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  1. #1
    Registered User Pande's Avatar
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    Blue Tongue Skink Diet Help

    FIRST OFF, to avoid drama PLEASE read the entire entry!

    Okay, so I've been the proud owner of a Blue Tongue Skink for just under a year and a half now (she turned two years old January 9th). She is about 1 - 1 1/2 feet long right now. I did a lot of research before I got her from what I thought was an OK breeder (it was a reptile expo), but he only fed her Pedigree Wet Dog food (beef stew) since she was born and she doesn't like anything else. I have tried several different combinations of food:

    Kale + Wet Dog food + Strawberries/blueberries + calcium dusting
    Different types of wet dog food (Natural Choice, Blue Buffalo, other holistic less grain-y foods)
    COOKED Hamburger.
    Pre-made "Omnivore" or "Herbivore" or "Just add water" diets. She snubs her nose at them. Won't even TASTE it.

    She will not TOUCH it. She only picks up the pieces of meat and licks up the gravy. I have never had a problem with her appetite, she's very healthy & happy, but I just want her on something new.

    The foods I have not tried:

    Fish - I'm not sure if she will eat fish/live food / if I even should. I have asked several people and they all SAY she could, but they've never heard of a Skink eating fish. (if so & you do, what kind of fish should I feed?)

    Pinky Mice - I used to own a corn snake, I have no problem getting them / feeding them to her (MUST be frozen, my only request). I would prefer NOT to, but I consider her health & happiness above any of my personal morals. I accepted that she might eat pinkies when I bought her.

    Crickets & Mealworms - I have heard from SEVERAL "experienced Herpers" (no one on this site) that they are EXCELLENT. However, I've done LOADS of research on them and they have NOTHING TO THEM if they are not gut-loaded with good food. She has eaten Phoenix Worms in the past, she ate them and then spat them out. So....

    Wet Cat Food - I'm not sure that the amount of Protein in the cat food would be GOOD for her, cats are true carnivores so they do not

    I know she is happy and I really shouldn't mess with her, but I do want her eating a better type of food than she is right now.

    So I'm asking you guys:
    What sort of food do you feed your BTS to encourage them to eat better?


    PS - here are some photos of her. :3 She's my baby, a STUNNING high-orange. (her cage IS dirty, I am in the middle of upgrading her to a larger terrarium w/ a different substrate)

    (if you can see, she does have a mouth infection... I took her to the vet & he didn't think it was mouth rot, and through my research I don't think it is either. It's very odd, but a topic for another day).



  2. #2
    Registered User xxmonitorlizardxx's Avatar
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    Hello
    That is a very pretty Northern Blue Tongue Skink(BTS). Very red colors. But to answer you questions:
    Fish - Blue Tongue Skinks rarely eat fish in the wild. In captivity most reputable breeders stay away from fish. Many fish have parasites that are transmittable to Blue Tongue Skinks. It is not recommended to feed them.
    Pinky Mice - Replace with Rat pups(Pink rats are healthier). Can be fed on occasion and to thin skinks.
    Cricket - Sometimes carry pinworms. They bite on the skink's feet. The have little nutritional value. Skinks often ignore them. They are usually only fed to skinks that are over weight and need to chase something.
    Mealworm - Not bad, but not good. Best to be replaced with Superworms, Goliath Horn Worms, Silkworms, roaches, snails, and night crawlers.
    Wet Cat Food - Most breeders feed a diet of almost exclusively cat/dog food with greens mixed in. This is recommended.
    Was the breeder's name Jeff?

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