Can tegus eat dog food?

Technically, tegu will eat just about anything including dog food and cat food. Whether that’s a good idea really depends on the content and quality of the food itself.

If you intend to feed dog food to your tegu, it is best to opt for high-protein canned food containing actual meat and veggies and few fillers such as rice, corn, wheat and soy. The ideal canned food contains a source of protein such as chicken, turkey, venison, salmon or tuna, and vegetables such as carrots and peas. 

The best dog food for tegus

If you really want to feed dog food to your tegu regularly, search for brands that have no added corn, wheat, or soy, no artificial colors and flavors, and no preservatives. Wet food is better than dry food, and lean meats are better than fatty meats such as beef or pork. Chicken and turkey can be fed regularly, whereas fish (especially tuna) should only be fed every now and then.

Canned tegu food and better alternatives

Zoo Med has recently launched a line of canned food products aimed at big lizard owners. While these are enriched with supplements such as calcium, vitamins and folic acid, they have grains added as filling and are not particularly healthy or appetizing. Canned food in general is NOT something you can solely rely on for your tegu’s diet. There is however a much better option if you are looking for pre-packaged meals that can satisfy (almost) all of your lizard pet needs: reptilink. These are essentially sausages made of whole prey specifically for reptiles, and they are the closest thing you can get to canned food for tegu which is actually healthy and nutritious (although they are not canned and must be kept in the freezer).

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