Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I have a female 17'' blue tongue skink, and have had her for about 3 months. She recently has not eaten much besides the mice I feed her... when before she ate plenty of greens and fruits. Normally I feed her 3-4 fuzzy mice every week, and then she doesn't eat much for the rest of the week until more mice are provided.

She isn't losing weight, but should I be concerned?

(Cage temp = 76 cool side, 82 warm side, bed a beast substrate, UVB tube light overhead)

Thanks again
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilota cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

They are omnivores & need to eat a variety of things, including their veggies, just like us. I find that mine will pick the veggies out & eat just the meat, so I try to really mix the ingredients up, so he can't avoid the veggies as easily I'd recommend holding off on the mice until your baby starts eating other things. If given the choice, they will choose an unhealthy diet & should be pushed into a variety of foods, if necessary.
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2.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken, Jack Skellington & Abby
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
1.3 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.5 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John, Helmut Newton & Thandie Newton
1.1 cats Gus & Mena

I would say with some certainty that she is not eating because she is constantly full of mice! I think everyone would agree that the amount of food she is receiving is probably too much - and high calorie mice no less. Mice should only be fed occasionally. I would get some more nutritious greens and other roughage on the menu and spread the meals out a bit. You didn't mention species, but for many, a 17" female is near adult size. She won't need a "power-feeding" regimen at this point.

Oops, I guess I should scroll a bit. You did say intermedia right at the bottom. Sorry. Still, 3-4 fuzzies seems like an awful lot.

I'm willing to bet shes slowing down because shes knows its winter. Very common. I would take it eay with the mice too.
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0.0.1 Corucia (Bubba)
1.0 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink (Don)
1.1 Irian Jaya Blue Tongue Skink(Sammy) & (Sausage Girl)
0.0.1 Tanimbar Island Blue Tongue Skink ( Spunky Sebastian)
0.0.1 Ornate Uro (Spike)
1.0.1 Green Tree Pythons ( Male=Floyd, Baby= Verdi)
0.1 Western Hognose (Piggy)
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortiose(Tank)
0.0.1 Sonoran Gopher snake ( Toro)
0.1 Albino Leo gecko (Sasha)

Will hold off on the mice till she starts eating some other food. Funny little animals... more like people than you think!
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilota cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

Like everyone said, mice should only be given as a treat.

And GTP is right about her slowing down for winter, that is probably the main reason she has gone off her main food.

Your temps are also a little off... Cool side should be in high seventies to eighties, while the hot end should be right at 100. Not 82.

Good luck!

I actually don't know exactly what the temps are, but 78 is a really low day. Normally its about 84 ambient in her cage, and she has two cobra heat mats (6x11) under one side of her cage, so she keeps plenty warm. Also she has a UVB fixture in her cage so that generates a little heat.

No mice for her till she eats other stuff Then one a week.

Thanks again
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilota cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

Do you have a basking light? It's important to have your hot end at 100 degrees, and to have a basking light overhead! (Otherwise, they can't bask).

Check out the lighting section on the caresheet at www.bluetongueskinks.net

Trust me, she's fine. My friend has had some of his by his back door for years with just a UTH and overhead UVB light, and it's alot cooler where they are in his house than mine. Also I've had her for about 3 1/2 months without any problems, and she is deffinately not lethargic.

When my room gets much cooler than 78, I grab my parents space heater and let it run to warm it back up. I've kept animals in there for years without any problems with heat (including geckos and other lizards).

If I see problems with her, I'll stick a basking light in there, no big deal. But so far I haven't needed to, and I really don't want to have three different heat sources running on one cage eating at my electric bill.

Please don't hassle me about my animals... I know what I'm doing, I've had them for 5 years without problems.
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Current Collection:
0.1 Antherystic elaphe guttata guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
0.1 Leucistic elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake
1.1 Morelia spilota cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Tiliqua scincoides intermedia - Northern Blue Tongue Skink

You have had the skink for about 3 months, right? You have a lot to learn about how to care for it, and others here are trying to educate you on their proper husbandry. Your feeding it mice as a staple is indicative of your lack of knowledge with this particular species. What research did you do before acquiring the animal to make sure you knew enough about their care?
The fact that you've kept other species is good, but each species is different and you can't assume that temperatures that are okay for your snakes are also healthy for your skink. It is also irrelevant that your friend may also be keeping his under incorrect temperatures.
No one is hassling you about your animals; this is aimed at your skink alone. The care of BTS is very specific and must be followed to have a healthy animal. A basking light is absolutely necessary; ask any experienced keeper and you will get the same answer.
Some of us truly do want the best care for all skinks out there and our goal is to educate new keepers of these wonderful animals. There's no shame in acknowledging you do not know everything about caring for BTS, and you should keep in mind your BTS's care is more important than anything else.
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Edward
Carpe diem

I agree 100% You say you know what your doin but what you don't realize is that these people that are trying to help you are some of the top names in blue tongue skink care. Zach, is the creator of our haven bluetongueskinks.net and has taught me everything I know, and Edward has been in this for quite a while and knows tons of information about them, and he even owns westerns!!! Until you reach the success of these men I would follow their advice down to every detail.
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0.0.1 Corucia (Bubba)
1.0 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink (Don)
1.1 Irian Jaya Blue Tongue Skink(Sammy) & (Sausage Girl)
0.0.1 Tanimbar Island Blue Tongue Skink ( Spunky Sebastian)
0.0.1 Ornate Uro (Spike)
1.0.1 Green Tree Pythons ( Male=Floyd, Baby= Verdi)
0.1 Western Hognose (Piggy)
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortiose(Tank)
0.0.1 Sonoran Gopher snake ( Toro)
0.1 Albino Leo gecko (Sasha)

A lady refuses to give her BTS proper care, and I post a stern message about it (she needs somebody to get through to her!), and it gets deleted?