Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Should their diet be pure insects only? Or do they eat a minor percentage of some veges, fruits, or other food items on occasions?

As far as insects go, crickets, mealworms, roaches, and what else? I know waxworms shouldn't be more than a treat because of it's high fat content and lack of true nutritional value. I assume silkworms work too, but they are just a pain to raise to be long run food items. Red wigglers are okay from the bait store? What about pill bugs (if I remember correctly they are a good source of calcium, but then dusting other insect items should be enough)? I don't care to try snails since I wouldn't know of any clean sources. (Of course these food items must be from a clean source and pesticide free.)

What about fish (guppies) on occasion? I know adults can have an occasional pinkie..but how big should an adult (since they grow slowly over the course of years) be to even get a pinkie mouse?

Just seeing what variety I can provide to my crocodile skinks. Right now they are eating mealworms and small roaches.

U can feed em crix, grasshoppers, meallies, zophobas, roaches, waxies & treboworms as a treat, earthworms, silkworms, pillbugs (u may consider on this coz they may carry toxins & such, so be carefull), feeder fishes, perhaps crayfish, shrimp, / crabs, some sweet fruits (like banana & papaya), non poisonous centipedes (they exist, my local shop sells em 4 fish, but they have a very tough chitin layer, even bluey cant chew through), maybe some canned cat/dog food, babyfood (meat, veg, & fruit), some veggies mixed up occasionally, pinkie, etc
For feeding pinkies, feed in moderation coz they have lots of fat (like waxworms). I'm not sure about the size to eat a pink, but dont feed a food item that is larger than its head (or mouth 4 that matter)

I believe it is possible for adults. If i'm wrong, please corect me .

I dont know.My croc only eats things the size of a mealworm.To say the true he ONLY eats gut loaded mealworms.I think a pinkie is too hard and too big for them to eat.Mine doesnt even eat crickets.He is afraid of crickets!Thats only my opinion based on the experience i have with my own croc skink.

Well, every animal has its own likes/dislikes. Some MAY take pinkie, and some may dont like it. Just like the meallies. Some prefer crix to meallies, some are the opposite.

I tend to agree that pinks are probably much too big for even an adult crocodile skink. They *may* be able to get it down their gullet, but they also risk chocking on it. Personally, I wouldn't take the risk.

From what I've noticed, croc skinks tend to be pretty fussy; a lot of them will only take mealworms or waxworms. I've been compensating for this by providing mulched veggies with their feeders, mostly dark leafy greens because they are calcium-rich. For this reason, we don't use any supplements (for adults).

I think even insectivores/carnivores benefit from small amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diets and if you can provide it, by all means do. Think of how cats -- strict carnivores -- love to eat grass. It helps them digest and the veggies contain important vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other nutrients.

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Julie Williams
www.baskingwonders.com

I think that a pinkie would be a bit much for any crocodile skink - they just don't have the size / jaw strength for it. It also wouldn't be in-line with what they normally eat in nature, so I'd avoid it. :/

At any rate, Barron's RAI ID guide has them listed as also eating fruit and day gecko mixture. I've tried the following:

Baby food - They didn't touch it. Apple, Tap, and Pap - no dice.
Day Gecko mix (one that formed into a sort of paste when liquid added - they didn't touch it (though the crickets ate it).
Honey/water mix - They drink this and occasionally swim in it. :/ I usually put a small bowl of this into their terrarium once a week for a day or two.
Chopped fruits: VERY finely chopped. They take a tiny little bite or two then leave the rest. I give them part of an apple once a month.
Earthworms - love them. I put some of these into the substrate - if the skinks get hungry, they dig them up and eat them.
Crickets - main food source. I put them in a bowl with high sides that the crickets have a lot of trouble getting out of.

In the future, I intends to try one or two small feeder fish in their big "pool" to see if they want to eat them.

I have had my boy for 18 months and he is doing great.Tribs are hardy besides being very sweet and gorgeous!The only thing my boy eats are mealworms. To sex tribs you have to wait until they reach sexual maturity.The adult male has an enlarged scale on the belly, like a black botton.