taken from bluetongueskinks.net which you should go to and read:
Diet
Blue tongued skinks are omnivorous meaning they eat both plant matter and meat, and require a multifarious diet. We use our 50/40/10 system: 50% vegetables and greens, 40% meat, mice, and insects, and 10% fruits. A large portion of their diet should include fresh vegetables and greens such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, beet greens, bokchoy, etc. You may use virtually any fruit such as figs, papaya, mango, grapes, banana, diced apple, strawberry, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries (it's fun because they have blue tongues), melons and kiwi. Meats can include cooked shredded/ground (lean) chicken, beef or turkey, different types of worms and insects, an occasional mouse, and a small amount of cat food. Do not feed raw meats. While it's true that blue tongues eat some carrion in the wild, our processed meat is a little different than the natural way of things—hormone injections, unsanitary slaughterhouses, you name it. It's definitely important to cook out any weird bacteria or contamination. Especially since cooking it is so easy. Download the below food charts to make your food selection 100% easier. Scrambled egg (when cooked on low) is a treat they will also relish, but should only be given if your blue tongue is not eating well. Cooking anything on high oxidizes the cholesterol, so keep that in mind. Baby tomatoes and berries by the way are a great food to give them by hand...and high quality low fat soft cat or dog food works well in small amounts for substance. I would personally recommend cat food over dog food. Cat food just seems more juicier, thick, and smells a bit better. The only brands I would recommend are all natural 100% meat brands. These can often be found at health food stores. Mix up some finely cut collard greens (food processor makes the job a snap) with a small amount of cat food, add a few raspberries on the top, and you have a perfect healthy meal! Be sure to wash/rinse all fruits and vegetables. Natural baby food can be used sparingly as a last result, or you can even make your own baby food! Just purée greens and fruits in a food chopper.
For food dishes, jar lids work well as do paper plates cut into fourths. Do not use a knife to chop up greens ON the container you are serving with—this can create sharp edges on the feeding dish. A food chopper is prime for cutting your greens. When you're finally ready to offer food, you may notice that not all blueys will eat right away. Some will devour the portion in seconds, others will take their time nibbling little bits here and there. Some will actually anticipate your lowering the dish into the cage, and will come running to eat. Others will not even seem to notice, and you may want to touch his nose into the food to give him a taste. It's perfectly alright to leave the food in the terrarium for a few hours. You might want to leave the food on the cool end however, otherwise the heat from the lamp will fry it in 20 minutes. Do not leave uneaten food in the terrarium for days on end. If your animal leaves any food after a few hours, throw it away. Do not leave it in the tank overnight, and do not try to feed it to them again later. If one or two insects are left overnight or even a tiny mouse, that's fine. He can find and eat them later. I should warn you though, crickets can get down right irritating when you're trying to sleep. You may have heard that crickets have been known to "nibble" at reptiles while they sleep—this shouldn't pose any threat however unless you have a fresh baby with an army of hungry crickets living in the cage with him.
One more thing—something that bothers me to no end are people who stubbornly insist that their inadequate diet works great just because "the animal seems to be fine". In email, there's not much I can tell these people except: "Sure he seem fine, UNTIL HE DIES." That may seem harsh, but some people are so unbelievably naive, and just plain stubborn about what they think is right that often times they just won't listen. I mean, of course the animal will seem fine until he actually starts to get sick. A lot of people think that if their bluey seems healthy on a diet of only crickets, then well, the diet must be ideal, and no one can tell them otherwise! In these cases, the poor animal will eventually get sick, and these people will learn the hard way. The same logic is used for lighting as well. Some people do not even bother with heat lamps because, once again, "the animal seems just fine without it". To sum up, you could literally feed your blue tongued skink nothing, and he would live for months. You could also provide no heat, and he would also live for months. But to keep your animal healthy in the long run, it is vitally important to maintain a healthy diet and appropriate temperatures. These creatures live over twenty years, but they will not live that long if given a poor diet, and poor husbandry. It's as simple as that.
Here are the most nutritionally balanced foods to offer in each food category. These are foods that have the best balance all in itself (calcium & phosphorus for example). Mix in a little cat food, add a silkworm or two, and you have the best meal money can buy.
Best Greens: Best Veggies: Best Fruit:
Collard Greens Spaghetti Squash Papaya
Turnip Greens Butternut Squash Fig
Mustard Greens Acorn Squash Raspberries
Dandelion Greens Hubbard Squash Mango
Endive Summer Squash
Escarole Scallop Squash
Cactus Pad/Leaf
How to prepare cactus
Written by Jenn @ bluetongueskinks.net
Regarding the thorns: "I normally pick one that doesn't have that many—or one that only has them at one end—I'll cut that end off. Otherwise, I just pull them out. When I cut the cactus leaf, I cut it in long strips (very easy to see if I missed any spikes). I then cut it in half—so there is a skin side and a wet cactus side—and cut that into small pieces. I don't put the cactus in the chopper. I figure by cutting it, I can make sure that I don't miss any spikes."
To get the thorns off, you can also shave it with a knife and then rinse it off. It can then be placed in a chopper like any other fruit or green.
How to prepare meats
Chicken breasts, turkey breasts, lean ground turkey, lean ground beef, cooked shredded beef, etc, may all be cooked in a simple crock pot. If you don't have a crock pot, boiling in a simple pot of water works just as well. Cook it well so there is no pink remaining, and then cut into manageable pieces! We get a lot of questions about preparing meat, but there's really nothing special involved. You may also freeze large portions of meat. Quote from USDA website: "In meat and poultry products, there is little change in nutrient value during freezer storage." Frozen meats should be kept for no longer than usually 3 months. The best method for dethawing is to leave the frozen meat on the countertop, or put it in the fridge overnight. Dethawing in warm water works as well. Avoid dethawing in the microwave as it can be tricky. Avoid lunchmeats and even deli meats! They are processed to no end, and usually very salty.
Foods to avoid
Avoid seafood. In my opinion, it is an unnecessary item. Some say it adds important 'micro-nutrients' like shrimp and different fish foods, but I don't do it which means you shouldn't do it either! Just kidding. If you do choose to give them some fish meat however, it will not harm them. Also avoid mushrooms. Some people feed with mushrooms, some don't. To me, there are too many questions involved like which mushrooms are the best, or which types are safe, and so on. There are hundreds of types of mushrooms, and hundreds of other great food choices, so don't bother. Avoid avocado, eggplant, and rhubarb. All are known to be toxic with some reptiles. Also, click here for a list of plants that are known to be dangerous to reptiles. Lastly, avoid spinach greens and lettuces—especially iceberg lettuce. Romaine has very little nutritional value, and iceberg is basically nothing but water. Remember, avoid lunchmeats, and even deli meats.
When to feed
With adults, every other day feedings are recommended. Some people feed their animals every single day, but feeding them every other day gives them that 'hunger' to eat, and may help keep them eating regularly. If you feed every day, their appetite will likely not vary in the sense that he will neither be hungry or full, thusly he may not feel the need to eat every time you provide food. This can affect eating habits in the long run in my opinion, so don't feel bad if you skip every other day. Babies and juveniles should be offered food every day until about one year of age. If your skink rapidly gains weight however, reduce feedings to two or three times per week. Remember, a simple jar lid sized portion is sufficient. Be sure to feed early enough that your animals have enough time to digest! You don't want to feed your animals at ten o'clock at night, then turn their heat lamps off an hour later. Feed them early enough so that they have plenty of time to bask and digest their food.
Obesity?
I definitely believe BTS can become overweight, and even obese. I'm not sure where, but somewhere before this site came along, there was a rumor floating around that BTS could not become obese. I heard it all over the place. That's not the case though as they can most assuredly become dangerously overweight just like any other animal. As far as health, I think observation is simple and accurate. If your skink is freaky thin, then obviously he needs to be fattened up a bit. Try snails, soft cat food, and pinky mice. Do not gorge him all at once, but rather gradually increase his portions. If he's so big that it makes your eyes pop out every time you see him, then he could probably stand to lose a little weight. If he feels like a big round sausage in your hands, he might be a bit big. Reduce feeding to only two or three times per week in these cases. Here are two Northerns—the first being a very thin animal, and the second an overweight animal. It's not too difficult to tell the difference.
Here is a second animal that is grossly overweight. Apparently, this animal has been in this condition for over a year.
Force feeding
This is something that seems to jump to everyone's mind when a skink will not eat. The easiest answer is...don't do it. Unless you really know what you're doing, it can be quite dangerous—if a skink is not prepared to accept food into the throat, he could very well choke. This actually happened recently to a member of our's—his skink was having trouble lapping up some egg yolk, so he lifted up the plate to let the yoke slide into his mouth. The yoke slid straight down the skink's throat causing the skink to hack and convulse violently. He soon contracted a respiratory infection from the ordeal. Simply stated, skinks sometimes have a sporadic diet, and they can live a long time on little to no food. Always provide food however—if the animal is hungry, he will eat it. If he doesn't, it's usually nothing to worry about. Remember, during the winter months many skinks cease to eat entirely as they enter into a natural brumation. Always keep an open mind though, and watch for signs of infections and other illnesses. We get into some of these later.
Should I feed with cat food?
This is an unending argument on whether cat food is good or bad for reptiles. It's commonly used but many people think it has bad effects, while others believe it's perfect for the meat portion of the diet. My personal opinion—which is solely based on the health of my animals—is that a little cat food used for substance in your skink dishes is not harmful. I definitely would never consider using it by itself, but rather just mixing it into my other staple food items to give it a little texture and balance. Many people retain the idea that "they don't eat it in the wild, so why should we use it?" Well friends, the truth of the matter is that our animals are not in the wild. They are held captive, and we do not subject them to everything they would encounter in nature. We do not keep them in sub-degree temperatures like they would encounter in Australian winters, we do not feed them rotting flesh (carrion), and so on. If you decide to use a little cat food the important thing to remember is that "all natural" type brands are best. Check your health food stores, and don't buy the cheap stuff at Wal-mart. Look for high protein, low fat, and low ash content (2.00% or less). Everything will be clearly listed on the can under "Guaranteed Analysis". Note: Chunky cat food in gravy is recommended over the squishy spam looking cat food. If you can't find anything special, the best "common" cat food is IAMS. I would suggest the adult chicken formula as it has a low ash content, and animal by-products are not the number one ingredient. All in all, it's best to use cat food sparingly. Pretty much all commercial cat foods contain preservatives, chemicals, fish by-products, carcinogens, other animal by-products (beaks, toes, eyes—essentially leftovers not consumed by humans) and so on—so if you do use a bit of cat food, remember to buy a high quality grade at a health food store, or other specialty store. The IAMS brand works ok in a pinch. Here are two examples of great ingredients in a cat food. The two brands are Wellness and Precise. Spot's Stew, Merrick, and Pet Promise are three other great brands and can usually be found at upscale grocery stores. You may need to order online, however.
Ingredients in Halo Spot's Stew: Whole chicken, carrots, yellow squash, zucchini, celery, green peas, string beans, turkey, chicken liver, garlic, kelp, vitamins & minerals. No grains at all. Absolutely no by-products, fillers, chemicals, or preservatives. All USDA-Approved ingredients.
# http://www.halopets.com
# http://www.merrickpetcare.com
# http://www.petpromiseinc.com
# http://www.onlynaturalpet.com
Mice
A small live mouse or fuzzy/pinky may be given once and a while as a treat, but they're not very healthy and consist mostly of fat. Basically, a pinky is a baby mouse with no fur, a fuzzy is an older mouse with fur, and a hopper is the next size up and your blueys will get to chase it. Be sure your animal is an adult before offering mice (usually one year and up). Frozen mice are also ok. Use your judgement according to your skink's size, appetite, etc. Some say live mice are not a necessary part of the diet, but it's a blast to watch, and it keeps your skink's hunting skills and instincts sharp. Remember, a mouse should not be offered as a staple food source, but rather as a treat only—and like everybody says, your wiggling finger can resemble a wiggling mouse, especially if your skink is hungry, so use caution. I have never personally had a problem with this though. Be careful of pet stores you are not familiar with, and always inspect the conditions the mice (or any feeder animal/insect) are being held in. Dirty, dark, smelly cages I would obviously avoid. Here's a good quote from Kelly McKinney: " If you can get a look at the housing and husbandry the store has for their live mice, that would be an excellent idea. That's why a lot of people who keep reptiles breed their own mice because they then have a better idea and control as to the conditions and health of the mice they feed their animals. Freezing kills parasites - one benefit of feeding frozen/thawed."
Insects
Live insects and worms are another live food choice, and when provided properly can offer exceptional nutrition in the meat category. Some common varieties are mealworms, superworms, waxworms, butterworms, and silkworms. That's listed from easiest to find to hardest to find, and coincidentally also from unhealthiest to healthiest. How convenient, huh? Here are some pictures...from top left to right: Superworm, Silkworm, Butterworm, Waxworm. Some other insect choices are earthworms, slugs, and snails (snails are highly recommended as their shells are a great source of calcium). Cockroaches are also fun for a treat. Abstain from feeding them crickets and avoid mealworms. Both have essentially no nutritional value. They can be fun however, and are readily available, so if you do throw some in once in a while, dusting them with calcium powder isn't a bad idea.
Can worms eat their way out of my skink?
NO!! No matter what you've heard, this is not true. I'm not sure where this rumor or urban legend originates, but it's an incredibly popular one. You do NOT need to cut off a superworm's head before feeding it to your BTS, and a superworm is also NOT a mealworm on steroids or any other drug/enhancer. They are a completely different species and pupate into a completely different beetle (yes, the beetles are ok to feed to BTS). So, the next time a pet store employee tells you to cut the head off of a mealie or super prior to feeding, just roll your eyes, and politely explain the truth. Don't ignore them! Be sure to set them straight if you know better. If you ignore it, the person will just spread the bad advice to someone else continuing this widespread absurdity.
Gut loading
Gut loading is raising and feeding insects and mice with a healthy or special diet in order to make them more nutritious for your skink. Many pet stores claim to sell "pre-gut loaded" crickets. This would be an advantage if it were true, but it's not always the case. Ask the employee if the insects are gut loaded. If they tell you that they don't know, that is an honest answer, and you can then ask for a manager or supervisor. If they respond "Yes, they are", then ask what they are gut loaded with. This will usually determine if the person truly knows what he or she is talking about.
One last thing to mention is that you will likely never find silkworms or butterworms in pet stores, so if you're interested in purchasing some, check out the Skink Links for websites. For fun, here is a comparative table of feeder insects—now you can really see how crickets are virtually "nutritionless" compared to high quality feeders such as the butterworms and silkworms.
Live Insect Comparisons
Feeder Moisture % Ash % Fat % Protein % Ca
Crickets 69.07 9.9 22.7 11.4 1:9.75
Mealworms 61 1 14 20 1:25
Superworms 59.37 1.2 17.89 17.41 1:18
Waxworms 61.73 1.02 22.19 15.50 1:7
Butterworms 58.54 1.04 5.21 16.20 ?
Silkworms ? 7.4 10.6 63.8 1:2.35
Nightcrawlers 85 1 2 10 ?
If you are having trouble deciding a good diet for your animal, download the following food charts compiled by Kelly McKinney. They tell you which foods you should provide on a regular basis, and which foods you shouldn't. Tip: Print these out, and keep them in your glove compartment!
Vitamin Supplements
If your meals are well rounded and healthy, you don't necessarily need any supplements. It is understandable though, that it may be difficult to have the PERFECT diet 365 days a year. You may run out of a certain food or certain fruits or vegetables may go bad...(or some fruits may even go out of season) that's why it doesn't hurt to have some supplements handy. Usually mix in a dash or two of Vitamin/Anti-oxidant powder, and a D3/Calcium powder a couple times a week. Both can be purchased at your pet shop, and will cost around five to ten bucks each. Again though, if you have a healthy balanced diet it's not really necessary. Blueberries for example are a natural anti-oxidant, and egg/snail shells, figs, and collard greens are calcium enriched. Do not overdose on the fruit. It's an easy thing to do. Fruit contains more phosphorus than other foods, and if your skink began suffering from a phosphorus/calcium imbalance, it can lead to metabolic bone disease. Here is an excellent quote written by Edward Martinez that sums up my entire position on supplements: "Excessive amounts of any vitamin or mineral can lead to health problems, so I'd rather not chance it by adding artificial supplements that may be totally unnecessary. Focusing on a good diet is a much more effective way to insure proper nutrition for your BTS." Just think about this: Wouldn't one only supplement if their diet was inadequate?
Picky Eaters
It's very true that BT's prefer some foods and dislike others! Most all blue tongued skinks will seem a bit 'oligophagous' at times, which basically means they only seem interested in certain foods. It may get down right frustrating, but don't be fooled and don't give up. Be patient, and keep trying different things. If you purée vegetables into your cat food, this is a sneaky way to get them to eat their veggies. Try chopping up some collard greens in tiny pieces, chop some tomato bits, and mix it all in to the cat food. Most blue tongues also go crazy for scrambled eggs or banana, so be sure to give those a try. Some seem to eat everything in site, others are very picky. They do have certain tastes, and there are LOTS of different foods to try, so be creative, observant, and most important of all, varietal.
Preparing Food
Babies need finely chopped food. They have small throats, and can have a harder time eating the larger fruits/veggies that the adults are able to gulp down. Also, as I wrote above, many blueys refuse their greens, so chopping it up and mixing it into the cat food is a sneaky way to get them to eat it. Chopping your greens, tomatoes, and fruits into tiny pieces though can take forever. If you pick up a food chopper, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it! This is especially nice if you have more than one bluey. We have the "Black & Decker Handy Chopper Plus". It only costs around $10, and is very small and easy to use. It's awesome! You can dice up all your big leaved greens—which needs to be done whether you have adults or babies—tomatoes, fruits, purée cat food—just throw it all in together, hit the button, and VOILA! You've got a meal ready to eat in 2 seconds. Not too shabby. You don't need to peel any food unless it's food that you would peel yourself. Oranges or bananas for example should be peeled, but squash, figs, mango and so on should be chopped and served with skin and all.
Couple other things to mention while preparing food...be mindful of spraying your counters with kitchen cleaners, then preparing your animal's food. Perhaps your wife or husband cleaned the kitchen counters with a cleaner, then you spill a little bluey food on it a little while later. Spilling a little food is all too common, and putting it right back onto the dish is even more common. Be careful! The last thing you want is a dead animal with no apparent cause of death.
Frozen Foods
Feeding reptiles frozen vegetables from a bag is very common because of the extreme convenience. Simply pour from the bag, dethaw, and voila. The only problem with frozen vegetables is that the actual freezing and dethawing destroys the thiamine (vitamin B1). When a blue tongued skink lacks this vitamin, it impedes the other B vitamins from properly carrying out their functions which can lead to a variety of health problems similar to the symptoms of MBD. Thiamine is crucial to the proper function of the central nervous system and also assists in carbohydrate metabolism and converting different nutrients and acids to fats and proteins. Thiamine deficiency is also often mistaken for a calcium deficiency, so it's important to be aware of the effects of feeding large portions of frozen foods and understand that it requires a completely different treatment. These are two very different conditions, and each must be treated in completely different ways. The best way to avoid this? Feed fresh foods! It's really not hard. Keep fresh greens on hand in your refrigerator, and add them with every feeding. It's really no different than keeping frozen vegetables in the freezer unless you virtually never go grocery shopping. Fresh is best. I personally never freeze anything, and always and only provide freshly sliced and mixed meals. Thiamine is sometimes referred to as Aneurin—especially in Europe.
