Like other pet reptiles, tegus are prone to obesity, which usually happens when they are fed too often or receive too many rodents, fatty meats, fruit, or human food. For safety’s sake, always offer whole prey slightly smaller than their skull. This is especially important with whole prey items tegus don’t really chew their food, and can choke if given something too big. Portion size should be about the same size as the tegu’s skull. Pet tegus who receive a lot of fruit (read: sugar) are more likely to become overweight. This is because wild tegus are much more active than pet tegus, and they use the sugars in fruit for extra energy. You may have noticed that I recommend less fruit than tegus are reported to eat in the wild. In other words, Colombian tegus can continue to receive the same diet as when they were younger, but Argentine tegus should start to receive more vegetables as their bodies switch from rapid growth to maintenance mode. Colombian tegus are carnivores (90% protein, 10% vegetables).Argentine tegus are omnivores (60% protein, 30% vegetables, 10% fruit).In captivity, use these proportions as your rule of thumb: Juveniles (and we can assume that Colombian tegus are similar) ate approximately 50% invertebrates, 20% vegetation, and 20% vertebrates (small animals). Due to the smaller size of a young tegu, insects can and should make up most of the protein offered.Īccording to a survey of tegu stomach contents, adult Argentine tegus were found to eat about 30-60% plant material (mostly fruit), 15-40% invertebrates, and 20-30% vertebrates. For the first year of life, both require a high-protein diet of meat and insects to fuel rapid growth - about 90% protein and 10% vegetables, with occasional fruit. One of the primary differences between Argentine tegus and Colombian tegus is what they eat.