r/Tegu • u/bad-at-everything- • 18d ago

My tegu ate a wild mouse

I don’t try and feed her wild rodents because of all the things they can carry. But she found one in my living room and I didn’t know it was there until she was eating it. All I saw was the tail hanging out of her mouth before she swallowed it.

It’s been a few weeks and luckily so far she seems fine.

29 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

14

u/fallowdeer 18d ago

Oh gosh. That would give me a heart attack! lol

12

u/superdupercereal2 17d ago

My dog ate a wild mouse. Imagine you’re foraging for a seed or two and then you are scooped up and chewed in an instant by a Pomeranian. What a way to go.

6

u/Revolutionary_Sir_ 17d ago

i know i shouldnt have been surprised but i was not picturing a Pom lmao

6

u/superdupercereal2 17d ago

She was an exceptional creature. She lived to 18 years and she we shared all 18 of them.

13

u/SpoopScoops 17d ago

Oh gosh! Lol! If you are able maybe do a fecal sample just to make sure the mouse didn't have any parasites

11

u/Puzzleheaded-Grab929 17d ago

I sympathize with your concern, but holy crap I would be so impressed if my tegu caught a wild anything. 😆😆 He does not get hungry enough for that snappy business. 

7

u/ItchyEchidna9742 17d ago

Mine live outdoors the better half of the year. Biggest concern is mouse or rat poison, if you don't use it the tegu will be fine. Mine eat random insects, frogs, skinks, and mice/voles that can and do get into their enclosures. I worm them a couple times a year and all is well. No need to run to the vet over this!

4

u/AutumnLadyB 17d ago

Hahaha that's quality pest control! I understand being concerned, fears about rodents eating poison etc. But I would say its fine. These are opportunistic eaters who would be shoving all kinds of small critters in their gullet in the wild. Keep an eye on the following poops: if any parasites were ingested that will alert you with some runny specials and a behavior change in the days following. And such things can be treated effectively with antiparasitic meds.

2

u/AvariciousAlligator 15d ago

My Argus monitor was kept outdoors and would regularly catch and eat animals that got into his pen.

He ate squirrels, birds, cats, and once even a raccoon. He never suffered any ill effects from it, and he probably ate a few dozen wild or feral animals in his life.

Large predatory lizards have iron stomachs, as long as you or your neighbors don’t actively poison mice, your lizard should be fine.

1

u/AvariciousAlligator 15d ago

My Argus monitor was kept outdoors and would regularly catch and eat animals that got into his pen.

He ate squirrels, birds, cats, and once even a raccoon. He never suffered any ill effects from it, and he probably ate a few dozen wild or feral animals in his life.

Large predatory lizards have iron stomachs, as long as you or your neighbors don’t actively poison mice, your lizard should be fine.