Spinach- feed rarely or never, high in oxalates and goitrogens
Swiss chard- feed rarely or never, high in oxalates**
Lettuces -low in nutrition
Celery- low in nutrition
Cucumber- low in nutrition
Flowering plants like- Nasturtiums, Dahlia or hibiscus, just be careful of pesticides and herbicides
Lentils-cooked
Cooked pasta or rice
Whole wheat bread

I would not use ground turkey as a staple food. Instead use mice. They are a complete package nutrition wise compared to turkey which is lacking.
Always best to stick with whole prey items.

__________________
Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

Yep, mice work too, but then at 40 inches, my girl would eat 2-3 full grown mice a day. A little too costly for me. Definitely a good part of the diet though. She probably gets 3 mice a week.

Also talipia fillets from costco are good as well as smelt and herring whole. But, i have to go to a Mexican supermarket for those. (cheap though)