View Full Version : sav vs tegu feeding behavior
Some background. I have had my sav for 8 months and my tegu for exactly 1 month now. The tegu grew from 5 inches to 2 feet in a month. My sav took longer than that.
I've noticed some interesting differences b/t how they feed. The sav pretty much as one simple strategy. Kill(if needed) and swallow the food whole no matter the size.
The tegu on the other hand will swallow if the item is small, but any item that could seem challenging, he would employ a different technique that the sav never uses. Firstly it seems the tegu has a much sharper set of teeth. He would bite onto a small part of the dead animal, fling it left and right very violently a few times, it's a very fast fling exerting lots of force on the skin of the food item. He would do this repeatedly until the skin of the dead animal breaks and guts show. Then he would eat what ever is coming out, and repeat the process over and over again until the animal is just skin and bones. This process can take up to 25 minutes. If the tegu is still hungry after, then he'll swallow the remaining animal from head first.
Just thought I'd share this interesting observation!
formica
11-07-13, 01:17 PM
5'' to 2' in a month! wow, that is some serious growth, is that normal for a tegu?
My Sav tends to try and swallow everything in one go, but when something is a bit big he's got a few techniques for dealing with it
First he shakes it about violently, as you described with your tegu, works great on egg shells, but not much else, he seemed to learn pretty quickly that it only worked to break down egg shells so doesnt do it for other things anymore
another technique is holding the item in his mouth, and scrapping it along a log or piece of bark, sometimes this breaks the item into 2 pieces, often it doesnt, but he's quite persistent
lastly, he uses his feet - now, tbh, i'm not entirely sure if he actually was using his feet, but i've seen him a few times with his feet on a piece of food, and he seems to tear a bit off, before finishing off what he's standing on - he may just be standing on it and completely oblivious, time will tell if its something he's learning to do and perfect, or just an occasionally useful blunder with his feet
i've not tried feeding him anything particularly large, might see how he gets on with a whole large rat at some point....i expect that he will make a huge amount of mess haha....hopefully he wont try and swallow it hole :o
thinkbig317
11-07-13, 01:23 PM
My sav swallows EVERYTHING whole as well no matter what.
Yeah 2 feet in a month is fast! But gotta remember the tegu's tail is almost 2x longer than the body, whereas the sav's tail and body is about 1 to 1.
Yes the sav seems to use his claws to claw the prey if it's alive, trying to rip it. The tegu doesn't use his front feet for eating at all it seems. Also the sav doesn't bother chewing much, the tegu seems to chew a lot more.
side note: tegu uses his back feet to scratch his head or get rid of shed skin or anything irritating him. Sav only uses the environment to scrape things off.
murrindindi
11-07-13, 05:49 PM
Yeah 2 feet in a month is fast! But gotta remember the tegu's tail is almost 2x longer than the body, whereas the sav's tail and body is about 1 to 1.
Yes the sav seems to use his claws to claw the prey if it's alive, trying to rip it. The tegu doesn't use his front feet for eating at all it seems. Also the sav doesn't bother chewing much, the tegu seems to chew a lot more.
side note: tegu uses his back feet to scratch his head or get rid of shed skin or anything irritating him. Sav only uses the environment to scrape things off.
Hi, how are you measuring the Tegu, no way would it have grown by 19 inches in one month, that would mean from hatchling to a 4 feet+ adult would only take between 2 and 3 months!? :suspicious:
Hi, how are you measuring the Tegu, no way would it have grown by 19 inches in one month, that would mean from hatchling to a 4 feet+ adult would only take between 2 and 3 months!? :suspicious:
haha I measured it by seeing it walk to the top of the wood plank and it's stretched out straight laying there, it's head is at the tip of the top of the wood plank, and I marked where the tail end was, and measured it with a tape measure. This is nowhere near adult size though, the tegu should reach 4 feet at adulthood. where again, the tail is 2x the body, so the body would be like 1.3 feet. Right now his body is like 8 inches, most of his length is tail.
Grendel
11-10-13, 05:00 AM
This story is BS.
Grendel
11-10-13, 05:04 AM
p.s. my tegu grew FAST... went for 6 inches to 10 inches and thick tailed in a month, he's also a very good hunter, e.g. digging for warms that the eye can't see. My sav doesn't seem as good at digging for food:
This is your other post that is more believable.
This story is BS.
Yah you are BS, gtfo of here dip ****.
murrindindi
11-11-13, 02:11 PM
Yah you are BS, gtfo of here dip ****.
Hi, if you`re going to grossly exaggerate the progress expect to be criticised, because it just causes confusion and we surely don`t need any more of that. They do NOT grow even remotely close to 19 inches in 4 weeks (not even one third of that)!? :no:
No need for the insults either sport, the more experienced among us have been trying to help you help your animals over the last few months...
Yah you are BS, gtfo of here dip ****.
Tbh I'm guessing the fact that u got completely over defensive to that comment I'm going to agree with the op's post and say I think u are lying or exaggerating the growth rate of your tegu .....
smy_749
11-11-13, 02:40 PM
Its simply not possible. No guessing necessary
formica
11-11-13, 02:43 PM
i'm begining to think that aggressive temperaments are a common trait amongst monitor owners :confused:
you lot could ask some more questions...rather than that publicly calling someone a liar.
...there are precedents for extra rapid growth in nature, gigantism, hormone imbalances, metabolism imbalances, etc... perhaps we can figure out whats going on before being so judgmental :)
Its simply not possible. No guessing necessary
Sarcasm is lost over txt :)
i'm begining to think that aggressive temperaments are a common trait amongst monitor owners :confused:
you lot could ask some more questions...rather than that publicly calling someone a liar.
...there are precedents for extra rapid growth in nature, gigantism, hormone imbalances, metabolism imbalances, etc... perhaps we can figure out whats going on before being so judgmental :)
Yet u ignore the op comment to Grendel ??
I'm no expert but u can keep a tegu on horse manure and pump feed it and have it in molten lava and it will not grow 19 inchs in 1 month ... Gigantism or not ..
I would not say I'm aggressive just a realist and being on forum for a long period of time gives me a lil bit of an insight into such exaggeration methinks ....
I would loved to b proved wrong and that the tegu did actually grow that much but I find it highly improbable ... More chance of me winning the lottery ... Maybe people are just saying what others are thinking ... Freedom of speech and all that
Peace
smy_749
11-11-13, 03:01 PM
No questions to ask. No need to ask em. Its not even in the right ball park for a months growth. Not even 2 or 3 months growth. Impossible, period.
formica
11-11-13, 03:05 PM
Yet u ignore the op comment to Grendel ??
I'm no expert but u can keep a tegu on horse manure and pump feed it and have it in molten lava and it will not grow 19 inchs in 1 month ... Gigantism or not ..
I would not say I'm aggressive just a realist and being on forum for a long period of time gives me a lil bit of an insight into such exaggeration methinks ....
I would loved to b proved wrong and that the tegu did actually grow that much but I find it highly improbable ... More chance of me winning the lottery ... Maybe people are just saying what others are thinking ... Freedom of speech and all that
Peace
the OP's response was pretty much what I would expect to see towards someone who simply offers an expletive as a reply.
I did not ignore it, I thought it was perfectly justified. If someone wants to offer an intelligent remark, and they get a similar response, then thats a diffrent thing alltogether, but as a response to an expletive derision, no, i dont think it was unwarranted.
and my comment was not directly straight at you btw, despite it occurring under your post.
formica
11-11-13, 03:06 PM
No questions to ask. No need to ask em. Its not even in the right ball park for a months growth. Not even 2 or 3 months growth. Impossible, period.
I can think of several questions, but as I dont know anything whatsoever about tegus, I dont really see the point, it'll only end up with even more rudeness.
Why don't you guys ask for a photo with a measuring tape next to it? Oh right, then after you see the photo you would say one of the following:
- Where's the measurements from last month to prove he was only 5 inches
- That photo is not real
- Prove that you only owned the tegu for 1 month
Or you would respond, if it were true you would have posted a photo already.
poison123
11-11-13, 03:09 PM
I have a pretty good question.
Can we get pics? :p
the OP's response was pretty much what I would expect to see towards someone who simply offers an expletive as a reply.
I did not ignore it, I thought it was perfectly justified. If someone wants to offer an intelligent remark, and they get a similar response, then thats a diffrent thing alltogether, but as a response to an expletive derision, no, i dont think it was unwarranted.
and my comment was not directly straight at you btw, despite it occurring under your post.
I think that if the certain someone had nothing to hide or prove than his response would if had more of a air of rise above the bs remark and just prove such Flanderers wrong or rise universe it but the fact if the complete French lesson is maybe a tad too defensive ..? No ? I am well aware u probably didn't mean just me but I am merely giving my point if view over to u ...
I can think of several questions, but as I dont know anything whatsoever about tegus, I dont really see the point, it'll only end up with even more rudeness.
Ask these questions ... Ask away freedom of speech and Rudeness is to b avoided by all I'm sure ...
formica
11-11-13, 03:14 PM
Why don't you guys ask for a photo with a measuring tape next to it? Oh right, then after you see the photo you would say one of the following:
- Where's the measurements from last month to prove he was only 5 inches
- That photo is not real
- Prove that you only owned the tegu for 1 month
Or you would respond, if it were true you would have posted a photo already.
i'm intrigued tbh, would like to see pics myself
personally I feel there is room for error in measurements not taken with an actual tape measure, I have no reason to feel that this is an intentional lie or exaggeration on your part - and this is what annoys me about some of the replies by people on this forum. but hey...its got enough good going for it for me to still be here lol
smy_749
11-11-13, 03:14 PM
I can think of several questions, but as I dont know anything whatsoever about tegus, I dont really see the point, it'll only end up with even more rudeness.
So why are you arguing?
Why don't you guys ask for a photo with a measuring tape next to it? Oh right, then after you see the photo you would say one of the following:
- Where's the measurements from last month to prove he was only 5 inches
- That photo is not real
- Prove that you only owned the tegu for 1 month
Or you would respond, if it were true you would have posted a photo already.
Only u knw the truth ..... We can make are minds up for ourselves .....
U have no need to prove yourself right as it's your animal and people will still help regardless .... It's a forum .... Opinions will always clash
So why are you arguing?
Debate .... Go
formica
11-11-13, 03:43 PM
So why are you arguing?
I wasnt arguing, I was suggesting that people could ask questions rather than being rude and dismissive - admitidly a difficult task for ssnakess varanid section.
murrindindi
11-11-13, 03:46 PM
Why don't you guys ask for a photo with a measuring tape next to it? Oh right, then after you see the photo you would say one of the following:
- Where's the measurements from last month to prove he was only 5 inches
- That photo is not real
- Prove that you only owned the tegu for 1 month
Or you would respond, if it were true you would have posted a photo already.
Hi, the problem I have with your "progess report" is that in one post you mentioned the animal was 5 inches long the previous month but you didn`t state whether that was a ToL or SV?
If it were the SV and the tail is approx twice that length that would make it around 15 inches TOL at acquisition, and in a previous post you claim the SV is 8 inches after one month (the same principal applies making the ToL around 24 inches), still a growth in 4 weeks of 9 inches (I suggest that`s unheard of)?
May I ask what exactly you were feeding and what the ambient and surface temps were/are and how does the Tegu`s metabolism compare to a Varanid of similar size (your Savannah monitor, for instance)? Thanks!
murrindindi
11-11-13, 04:02 PM
i'm intrigued tbh, would like to see pics myself
personally I feel there is room for error in measurements not taken with an actual tape measure, I have no reason to feel that this is an intentional lie or exaggeration on your part - and this is what annoys me about some of the replies by people on this forum. but hey...its got enough good going for it for me to still be here lol
Hi, "room for error"? Not being able to tell the difference between growing around (usually) 2 to 3+ inches per month and growing NINETEEN inches in that time is some misjudgement! Obviously an elastic band might possibly account for the "error" if that`s what the OP used to measure the Tegu? :confused: :)
murrindindi
11-11-13, 04:17 PM
[QUOTE]: nepoez; p.s. my tegu grew FAST... went for 6 inches to 10 inches and thick tailed in a month, he's also a very good hunter, e.g. digging for warms that the eye can't see. My sav doesn't seem as good at digging for food:
[QUOTE]
CLEARLY the lizard did NOT grow by 19 inches in one month, there is a photo attached to the above post...
[QUOTE]: nepoez; p.s. my tegu grew FAST... went for 6 inches to 10 inches and thick tailed in a month, he's also a very good hunter, e.g. digging for warms that the eye can't see. My sav doesn't seem as good at digging for food:
[QUOTE]
CLEARLY the lizard did NOT grow by 19 inches in one month, there is a photo attached to the above post...
Where At ? :cool:
murrindindi
11-11-13, 05:48 PM
[QUOTE=murrindindi;883180][QUOTE]: nepoez; p.s. my tegu grew FAST... went for 6 inches to 10 inches and thick tailed in a month, he's also a very good hunter, e.g. digging for warms that the eye can't see. My sav doesn't seem as good at digging for food:
Where At ? :cool:
Sorry, it`s on page 2 of the Varanid forum, the thread is titled "Baby tegu" by nepoez... Check out the photos, too.
It`s sad that so many keepers seem to deliberately exaggerate their animal`s growth rate, it helps noone because the info is inaccurate and leads to more confusion. My wish is that if "they" cannot get an accurate measurement make that plain in the report (e.g "it`s just a rough guess").
[QUOTE=V87;883183][QUOTE=murrindindi;883180]
Sorry, it`s on page 2 of the Varanid forum, the thread is titled "Baby tegu" by nepoez... Check out the photos, too.
It`s sad that so many keepers seem to deliberately exaggerate their animal`s growth rate, it helps noone because the info is inaccurate and leads to more confusion. My wish is that if "they" cannot get an accurate measurement make that plain in the report (e.g "it`s just a rough guess").
Thanks:D
And boom the mystery is solved ..... Not cool not cool
Fibbing is wrong
haha this is funny. but whatever, I say what I feel and if I'm wrong I will say it too. Firstly, the photo and videos you saw does not prove anything, those photos and videos were taken to show you my baby tegu when I first got it(edit: the video is slightly later, but not the latest), also to show you its behaviors, they are not the latest video/photo.. You can't see a photo or video I posted of a small tegu and go, ahh there's the proof that he's lying. It seems the goal here is to use anything to proof that I'm lying.
Now I think it's cool if you don't believe me and try to find the truth, but to use any means to try to proof I'm wrong is kind of strange.
Now here comes the funny part.. So I'm all pissed off and took my measure tape to measure the wood that I spoke of previously. He was stretch out and I used the markings on the wood to remember so I can measure it when he leaves. Well I measure it with a tape measure as I did last time, except last time I did it behind the glass because the tegu was on there(he's not that fond of me some times). But today, he's still sleeping in his burrow so I can measure the wood marking spot on... well it's not 2 feet, but it's still a big growth. It's 19 inches.
So there, I was wrong! I admit it. However, I still believe that some of you have a strange attitude. You were not out to find the truth, but just to find anything to proof me wrong, e.g. a photo or video I posted that shows a small tegu, that kind pisses me off.
And yes, when he wakes up I'll try to get today's photo and show you guys. Because maybe some of you will still feel like 5 inches to 19 inches is way too fast and I must be LYING. But please, when I post that photo don't say "Hey you must have found a photo off the internet and posted it as your own"
k i think I'm gonna have trouble measuring him for photos so I'm gonna take a photo of him hopefully in an all stretched out position(as best as I can), then take a picture of me measuring the same location where he was at stretching out. That's the best I can do unless he goes on the plank again which would make things much easier.
haha this is funny. but whatever, I say what I feel and if I'm wrong I will say it too. Firstly, the photo and videos you saw does not prove anything, those photos and videos were taken to show you my baby tegu when I first got it(edit: the video is slightly later, but not the latest), also to show you its behaviors, they are not the latest video/photo.. You can't see a photo or video I posted of a small tegu and go, ahh there's the proof that he's lying. It seems the goal here is to use anything to proof that I'm lying.
Now I think it's cool if you don't believe me and try to find the truth, but to use any means to try to proof I'm wrong is kind of strange.
Now here comes the funny part.. So I'm all pissed off and took my measure tape to measure the wood that I spoke of previously. He was stretch out and I used the markings on the wood to remember so I can measure it when he leaves. Well I measure it with a tape measure as I did last time, except last time I did it behind the glass because the tegu was on there(he's not that fond of me some times). But today, he's still sleeping in his burrow so I can measure the wood marking spot on... well it's not 2 feet, but it's still a big growth. It's 19 inches.
So there, I was wrong! I admit it. However, I still believe that some of you have a strange attitude. You were not out to find the truth, but just to find anything to proof me wrong, e.g. a photo or video I posted that shows a small tegu, that kind pisses me off.
And yes, when he wakes up I'll try to get today's photo and show you guys. Because maybe some of you will still feel like 5 inches to 19 inches is way too fast and I must be LYING. But please, when I post that photo don't say "Hey you must have found a photo off the internet and posted it as your own"
k i think I'm gonna have trouble measuring him for photos so I'm gonna take a photo of him hopefully in an all stretched out position(as best as I can), then take a picture of me measuring the same location where he was at stretching out. That's the best I can do unless he goes on the plank again which would make things much easier.
Look buddy .... I don't really care if I'm honest .... If u say he grew he grew ...think it improbable but that's my opinion ....
I look forward to pictures and more discussions with u on monitor and tegus ...
Don't think anyone wants to piss u off or argue ... We are all here to learn more and debate husbandry and monitors and tegus in general ...
Think maybe if this subject was dropped it would b better and just move in ya knw ... U don't have to prove anything at all ....
"p.s. my tegu grew FAST... went for 6 inches to 10 inches and thick tailed in a month, he's also a very good hunter, e.g. digging for warms that the eye can't see. My sav doesn't seem as good at digging for food:"
That post was over 2 weeks ago. Anyways, wait for the photos when he gets up today. I know I don't have to prove it, but I want to anyways. We can move on with the annoying stuff, let's get back to the actual sharing part instead of being a bunch of dip shits.
ok guys, I tried my best, it's pretty hard to get him to stretch out, and put a ruler next to him without him attacking it. So I managed to lure him onto the wood plank and stretch out as good as I can where there are some markings on the plank... then take a tape measure to measure the same markings on the plank.. again I was wrong it's not quite 2 feet, but it's not grossly exaggerated either..
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YlkwJWGw4hk/UoJQj3gPiFI/AAAAAAAAVy4/XZWXsEfIkyE/w1415-h790-no/lizard.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yuBcZObIPSY/UoJQk8WUTMI/AAAAAAAAVzA/N9C5uYaKgpA/w1054-h790-no/ruler.jpg
smy_749
11-12-13, 01:52 PM
what good is a after pic without a before one? I just dont care enough to badger you for proof for pages and pages. You started here in rough shape but you ask questions and make changes for your animals. Point being, I dont have issues with you, I just call it like I see it is all. No need to try and prove to a bunchof rude varanid keepers (as formica might say haha)
Well, in the before picture here, you can see he's still green and only hatchings are green so you can already tell how small he was. But anyways for the skeptics they'll come up with anything just to not believe, and when I try to prove it they'll say, "I don't care if it's true, I only care if it's not true."
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JZNvVOQQuzU/UlIH7Nrf47I/AAAAAAAAUpQ/0s-yA3V7Wv4/w1093-h820-no/IMG_20131006_185015.jpg
I'm here because I love my animals and I want to learn and share all the cool stuff. When I got the baby tegu I posted his baby pics... then I noticed how fast the tegu grows, I want to share this info with my forum friends(you guys), or show off etc.. then someone comes along and tells me what I say is BS.. ok... then someone has to pull out my older post and say "see he said it was 5-6 inches when he got it, and 2 weeks later it was 10 inches" you believed those posts and so that proves that I'm lying!
So I post a current pic showing he's nearly 2 feet.. now you have to tell me you don't care, so what if it's close to 2 feet? Since I never showed a measurement of when he was a baby when it was supposed to be 5-6 inches it means that what I said about his growth is still probably a lie. And now it's all about, don't try to prove it you are just here to learn, that's all that matters.
There's an inconsistency in what is needed to be proof. And I doubt you would admit it, but when I didn't show the current picture I took today, all you needed to proof that I was lying was a quote I made, or a photo I posted, it didn't even need a measurement and you somehow can justify that what I posted was true, 6 inches grew to 10 is true, and proved that I lied about 2 feet, because it's somehow true that he was only 6 inches and couple weeks ago it grew to 10 inches(also base on what I wrote) that's also somehow true, and can be used to prove that I'm lying about 2feet, or even close to 2 feet.
However once I have a picture that shows him being almost 2 feet, then now, those same post that I made, which you used as proof, to prove that I was lying is no longer good enough, because now those same posts don't have solid measurements with photos.
So when it's something that can be used to proof that I'm lying, anything is good enough and everyone needs to say "you are a liar". But anything used to proof that I was not out to lie, even the same proof you used to prove that I'm a liar, all of a sudden is not enough anymore, and anything close to proofing my point makes you say "I simply don't care about what you are sharing, or are excited about, you are just here to learn"..
What's up with this attitude? I don't get it.
I'm here because I love my animals and I want to learn and share all the cool stuff. When I got the baby tegu I posted his baby pics... then I noticed how fast the tegu grows, I want to share this info with my forum friends(you guys), or show off etc.. then someone comes along and tells me what I say is BS.. ok... then someone has to pull out my older post and say "see he said it was 5-6 inches when he got it, and 2 weeks later it was 10 inches" you believed those posts and so that proves that I'm lying!
So I post a current pic showing he's nearly 2 feet.. now you have to tell me you don't care, so what if it's close to 2 feet? Since I never showed a measurement of when he was a baby when it was supposed to be 5-6 inches it means that what I said about his growth is still probably a lie. And now it's all about, don't try to prove it you are just here to learn, that's all that matters.
There's an inconsistency in what is needed to be proof. And I doubt you would admit it, but when I didn't show the current picture I took today, all you needed to proof that I was lying was a quote I made, or a photo I posted, it didn't even need a measurement and you somehow can justify that what I posted was true, 6 inches grew to 10 is true, and proved that I lied about 2 feet, because it's somehow true that he was only 6 inches and couple weeks ago it grew to 10 inches(also base on what I wrote) that's also somehow true, and can be used to prove that I'm lying about 2feet, or even close to 2 feet.
However once I have a picture that shows him being almost 2 feet, then now, those same post that I made, which you used as proof, to prove that I was lying is no longer good enough, because now those same posts don't have solid measurements with photos.
So when it's something that can be used to proof that I'm lying, anything is good enough and everyone needs to say "you are a liar". But anything used to proof that I was not out to lie, even the same proof you used to prove that I'm a liar, all of a sudden is not enough anymore, and anything close to proofing my point makes you say "I simply don't care about what you are sharing, or are excited about, you are just here to learn"..
What's up with this attitude? I don't get it.
How long u had the tegu ?
How long u had the tegu ?
exactly one month and 6 days now.
exactly one month and 6 days now.
The the two pics ... The lil one from the day u got it and it was how long at a guess ?
Then to today's photo ... Yes
The the two pics ... The lil one from the day u got it and it was how long at a guess ?
Then to today's photo ... Yes
The photo when he was still green he was 6 inches aprx at most. It was measured from outside the glass so it's rough measurement but still it won't be far off.
formica
11-12-13, 03:35 PM
at a rough guess...using the silicone edge as a guide, approx 8-10mm thickness of a standard glass tank, i'd say his body is 5-6inches, add another 10 for his tail - its easy to underestimate a tail tength when it is thin, perhaps this is why
15-16 inches total length
I'd estimate a growth of 8-9inches in a month for your Tegu (maybe 7-8 coz I think ur marks are slightly off)
1 month and 6 days = 5.5 weeks
so thats about 1.5-1.75 inches per week
my Sav grew close to 1inch a week during 2 of his early growth spurts, so even still, its a massive growth rate!
ok come to think of it, his tail was always 2x the length of his body, so if he were 6 inches that would make his body 2 inches and that's not possible.
ok I'm an idiot lol. But I still stand by my criticism about the overall attitude of some people here. But yes I admit I'm an idiot... I must have been measuing the body and just had it set in my mind that that's his whole length.
ok come to think of it, his tail was always 2x the length of his body, so if he were 6 inches that would make his body 2 inches and that's not possible.
ok I'm an idiot lol. But I still stand by my criticism about the overall attitude of some people here. But yes I admit I'm an idiot... I must have been measuing the body and just had it set in my mind that that's his whole length.
Idiot ..... Ur words not mine .... Lol
Sh1t happens .... At least we knw how much he really grew and can now move on ...
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