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BTS diet

buffysmom Oct 03, 2003 12:18 PM

I saw a post about a week ago, now I can't find it. It listed a schedule of what one of the members feeds their BTS. It had a list like "dog food, lettuce, broccoli..." & was quite detailed. Can anyone help me, I wanted to copy it down for my upcoming purchase of a BTS?
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0.3.0 leos, Geo, Tang, Ginger
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
0.0.5 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton & Olivia Newton John
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

Replies (5)

James Wilson Oct 03, 2003 01:39 PM

In their natural environment Blue-tongued Skinks are opportunistic feeders. This is an adaptation that suits their omnivorous tastes perfectly, making it possible for them to eat almost anything that comes their way, or anything they happen to stumble onto. In the wild they are known to eat arthropods, snails, baby rodents, and other small animals. Blue-tongues also take advantage of the native fruits, berries, flowers, and grasses, readily consuming them when available. By not being specialized hunters with prey specific needs, Blue-tongued Skinks have gained an edge over their reptilian competition, which explains their strong presence in so many different Australian habitats, including urban backyards and gardens.

Skink Mix
In captivity, I do my best to duplicate the blue-tongue's natural diet. If there were only one word that I could give as advice to a new blue-tongue owner, in regard to proper Blue-tongue nutrition, it would have to be variety. For the Blue-tongued Skink, variety is not only the spice of life; it is a way of life. My skinks relish my cooking, and I have devised a skink mix that makes up for the majority of their diet. This mix is easy to freeze and store in individual zip lock bags. I try to maintain a ratio of 50-60% animal matter to 40-50% Plant matter in their mix. I always try to include new ingredients, when making the mix, so that it is never exactly the same. I have listed some of the items that I frequently use in my mix below.

Animal Matter
Canned premium cat or dog food (I usually use chicken flavored cat food), ground turkey, moistened monkey chow, dry premium dog or cat food (moistened), lean cuts of meat, boiled chicken, hard boiled eggs, caned reptile diets.

Plant Matter
Chopped mustard, collard, beet, and turnip greens, dandelion greens and flowers, hibiscus flowers (take care that no pesticides or herbicides are present), chopped kale (sparingly), fresh, canned, and thawed frozen fruits, canned or frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, and green beans), grated squash, carrots, apples, and potatoes, moistened iguana diet, and cooked pasta

Supplemental Food Items
Most insects are taken readily by Blue-tongued skinks. If you are feeding insects, that you have collected, to your skink, it is important to make sure that there is no chance of them being contaminated with pesticides. You can purchase crickets at most pet stores, and they are available in bulk through a large number of mail order companies that advertise in reptile related magazines. Also available are mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), superworms (Zophobas atrauts), waxworms, and sometimes earthworms. Snails are relished with delight by most blue-tongues, but again, you should be certain that no pesticides are present. Rat-pups are great for skinks that are a bit thin and need to put on some weight, and young adult mice make an excellent weekly supplement for gravid females. I also like to offer my skinks an occasional fruit meal consisting of ripe strawberries, peaches, mangos, or canned fruit cocktail.

Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation
A quality calcium supplement with vitamin D3 is an important factor in maintaining most lizards, including Blue-tongued Skinks. Make sure it is phosphorous free, and do not over supplement. Sprinkle a small amount on the food every other feeding for babies and gravid females, and every third feeding for all other adults. If given a varied diet, blue-tongues will not need any other vitamin or mineral supplements.

buffysmom Oct 03, 2003 01:51 PM

Thanks so much, that was exactly the one I was looking for! A few questions: when you feed meat, such as ground turkey, is it cooked or raw? Do you feed meat & veggies on the same day, or alternate, or does it matter? So you just mix everything together, including live insects, etc?
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0.3.0 leos, Geo, Tang, Ginger
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
0.0.5 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton & Olivia Newton John
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

James Wilson Oct 03, 2003 01:56 PM

go ahead and e-mail me your Phone #, and I will fill you in on the details, If you are uncomfortable sending a crazed wako your #, then I will be glad to send you mine. Send me an e-mail letting me know which is best for you.

James tiliquaman@aol.com

Edward Oct 03, 2003 04:09 PM

n/p
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Edward
Carpe diem

Flavia Guimaraes Oct 03, 2003 04:51 PM

The most difficult thing in the whole world is to make my BTSs eat! They are the worst picky eaters of the planet! Both!Nowadays the only thing they eat is raw meat and raw chicken! In spite of that crazy diet, both are doing great!The BTS on the photo is Mega, my 2 years and a half female (i suppose!)
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