Best safe and non-toxic greens and vegetable list for blue tongue skinks
| Staple | Feed occasionally | Feed rarely |
| Arugula (rocket) | Pumpkin | Carrots |
| Collard greens | Kale | Radishes |
| Endive | Pinto beans | Okra |
| Escarole | Green beans (raw, green) | Cabbage (red or green) |
How much should I Feed my blue tongue skink?
What Vegetables can Blue Tongue Skinks Eat?
- Vegetables to feed your skink frequently
- Name
- To feed in moderation.
- To feed in occasionally
- Never feed. What Insects Can Blue Tongue Skinks Eat? Insects and meat should constitute at least 40% of your blue tongue skink’s diet.
How often to feed my blue tongue skink?
How long does it take for a blue tongue skink to finish shedding?
- Should I help my blue tongue skink with shedding? Trouble shedding. ...
- Blue tongue skink shedding signs. Rubbing against various surfaces, digging more to get the skin off. ...
- Blue tongue skink shedding and humidity. For your blue tongue skink to shed properly, its tank needs to set at ideal humidity levels. ...
- More blue tongue skink shedding tips. ...
Why does your blue tongue skink not eat?
Why does your blue tongue skink not eat? Internal stress factors (illnesses or infections) can make your blue tongue skink refuse to eat. One of the reasons that can lead to poor appetite is an internal parasitic infection. Other reasons can include vitamin or mineral deficiencies, Metabolic bone disease, intestinal infections and more.
When should I Feed my blue tongue skink?
How Often Should I Feed My Blue Tongue Skink?
- Baby Blue Tongue Skinks – babies should be fed 6 days a week and fast the remaining day
- Adolescents – 2 or 3 times a week, once a day
- Adults – 1 or 2 times a week, once a day
See more
What can I feed my blue tongue lizard?
Bluetongues are omnivores and should be offered a variety of foods such as insects e.g. crickets, worms, snails and slugs. They will eat a range of chopped fruits and vegetables including dandelion, milk thistle, watercress, banana, apple, pawpaw, pear, green beans, carrots, alfafa sprouts, parsley and tomato.
What can you not feed a blue tongue skink?
Items such as avocado, onion, eggplant, rhubarb, buttercups, potatoes and tulips are all considered toxic, therefore should be avoided at all costs.
What are blue tongue skinks favorite food?
The Best Food for Blue Tongue Skinks, Hands-Down Fruit and Veggies: Remember to keep fruit to a minimum and stick mostly to veggies. The best vegetables for blue tongue skinks are collard greens, dandelion greens, green beans, arugula, mustard greens, and endive. The best fruits are berries, squash, apple, and papaya.
When should I feed my blue tongue skink?
Adult blue-tongued skinks should be fed every two to three days. Young blue-tongues do best when fed every other day. Feed them as much as they will eat in one sitting.
Can blue tongues eat lettuce?
Yes, your blue tongue skink can eat lettuce, but only small amounts mixed in a salad, and mainly for water. Lettuce of all types is low in nutrition, and too much can also cause diarrhea. Romaine lettuce is the most nutritious of all lettuces.
Can blue tongue skinks eat raw chicken?
While skinks are in their natural habitat in the wild, they do eat raw meat.
Can blue tongues eat peas?
Blue tongue skinks are omnivores, and in the wild they eat plants, vegetables, fruits, berries, blossoms, dead animals, bugs....Best safe and non-toxic greens and vegetable list for blue tongue skinks.StapleFeed occasionallyFeed rarelySummer squashSnap peas – pods and peasRadicchio23 more rows
Can blue tongues eat blueberries?
Blue-tongues can also be fed small amounts of tinned dog food (beef or chicken) with added calcium powder as well as boiled egg. Fruits and vegetables that can be offered include apple, pear, melons, pitted stone fruits, berries, banana, squash, carrot, endive and kale.
Do skinks eat fruit?
They can also feed on fruit and vegetables, but the vegetables have to be cooked for the skink to be able to eat it. Skinks especially love bananas and strawberries etc. (citrus fruit).
How do I know if my skink is happy?
If you're not sure whether your skink likes being held, check its breathing, movements, and tongue flicks. A happy skink will breathe calmly and have smooth inquisitive movements. If you notice heavy breathing or any rapid movements and tongue flicks, you should put the animal back in its enclosure.
How long can skinks go without food?
A blue tongue skink can go weeks without eating – blue tongue skinks during brumation can go up to 3 months without food. However, this is not recommended outside brumation – babies will not survive for too long because they don't have as much internal fat storage as adults.
How long does it take for a blue tongue skink to reach full size?
Eastern Blue-tongues probably become adults at about three years of age when they have a total length of about 400 mm. Blue-tongues are long-lived. Several captive animals have lived for 20 years, and they may live much longer.
What to feed a blue tongue skink?
So what are the best foods to give your BTS in order to provide a healthy and balanced diet? Here’s our recommendation: 1 Fruit and Veggies: Remember to keep fruit to a minimum and stick mostly to veggies. The best vegetables for blue tongue skinks are collard greens, dandelion greens, green beans, arugula, mustard greens, and endive. The best fruits are berries, squash, apple, and papaya. Avoid onion, avocado, rhubarb, and tomato greens! 2 Protein: Lean meat like chicken and rabbit are great, as are many types of bugs: crickets, silkworms, hissing roaches, and locusts. Avoid seafood! 3 Reptilinks: If you’re not able to find some of these foods or you want to save some time and money, we offer special Omnivore Blends of our links that are perfect for blue tongue skinks. Check out our 50/50 Links and 25/25/50 Links for more info.
What do blue tongue skinks eat?
As for specific foods, blue tongue skinks are omnivores; they can eat fruits, vegetables, and a few different forms of protein. However, you’re going to want to prioritize protein and veggies over fruit, since they offer more nutritional benefits.
What is the nutritional need of a blue tongue skink?
What are the nutritional needs of a blue tongue skink? For starters, everything they eat should have a Calcium to Phosphorus ratio of 2 to 1. This way, your BTS’s body can properly absorb the nutrients from their food. Additionally, foods high in Vitamin D are helpful for the same reason— although a properly lit enclosure will also provide some of this nutrient.
Can you feed skink watermelon to a BTS?
First, it has a meager amount of Calcium content in comparison to its Phosphorus. Second, feeding too much watermelon to your BTS in one sitting can cause it to have diarrhea!
Can blue tongue skinks eat cherries?
Blue tongue skinks can safely eat cherries. Additionally, they have a mostly even ratio of Calcium to Phosphorus— not ideal, but not exactly harmful. However, they do contain large amounts of goitrogens, so feeding too many of them to your BTS can lead to thyroid issues.
Can skinks eat chicken eggs?
Yes! Skinks commonly eat eggs out of nests in the wild, so you can safely feed your pet skink eggs every once in a while. Whether cooked or raw, you can safely feed BTS chicken or quail eggs.
Can you feed broccoli to a BTS?
You can feed broccoli to your BTS but it shouldn’t be a large part of their veggie content. That’s because it has too much Phosphorus for your skink to synthesize its Calcium content. It’s also 90% water, so it would fill up your pet’s stomach without providing any nutrition!
What do blue tongue skinks eat?
Blue tongue skinks are omnivorous, meaning that they need to eat both plant and animal matter to get the right nutrition. In this section we’ll discuss options for protein, vegetables, and fruit that are safe to feed your pet. Just like humans, skinks’ nutritional needs change as they grow.
What is the best multivitamin for blue tongue skinks?
Best multivitamins for blue tongue skinks: Herptivite. Arcadia Earthpro A. Repashy Supervite. Use each supplement as directed by the label, but keep in mind that dog food, cat food, and other prepared diets are already fortified with vitamins and do not need the addition of a multivitamin.
What do shingleback skinks eat?
rugosa) are more herbivorous than other species of blue tongue skink! Although in the wild they occasionally scavenge and eat insects, the vast majority of their diet is flowers and leafy greens. An adult shingleback’s diet should be only 20-30% protein.
How long should I gutload feeder insects?
Note: All feeder insects should be gutloaded for at least 24 hours before feeding. Ideally, they should come pre-gutloaded from the breeder. If they weren’t, or you buy your feeder insects in bulk, the easiest way to keep them fed and gut-loaded is with a rotation of Lugarti Dubia Diet and Repashy Grassland Grazer. Note that if you give your insects a dry gutload, they will need a source of water. Gel water crystals work perfectly for this purpose.
What is repashy's dog food?
If you’re looking for a more reptile-specific prepared food, Repashy ’s Grub Pie, Meat Pie, Veggie Burger, and fruit powders make great mix-ins to add to dog food for variety. They even have a blue tongue skink-specific formula: Bluey Buffet.
How to keep skinks strong?
Keep your skink’s bones nice and strong with a pinch of calcium powder: 1x/week for adults, 2x/week for anything younger . If you’re not using UVB lighting, be sure to use a supplement that includes particularly high quantities of vitamin D3.
What fruits should skinks eat?
Fruits should comprise no more than 10% of a skink’s diet. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries. Peaches, cherries, pears, apples, bananas, nectarines. Do not feed: Citrus, rhubarb, seeds, pits. Information about other fruits can be found in the abovementioned nutrition chart.
What insects are good for blue tongue skinks?
Insects such as hornworms, Phoenix worms, crickets, silkworms and others should be the main source of protein for blue tongue skinks. All insects must be bought for reptile consumption and gut-loaded for 24 hours (apart from Phoenix worms) before feeding to your skink.
What foods bind iodine?
Before starting, let’s discuss few terms: Goitrogenic: foods high in goitrogens will bind iodine and cause thyroid issue long-term. Oxalic foods: foods high in oxalates that bind calcium and remove it from the body, long-term causing calcium deficiencies. Foods high in phosphorus also bind calcium, leading to deficiencies long-term.
Can you skink blue tongue hay?
It would not be advisable to offer blue tongue skink any hay (orchard, timothy etc.). Alfalfa hay is actually a legume. While hay is high in protein, it’s also dehydrated. This can cause issues with digestion, and might expand in guts or mouth and cause impaction.
Can blue tongue skinks eat butternut squash?
Yes , blue tongue skinks can eat butternut squash. Butternut squash is actually on of the staple foods for blue tongue skinks. Offer raw and grated or chopped into small pieces.
Can skinks eat blueberries?
Yes, blue tongue skinks can eat blueberries, but only occasionally. This is because blueberries are high in oxalates.
Can you feed a blue tongue skink?
Yes, you can feed your blue tongue skink peeled grapes, but very rarely. Grapes and raisins are however believed to cause organ damage in reptiles, so you might avoid them altogether.
Can you dip your blue tongue in applesauce?
A little bit of applesauce can also be used to dip meat if your blue tongue is not interested in it. Make sure that applesauce is free of preservatives, corn syrup, sweeteners or even added sugar. Choose only unsweetened applesauce or make your own.
Keeping Your Pet Reptile Healthy and Happy
The blue-tongued skink continues to be one of the most popular “beginner” pets for new reptile owners. It’s not hard to see why: Along with being colorful and fun to watch, the blue-tongued skink is easy-going and relatively low maintenance. His size will range between 18 and 24 inches as an adult.
Prepare your grocery list
These are just a few of our favorite vegetable and fruit options for blue-tongued skinks:
What Do Blue Tongue Skinks Eat In The Wild?
Blue tongue skinks are omnivorous lizards who prefer feeding on insects, worms, snails, ants, flies, weeds, flowers, fruits, plant matter, and berries in the wild. They love consuming berries and seeds on native bushes too.
What Do Blue Tongue Lizards Eat In The Captivity?
In captivity, Blue tongue lizards primarily eat plant matter, roots, fruits, seeds, veggies, live insects, and worms. Live insects like snails, flies, Dubai roaches, woodies, mealworms, silkworms, & crickets are their favourite. They should be fed a mix of fresh fruits and vegetables with the ratio of forest 4:1.
Can blue tongue skinks digest bones?
Bluetongue skinks can’t digest any bird that has a bone structure. Plus, due to not having well-developed teeth, they’re not capable of chewing or getting through the bone structure. However, they can give you a powerful bite while not letting go.
Can skinks eat egg whites?
Yes. Blue tongue skinks eggs. Egg is the primary source of protein. Skink can eat egg white and egg yolk both. Avoid giving too much egg because too much protein and fat can lead to health issues like fatty liver disease and overweight.
Can bluetongue skinks eat raw eggs?
Yes. Bluetongue skink can safely eat raw eggs. They can also eat half-boiled eggs. I would recommend you to give them boiled chopped eggs to consume. When they are young, you can provide them with egg whites as a primary source of protein to support their growth. They love eating hard-boiled eggs but don’t give them more than half an egg at a time if they are adults.
Can you feed salmon to a blue tongue skink?
Occasionally or rarely, you can provide fresh salmon meat to your Juvenile blue tongue skink because it is a protein-rich food source, but overfeeding them can cause serious health issues like gout and illness. There is not enough research & information available on the effect of feeding salmon to blue tongue skinks.
Do blue tongue skinks eat baby garter snakes?
We have seen many cases when giant lizards catch a baby garter snake in its natural habitat. So I guess, being a big lizard, a blue tongue skink would eat babies and small snakes if provided. Just make sure that it is not too large to fit in their guts. Baby snakes are the best prey for lizards like skinks.
How Much Should I Feed My Blue Tongue Skink?
In one sitting, you should offer 1 to 2 tablespoons of food. However, you should feed your skink as much as they want and will. Once your blue tongue skink stops eating, remove all uneaten foods because they can rot and create a foul smell.
What Do I Do If My Blue Tongue Skink Isn’t Eating?
If blue skink isn’t eating, get them checked by the nearest veterinarian. The first thing you need to do is to check the root cause of why skink is not eating. You should do some things to prevent if there is something wrong causing them not to eat. Here are a few reasons why a blue tongue skink is not eating.
Do Blue Tongue Skinks Need To Eat Bugs?
Yes, Skinks diet should consist of 40% protein in which the primary source should be insects & bugs. Blue tongue skinks can eat many bugs, but gut loading the feeder insects is essential for their diet.
Do Skinks Eat Every Day?
They are diurnal reptiles and can be fed every day, but it is not recommended . Adult blue tongue skink only needs to eat twice a week, whereas Juveniles can eat every day. Juvenile blue tongue skink needs to eat every day to support their growth. Bluetongue skinks 0-6 months old can be fed daily, whereas 6-12 old skinks every other day.
Why do blue skinks have a bright tongue?
This bright tongue is employed to keep off predators when the skink is threatened and is one among the explanations why reptile owners love them!
What is the best enclosure for a blue tongue skink?
The best type of enclosure for a blue tongue skink is a glass reptile tank with a screened lid. The screened lid will promote ventilation, which helps to manage humidity levels a bit.
What is a bluetongue skink?
Bluetongue skinks are large and heavy. Blue skinks are covered in scales and have a smooth shape that resembles snakes. In fact, it is easy to mistake skinks for snakes when they are buried or partially hidden!
Why are blue tongued skinks so shy?
Blue-tongued skinks are also sold as house pets. They are relatively shy in comparison with other lizards, and slower because of their short legs.
What is a skink?
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae.
Can blue tongue skinks eat substrate?
Avoid using anything too hard. Bluetongue skinks may attempt to eat the substrate, which could lead to impaction issues.
Do blue tongue skinks live in the wild?
These animals live in distinct habitats in the wild that cater to their biological needs and lifestyle.
What do blue tongue skinks eat?
The correct diet for blue tongue skink consists of vegetables, insects, and fruits. Pet blue tongue skinks can eat different types of fruits, vegetables, and fruits. In this article, we are going to talk about what fruits can blue tongue skinks eat. All the fruits mentioned in our report are safe to eat but only in moderation. Skink being not so picky eaters seems to love fruits and berries. However, it would help if you were sure to offer a good amount as often as possible. If you don’t know then let me tell you their diet should consist of only 10% of fruits.
How Many Fruits Can Blue Tongue Skink Eat?
An adult blue tongue skink can be fed fruits once in two weeks. Give them 10% fruit-based, 40% protein-based, and 50% vegetable-based food once a week. As they have slow metabolism, they don’t need to be fed every day. Some owners can also feed their blue tongue skinks once in two or three days, depending upon their lizard personality, behavior, habit, and varying conditions.
Can Skinks Eat Citrus?
No. Citrus like lemon or Orange should be avoided as feeding it to your blue tongue skinks can upset their tummy. Citrus fruits cause stomach problems for reptiles and lizards, including skink.
Can blue tongue lizards eat strawberries?
Yes. Bluetongue lizards mostly eat berries fruits in the wild. They love berries. However, it would help if you avoided feeding strawberries mainly due to its calcium to Phosphorus ratio. Although they’re allowed to feed on strawberries, it is still best to provide good and avoid evil for your pet. Finely chopped or stem of strawberries being high in goitrogen and oxalates helps your blue tongue lizard health and well-being.
What can I feed my baby apple?
Other than apples, you can feed peaches, plums, kiwi, papaya, and figs.
Do blue tongue skinks like strawberries?
Yes, blue tongue skinks love fruits and berries. Fruits are only healthy when fed in moderation. You should know what a good amount to offer skinks. Fruits like strawberries, apples, figs, and raspberries can be fed safely. Field research in the wild and the breeding center has shown that fruits are a large part of a blue tongue skink natural diet. However, Most Of It Comes From The Berry Itself.
Can blue tail skinks eat fruits?
Yes. Blue-tailed skins diet should consist 50% of vegetables and 10% fruits while others are protein-based. Blue-tailed skink prefers insects, but mostly they survive on a vegetarian diet. You can feed fruits to your blue-tailed skink like Kale, banana, and more.
