- Blue tongue skinks need to eat 40-45% protein – bugs mainly, and some meat, dog/cat food. Please remember that live bugs have to be gut-loaded (read below).
- 50% – veggies and greens
- 5-10% fruit
- For baby and juvenile blue tongue skinks of up to 5 months old – offer 50% protein, 40-45% veggies and greens, and 5-10% fruit
- Shingleback skinks ( Tiliqua rugosa) – will need to eat less protein – around 30%. They also tend to be hungrier, so feed adults 2 times a week.
Can blue tongue skinks eat cat food?
Yes, your blue tongue skink can eat cat food, but dog food is more suitable. Cat foods are often higher in protein than dog foods. You can offer cat food to baby skinks under 5 months, sick and skinny skinks. But once your blue tongue skink turns around 5 months old, switch to dog food.
What supplements do blue tongue skinks need?
Your blue tongue skink will also need supplements to stay healthy and active. Please get a separate pure calcium supplement (without vitamin D3 or phosphorus), and a separate multivitamin supplement. You will need to use those on different days. Repashy calcium like this – no vitamin D3.
What should I Avoid feeding my blue-tongued skink?
When feeding your blue-tongued skink, be sure to avoid the following as they are toxic: 1 Lightning bugs 2 Monarch butterflies 3 Centipedes 4 Spiders
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What can baby skinks eat?
Skinks love to eat insects. It is the main source of their diet. They are able to eat a wide variety, including flies, crickets, roaches, beetles, grasshoppers, millipedes, centipedes, worms, slugs, mosquitos, snails, and much more.
How often should you feed a baby blue tongue skink?
Baby skinks under 5 months old will need to eat every day with one day of fasting. Offer as much food as a baby will eat two to three times per day to encourage proper growth and nutrition.
Can blue tongue skinks have baby food?
Yes, your blue tongue skink can eat cat food, but dog food is more suitable. Cat foods are often higher in protein than dog foods. You can offer cat food to baby skinks under 5 months, sick and skinny skinks.
How much do you feed a baby blue tongue?
As juveniles, half of their diet should come from insects, whereas adults should eat proportionately more plant matter. Adult, Blue-tongued skinks can be fed every one to two days, while juveniles can be fed daily.
What do blue tongue lizard babies eat?
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. In addition, small amounts of moistened dog kibble and canned dog food may be given occasionally.
How do you take care of a baby blue tongue skink?
3:217:30Baby Blue Tongue Skink Set Ups - Ep. 33 - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipVery cheap where you get your paper plates and stuff and that works fantastic. And once they've shedMoreVery cheap where you get your paper plates and stuff and that works fantastic. And once they've shed once I move them to their substrate. So they can get used to having substrate.
How do you raise a baby blue tongue lizard?
Blue Tongue Care Blue-tongues require a basking spot maintained between 30-35˚C. They should have access to an elevated piece of flat timber or rock ornament to allow them to bask closer to the heat source. The cool end of the enclosure should be maintained between 24-26˚C and should not drop below 18-21˚C at night.
What do baby lizards eat?
insectsBaby garden lizards usually eat insects and only a few fruits and vegetables. Flightless fruit flies, pinhead crickets, and bottle fly spikes are the best insects for baby lizards. Baby lizards are growing faster than adults and need to eat more often.
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.
How much should I feed my blue tongue skink?
Blue tongue skinks don't need to eat much at all, but offer babies (under 3 months old) as much as they can eat, 2-3 times a day, 6 days a week. In general, adult blue tongue skink's portion size should be 1-2 tablespoons of food.
How often should you handle a blue tongue skink?
It should not be handled until it is comfortable in its new environment. Once your new skink is eating regularly, then handling can begin. Initial handling sessions should be limited to ten minutes or less per session. This can be done a couple times each day during the acclimation process.
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.
How often should a blue tongue skink poop?
Most blue tongue skinks poop once a day, but some will poop once 2-3 days. However, sometimes it can be normal if your blue tongue has pooped once a week. If your blue tongue has not pooped for over 7-10 days, it could be impacted or constipated.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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 skinks eat mice?
Yes, your blue tongue skink can eat mice, but only once or twice a month as a treat. This is because they are hard to digest and fatty. Only offer pinky (also called neonate or fuzzy) mice or rats, and preferably only to skinny skinks.
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 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.
Can you feed bananas to a blue tongue skink?
In general, you should avoid feeding bananas to your blue tongue skink. This is because bananas are high in sugar and phosphorus, which binds calcium and removes it from the body. Offer a very small piece once a month or less.
Is fish good for skinks?
This is because fish is high in salt and fat, which is not good for skinks. Also, fish can carry parasites and have a high heavy metal load, which over time will cause serious negative effects to your blue tongue’s health.
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:
How Often To Feed A Blue Tongue Skink?
In warmer months, a blue tongue skink should be fed every 2 days, whereas, in colder months, a skink should be fed every 3 days. Keeping its tank in temperature constant throughout the year is essential.
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.
Should I Feed My Blue Tongue Skink every day?
Blue tongue skink tends to Store internal fat. It would help if you fed your blue tongue skink every other day as it can cause fouling of habitats and dietary issues. Young growing skinks need to be provided daily, but adults should only be fed twice or thrice a week.
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.
How Long Can A Blue Tongue Skink Go Without Food?
A blue tongue skink can survive for another 7-21 days without eating in the summer season. In the winter season, they can even go up to three months without food during brumation. Lizards bred in captivity can only go upto a few days without food.
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.
How Do I Get My Blue Tongue Skink To Eat Greens?
Being omnivorous, blue tongue skinks can eat greens and always love to feed on plant matters. If your blue tongue skink is not eating greens, consider switching their diet or its variety.
How to tell if a blue tongue skink is healthy?
You can often tell how healthy a Blue Tongue Skink is by simply looking in its mouth. It is here that inflamed gums, damaged scales, mucus, and other symptoms can help you quickly diagnose a variety of common ailments these creatures tend to experience.
How much does it cost to care for a blue tongue skink?
Although it should be noted a complete setup may run you close to $1000.
How big should a blue tongue skink enclosure be?
When it comes to a Blue Tongue Skink’s enclosure, think “the bigger the better!” Skinks love to have ample room to run around and hide, so aim for an enclosure of AT LEAST 60 gallons. Ideally bigger if you can fit or afford it.
What is the best skink for beginners?
Blue Tongue Skink Cost. When searching for a Blue Tongued Skink, it is important you first decide why you want a skink. If you’re simply looking for a pet, a Northern skink will work well, as they are hardy, docile, and great for beginners, plus they are on the cheaper end of the spectrum.
How long do skinks live?
Under good care, these reptiles can live at least 10 to 15 years, with some exceptionally healthy skinks living to 20 years old or more. After reaching adult size, a skink can measure between 18 and 24 inches long, especially if it’s a Northern variety.
Why is it important to monitor humidity in blue tongue skinks?
As with essentially any other reptile, monitoring the humidity levels in your Blue Tongue Skink’s enclosure is VITAL to ensure they stay healthy. Humidity levels that are too high can lead to multiple health concerns, such as respiratory infections (see below).
How long does it take for a blue tongue skink to acclimate to a new home?
Any new reptile, especially a new Blue Tongue Skink, should be allowed 10 to 14 days to acclimate to a new home before being handled. Only approach your skink’s cage to clean and offer food, and allow your lizard to hide in the various shelters placed in the enclosure.
