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) |
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.
What can I Feed my blue tongue skink?
Bee pollen powder or granules (I use the Stakich brand) are also a beneficial addition to your skink’s diet, especially for shingleback skinks. Use no more than a pinch every other meal. The best water to use for your blue tongue skink is tap water (assuming that the water in your area is safe for humans).
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.
What should I Feed my skink lizard?
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.
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What's the best thing to feed bluetongue lizards?
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.
What do I feed a blue tongue skink?
Your Blue-tongued skink can eat all available cricket species, calcium worms (Black Soldier Fly larvae) morios, locust, silkworms, dendrobaena (earth worms), varied roach species and snails. Remember, within the captive diet it's vital we replicate the need for dietary variety.
What food can blue tongue lizards eat?
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.
Do blue tongue skinks eat everyday?
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.
Can blue tongue skinks eat lettuce?
Can blue tongue skinks 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 broccoli?
Can blue tongue skinks eat broccoli? 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 a wild blue tongue lizard?
A: As a general rule, it's best not to feed wild animals. They need to be responsible for finding their own food without our help, because they may start relying on you for food and if you stop feeding them they will struggle to survive.
How long can a blue tongue 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 tongue skinks eat cat food?
Feeding Cat/Dog Food To Your Blue Tongued Skink Cat food is higher in protein than dog food, and feeding too much protein in their diet can lead to gout, so it is best to stick with dog food generally. Cat food can be offered to young skinks, but once they are adults, you should only give them dog food.
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.
Do blue tongue skinks need live food?
Varied, appropriately-sized, live insects should be provided, such as crickets (e.g. brown house crickets), 'calciworms', 'waxmoth larvae', fruit beetle grubs, dubia cockroaches, silkworms and locusts. Any uneaten crickets or locusts should be removed as they can bite the skink.
Do blue tongue lizards drink water?
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 do blue tongued 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 legally house a blue tongued lizard?
In order to legally house a blue-tongued lizard, you must register with your local government by applying for a ‘Companion Animal Keeper Licence’. This varies from state to state, so find the relevant information on your government website. For example, in NSW, the ‘Code of Practice for the Private Keeping of Reptiles’ keeps you up to date with the rules and regulations relevant to keeping your new pet. You can then apply for your licence online or call the provided number.
How to house a lizard in a plastic tub?
Use a glass aquarium, wooden box or plastic tub to house your lizard and consider their adult size. Talk to your local Petbarn team member about what size enclosure is sufficient. Use sand, gravel, or newspaper to create a suitable substrate. Keep branches low to the ground and stable.
How to choose a lizard?
When choosing your new lizard it’s important to ensure they’re fit and healthy. Healthy blue-tongues should be active and alert, responding to movements with their tongue or head. Make sure their nostrils and eyes are clear, there is no sign of excessive pieces of skin from shedding and their scales are free from abrasions, swelling or scarring.
Why are my blue tongues moody?
When their skin begins to appear dull and starts to crack it is best to leave them be; blue-tongues can be moody when they shed. Blue-tongues will also enter a process called brumation. Brumation is the equivalent of hibernation and is a natural process your lizard will go through to avoid cool conditions.
How long do lizards stay dormant?
While the temperature of their enclosure will be monitored and they may not necessarily be exposed to cold conditions, your lizard may still enter a dormant state for up to four months. They will not engage in normal activities, like eating or basking, and will generally recoil into a dark spot to sleep.
How often do blue tongues shed?
Blue-tongues will shed their skin up to 10 times in their first year of life and will still shed a few times a year once reaching adulthood. Prior to shedding, your lizard may show a loss in appetite and become increasingly thirsty.
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.
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 to feed blue tongue skinks?
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. Grain is fine as long as the formula is high-quality and not too high in carbohydrates. The claim that grain-free dog food is best is largely unsubstantiated and may even be harmful, although that claim is still being investigated.
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 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.
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.
How long should I gut feed a feeder?
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.
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.
Do Blue Tongue Lizards Eat Vegetables?
Blue tongue lizards can eat vegetables and fruit mix in captivity. They also love to eat a mix of mealworms, crickets, super worms, dubia roaches, and waxworms. It will be best to give them a mixed assortment of chopped-up fruits, vegetables, and a few insects. Vegetables like peas, collard, mustard, and beans are their favorite.
What Vegetables Can Blue Tongue Skinks Eat?
Yes. Blue Tongue lizards and skinks can eat tomatoes safely. Although tomatoes are pretty low in sugar, it supports your lizard heart health. It is also a good source of vitamin A to strengthen your skink immune system reproduction, vision, and growth.
Final Thoughts
Watercress, turnip greens, dandelion greens, endive, escarole, and beet greens can be fed frequently in a week to your blue tongue skinks. However, vegetables like green cabbage, kale, red leaf lettuce, and red cabbage-like vegetables should be fed occasionally, like once in 1-2 weeks.
