Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I plan on getting a blue-tongued skink in a little over a week at a herp show. I've been reading the Skinks forum and have searched it several times. I found out most of the things I've wanted to know from old posts, but naturally I still have a few questions.
I live on an organic farm so my skink will have a lot of variety in it's diet. I've read about things that BTS can eat, but there are so many different things I have that I could feed to a skink that what I really need is an outline of what they can't eat, a few things that come to mind to ask about are tomatoes, cauliflower, eggplant, peas, turnips, parsnip, okra, onions, tat soi, sweet potatoes, spinich, swiss chard, beet greens, and pumpkins.
The other thing I've been wondering is how much do BTS eat in one daily feeding? How different is the amount between adults and juveniles?
Thank you in advance for any help.
Jessie
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Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.
Dennis Wholey

Hi, Congratulations on choosing a BTS. They are really wonderful lizard pets. Regarding your list (sorry it is not here in front of me, it seems that the message I'm replying to is no longer visible) a few things to mention. Spinach should not be fed to herps because it binds calcium, making the calcium unavailable to the herp. I also have a large organic garden, and I feed a variety of veggies. My BTS loves beet tops, and I even freeze these for winter variety, also pumpkin (steamed)is a big hit, and acorn squash. Everything else on your list sounds potentially okay from what I recall, some I have not fed myself, except mine doesn't seem to like tomatoes or onions. (and I am not sure what the "tai" veggie is). I also feed some of the living creatures from my garden to my BTS. I feed snails and the worms that I find in the corn-- and he just loves them, (and the corn). You must not feed tomato hornworms though because they are toxic--apparently there is a chemical they take in from the tomato leaves. I hope this helps.

If a spinach leaf sneaks into your BTS mix occasionally, don't worry- just do not feed in large quantities (not a staple!). Some other greens you can add that you might have around, but not be cultivating for eating are Mulberry (fresh leaves or fruit), dandelion (leaves and flowers), Hibiscus (fresh leaves and flowers), flowers from your squash plants, fresh soybean leaves, and Nasturtium (fresh leaves and flowers).
Cheers, Jess b

It is always nice to add to the list of greens and other veggie type foods. I just yesterday bought a new beardie handbook and it also mentions that some spinach is okay, the chapter is co-authored by S. Donoghue whom Edward also cites below. I've been going by Frye's (1995?) list of safe greens for herbivores--I don't have the book in front of me as I'm away on vacation and borrowing a relative's computer--but it is something like _Clinical and Surgical Handbook for Reptiles_ and there is some caution re: spinach. I live on the stuff in the spring, and have wished I could feed it to my BTS.

It ends up in my salad as well as my PTS salad every few weeks, but not in very high proportions. It leaves a funny taste in my mouth afterwards, so I don't buy it on purpose very often. I bet it tastes better fresh from the garden though!
We grow tomatoes, zucchini, and green grapes- just the things that grow despite a brown thumb for veggies.

glad to hear your getting a blue tongue...
the most important thing is whether or not you plan on buying a juvenile or an adult skink. if its young ( 1yr or less), you need to feed it almost all protein, such as catfood, chicken, insects, etc, rarely if ever vegetables. if it is an adult than about half veggies half protein is good. hope this helps out some.

I don't agree with an all meat diet for a young (under a year) BTS. I think they should be given more meat than an adult but veggies and a bit of fruit should be mixed in with the meat for every meal. Also, a calcium and vit. sup. should be given every other meal. Minerall with Vit. 3D is used by alot of people for Ca. Also a vaired diet is key...one week I use catfood, another week I use dogfood, the week after that I use cooked ground turkey, then I may use canned chicken or cooked chicken bits etc.
For veggies I use frozen mixed vegges...boil them for about a minute to soffen everything up and then mix it in with the meat (I use a small food blender). This will last a few days, but when I give it to him I warm up the food (to take the chill of form the frig.) and mix in come chopped fresh leafy greens such as collards or beet greens (not the beets).into his food.

Thanks to all for replying.
That's very helpful info, I hadn't really thought about the fact that a young one would need more meat.

KingOz, you mentioned that you don't use beet roots. Are they bad for them? The reason I ask is that's one of the things I was about to put in the mix I'm making.
Thanks again.
Jessie
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Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.
Dennis Wholey

I use mashed beets regularly with my BTS, we grow so many and it is one of his most favourite foods, along with snails and eggs. When I first got my BTS last summer a person on this forum who breeds BTSs posted to me that a ratio of about 60% "meat" (including insects, snails etc.) to 40% veggie/fruit was good for juveniles, and a more even ratio for adults. My BTS has done well on this ration and is used to eating vegetables, even picking them out of the meat mix at times.

Someone please correct if this has been a problem for them, but I am not aware of any toxicities with beets (any part of them). I don't have BTS, but I do have PTS (vegetarians), and I mix grated beets and other root vegetables such as radish and turnips into their food from time to time. I have not noticed any ill effects other than the beet juice stains everything (my hands, my cutting board, the feeding shelf ect).
cheers, Jess b

Hi, Jess:
You may have read this before, but I thought it contains good information on some greens often considered detrimental to herbivorous lizards. And it deals with beets, as you asked. I hope this is helpful to all.

FICTION: Feeding kale kills herbivorous reptiles.
FACT: Kale (Brassica oleracea, var. acephala) has been farmed since the time of the ancient Romans, first as an animal food, then, by the Middle Ages, as a human food. It is essentially the same as straighter leafed collards, which replaced kale as a major U.S. crop because kale is less heat tolerant. It is a source of iron, potassium, carotene, ascorbate, and has a Ca ratio of 3:1.
Kale contains a goitrogenic substance that may interfere with iodine metabolism by the thyroid gland. However kale has been a safe and effective food for dairy cows for many years, although in recent decades replaced by corn-, soy-, or alfalfa-based rations. Selection of foods for (amphibians and reptiles) should include risk/benefit assessment of safety. The risk of inducing goiter in reptiles fed mixed salads containing kale is exceedingly low. The benefit - a nutritious green that most herbivores love to eat seems greater than the risk.

FICTION: Spinach kills herbivorous reptiles.
FACT: Spinach (a s well as beet leaves, cabbage, peas, potatoes, and rhubarb) contain oxalates which limit the absorption of calcium and some trace minerals from the gut. Oxalates would likely clinically impact mineral metabolism only if mineral intakes were marginal.
Indeed, all plants contain substances termed "secondary plant compounds" which pose some risk when consumed. These non-nutritive substances include saponins, phenols, and alkaloids and serve as deterrents to bacteria, fungi, and herbivores. Spinach, as with kale, is a nutritious and tasty green that can be included as part of a mixed salad for herbivores. Just as I discourage feeding a diet of only kale, so I suggest avoiding diets of only spinach. However, spinach is safe to include as part of a balanced diet.
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Edward
Carpe diem

Fact Vs. Fiction
Clarifying and verifying literature and conversations on the Internet

Susan Donoghue, VMD MS DACVN, Proceedings, Association of Reptilian & Amphibian Veterinarians, 1995
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Edward
Carpe diem

Well written and informative.
The pothos plant that the PTS love to eat is supposedly toxic, or at least a severe oral irritant in mammals due to it's very high oxalate crystal content. PTS at least don't seem to be bothered at all by the oxalates. I wonder if they have a higher tolerance for oxalates in general. Not like I will feed them only cabbage, kale and spinach to see if they get mineral deficient, but interesting adaptation if true.
jess b

beets....well...I have never read them on the list of BTS food on websights.
But by the sounds of it...alot of people feed beets. I have not..just the greens.

I'm really looking forward to getting my skink on the thirty-first!
I made a frozen mix with beets, green beans, apple, and dog food. Everything involved turned red, the apples only stayed white for a few seconds. I used washed plant seedling four packs to make the mix into a kind of popsicle so I can defrost one meal at a time without having to hack it off, hopefully they are big enough.
Thanks for all of the advice,
Jessie
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Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.
Dennis Wholey