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) |
Full Answer
What do Blue Tongue Lizards eat?
Blue-tongued lizards are omnivores. Garden snails are their ideal food, but they will also enjoy most varieties of fruits and veggies. For a treat, feed them crickets and mice which you can buy at your local Petbarn store. Blue-tongues usually eat from late morning through to midday after getting some sun.
How to get a blue tongue lizard licence?
You can then apply for your licence online or call the provided number. Blue-tongued lizards are omnivores. Garden snails are their ideal food, but they will also enjoy most varieties of fruits and veggies. For a treat, feed them crickets and mice which you can buy at your local Petbarn store.
How often should I Feed my Blue Tongue parrot?
Large mealworms are also a good option for blue tongues, as they don’t move too quickly for them to catch. Juvenile blue tongues should be fed once a day, with adults being fed every second day. Uneaten food should be removed within 8 hours of feeding, sooner if the animal is obviously not interested.
Do blue tongue skink lizards need calcium?
Otherwise, it will start rotting and smelling. Calcium is one of the main minerals that your blue tongue skink needs. To maintain optimal levels of calcium in your skink lizard’s body, you should make sure that it doesn’t eat foods with high phosphorus levels.
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What can you feed a 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 do pet blue tongue skinks eat?
Diet. Blue-tongue skinks are omnivores. Their diet should consist of 50% fresh vegetables, 40% protein, and 10% fresh fruit. Feed green leafy produce, legumes and other vegetables, an animal protein source, and a small amount of fruit enhancement to their salads.
Can I feed my blue tongue lizard cat food?
Most blue tongue skink keepers swear by cat and dog food, and many skinks enjoy eating it. It makes a good diet when mixed with vegetables. Make sure to use canned food rather than kibble (although kibble is alright occasionally if water is added), and avoid formulas containing artificial colors/flavors or fish.
What meat can I feed my blue tongue skink?
Instead of raw meat, you can use cooked meats such as lean beef, ground turkey, chicken, duck, or venison. Cooking renders the fat in the flesh, which makes it leaner and more healthy for your skink, which will lessen the risk of obesity and other related health issues from eating meat.
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 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 bluetongue lizards eat celery?
Items such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, bell-pepper, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, parsnips, sweet potato, spring greens, pumpkin and turnip are also good for occasional feeding, to help keep a picky vegetable dodger happy.
Can blue tongues eat strawberries?
Can blue tongue skinks eat strawberries? Technically, yes— but you shouldn't feed them to your pet! Due to their poor Calcium to Phosphorus ratio, it's not a great idea to feed strawberries to your BTS.
Can blue tongue skinks eat cucumbers?
Peas, green beans, corn, squash, carrots, sweet potato, cucumber, zucchini, green peppers and parsley can also be added. Adult skinks prefer their salad coarsely chopped, while juveniles prefer finely chopped greens. Fruit should make up no more then 5-10% of the diet.
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.
Can blue tongue skinks eat hard boiled eggs?
Yes, you can offer your blue tongue skink eggs as a treat every once per month or so. However, eggs are very high in fat and cholesterol, which can contribute to obesity and other related health problems.
How much should you feed a blue tongue skink?
Adults. Adult blue-tongued skinks over 10 to 12 months old only need to eat about three times per week. In general, an adult skink should be offered one to two tablespoons of food at each feeding.
Do blue tongue skinks like to be held?
They're generally happy to be handled. Blue tongues tend to be gentle, intelligent, inquisitive, easily tamed lizards that often like to be handled. Many even enjoy being petted or having their heads scratched. Children should be supervised when handling them, as the reptiles can become startled and jump.
How long can a blue tongue skink 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.
Can blue-tongued skinks eat apples?
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.
What do blue tongue lizards drink?
Blue tongue lizards drink water from a bowl and will also get in to soak. The best type of a water dish for your blue tongue skink is a large water dish that your blue tongue can fit in at least partially. So, choose an extra large water dish like this, that will be big in size and sturdy.
What to feed blue tongue skink?
Please feed your blue tongue skink mainly live feeder bugs for protein. Gut-loaded bugs will provide correct nutrition and allow your skink to exercise. On top of insects, you can sometimes feed cat or dog food, some cooked lean meat and raw or cooked eggs (treat). If cooking eggs, don’t use any oil or seasonings.
What supplements can I take for blue tongue skink?
Best supplements that you can get for your blue tongue skink are: Repti-Calcium like this – pure calcium without vitamin D3. Multivitamin by Rep-Cal like this – balanced Ca:P ratio, no vitamin D3. Repashy calcium like this – no vitamin D3. Repashy multivitamins like this.
How to maintain calcium levels in skink lizards?
To maintain optimal levels of calcium in your skink lizard’s body, you should make sure that it doesn’t eat foods with high phosphorus levels. Ideal Ca:P ratio in the diet is 2:1. This is because too much phosphorus will bind calcium and remove it from the body. Over time, this will lead to deficiencies.
What do blue tongue skinks eat?
Blue tongue skinks are omnivores, and in the wild they eat plants, vegetables, fruits, berries, blossoms, dead animals, bugs. As pets, blue tongue skinks can enjoy a big variety of foods, such as live bugs, meat, veggies, greens, dog or cat food, fruits and plants.
Can you buy commercial food for blue tongue skinks?
You can also buy commercial food for your blue tongue skink, to offer on some days for variety or to use when you don’t have time to prepare other food. Few of the best commercial foods that you can find for sale are: Repashy Bluey Buffet like this – a gel premix, omnivore diet.
Can a blue tongue skink eat dog food?
Yes, your blue tongue skink can eat cat or dog food, but there are a lot of rules when choosing right ones. However, only offer dog or cat food occasionally, once a week for young blue tongues and once in 2 weeks for adults. Cat foods tend to be higher in protein than dog food. So, it’s better to stick to dog food.
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 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!
Can you feed skinks fruit?
For the most part, you should limit the amount of fruit you feed your skink . It’s great as a reward when training your pet — or as a garnish on their salad — but you don’t want to feed them too much of it.
Can you feed a skink watermelon?
You can feed your pet skink watermelon, but you should cut it into small chunks beforehand. That being said, it should n’t be a significant part of your pet’s diet for a few reasons. First, it has a meager amount of Calcium content in comparison to its Phosphorus.
Can you feed strawberries to a BTS?
Due to their poor Calcium to Phosphorus ratio, it’s not a great idea to feed strawberries to your BTS. They’re also rich in goitrogens, which can cause your blue tongue skink to experience thyroid issues if they eat enough of them.
What are some foods that can be eaten by blue tongues?
Live foods include; snails, crickets, woodies, mealworms (in moderation) and silkworms. All live foods should be dusted with a calcium and multivitamin powder before being offered to the blue-tongue. Blue-tongues are relatively slow-moving and may have trouble catching faster insects such as crickets and woodies.
How often should I feed a lizard?
Commercially available lizard pellets can also be mixed through the chopped fruits and vegetables to provide extra nutrition to the lizard. Juvenile blue-tongues should be fed daily and adults can be offered food every second day. Fresh water should be available to the lizard at all times and changed daily.
What is a blue tongue?
Blue-tongues are active, diurnal reptiles that spend considerable time basking and foraging for food during the day. Blue-tongues are solitary animals and should generally be housed on their own. Having more than one blue-tongue in an enclosure may lead to dominance and aggression issues.
What are the health issues of blue tongues?
Common health issues in Blue-tongues. Intestinal Parasites (worms): Blue-tongue s are susceptible to worms, including the potentially fatal coccidiosis organism. Faecal checks and worming can be carried out by an experienced reptile veterinarian.
What is the best source of heat for blue tongues?
Recommended sources of heat include the use of incandescent, halogen and ceramic (night time) globes along with a heat mat as a secondary source of heating. Ultraviolet light (UV) plays an important role in a blue-tongues growth and development. A 5.0 UVB tube or compact globe must be used as a source of artificial UV lighting in ...
How often should I light blue tongue?
Blue-tongue ’s should also have access to unfiltered, natural light at least once or twice a week. They also require a ‘day and night’ cycle with heat and UV lights running for approximately 10-12 hours each day, set on a timer.
Is a blue tongue lizard poisonous?
First off - don't panic, they are not poisonous and they greatest defence is bluff! Blue-tongue lizards are an asset in the garden as they keep the numbers of snails, caterpillars and other pests down. It's not hard to make your garden blue-tongue lizard friendly. They just need is plenty of shelter and food.
What is the blue tongue lizard?
The term ‘blue tongue lizard’ doesn’t apply to just one animal, but a whole group of animals in the Tiliqua genus of skinks. In Australia our Federal wildlife laws allow us to only keep native Tiliqua species, which are as follows:
How to keep a blue tongue healthy?
Providing your Blue Tongue with at least 10 hours of UV light daily is CRUCIAL. Without UVB, your lizards bones will not develop properly, and it may end up getting Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). Those of you living in warmer parts of the country can take your Blue Tongue outside and let it hang out in a small animal cage, but this would need to be done daily. Those of you in cooler climates or with lizards that are being kept exclusively in doors will need to setup a lamp with a special globe that emits UVB radiation. NEVER have glass or plastic between your UV light and the animal, as they blocks UV radiation and the animal will not receive its required amount of UVB. Desert species do best with UVB10 globes, while the rest are fine with UVB5 globes. Lizards kept outside for basking should ALWAYS be given some shade to escape to if the sun gets too hot for them and cool fresh water to drink. Never keep them outside unsupervised for extended periods of time.
How hot should a blue tongue be?
Always consult with the breeder as to what part of the country your Blue Tongue originally came from, and setup a thermostatically controlled heating lamp for it so that its environment is always warm and comfortable. A rough general range would be 26-32 degrees, but again the exact temperature will be dictated by your BTs point of origin. It is also important to create a thermal gradient in the enclosure, so that there is a hot and a cool end. This can be achieved by placing the thermostat probe closer towards the heat source (but not too close), so that only the area close to the globe remains at the set temperature, and the other end of the enclosure will provide some cool respite should the animal need it.
Do lizards need UV light?
Those of you in cooler climates or with lizards that are being kept exclusively in doors will need to setup a lamp with a special globe that emits UVB radiation. NEVER have glass or plastic between your UV light and the animal, as they blocks UV radiation and the animal will not receive its required amount of UVB.
Blue-Tongue Feeding
Blue-Tongue Licensing
- All native reptiles are protected in NSW and a Reptile Keeper's licence must be obtained from the Office of Environment and Heritage to own one as a pet. You can apply for a licence online through the OEH website or alternatively, our specialist reptile staff would be more than happy to assist you in applying for your licence in-store.
Blue-Tongues in Your Garden
- What do you do if you find a Blue-tonguein your garden? First off - don't panic, they are not poisonous and they greatest defence is bluff! Blue-tongue lizards are an asset in the garden as they keep the numbers of snails, caterpillars and other pests down. It's not hard to make your garden blue-tongue lizard friendly. They just need is plenty of shelter and food. Lots of rocks an…
Common Health Issues in Blue-Tongues
- Intestinal Parasites (worms): Blue-tongues are susceptible to worms, including the potentially fatal coccidiosis organism. Faecal checks and worming can be carried out by an experienced reptile veterinarian. Dysecdysis (Abnormal Shedding): Low humidity levels can sometimes result in a dragon having an ‘incomplete’ shed. Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD): Calcium or vitamin D3 …
Red Flags
- Is your Blue-tongueshowing any of the signs of disease or illness? If yes, please consult your reptile vet. At Kellyville Pets, we encourage responsible pet ownership. CARE GUIDE © Copyright 2016 Kellyville Pets - All information found in this care guide is based upon our own experience. The information provided is not the only information available. In any medical situations, you sh…