Don't Feed This Type of Dog Food to your Blue Tongue Skink
Like 3 Dislike 0 Published on 14 Sep 2017
Blue Tongue Skink Kit: http://bit.ly/GoHerping_BTS
Care Guide: http://goherping.com/bluetongueskinks
Click "Show More" for more resources!
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BTS CARE MINI-SERIES ?
1/4: ARE BTS GOOD PETS? - https://youtu.be/mAIgw55PO9c
2/4: SETUP - https://youtu.be/zPRT9jokFjo
3/4: DIET - https://youtu.be/XrZLvYO-d7Y
4/4: FEED BTS DOG FOOD? - This video!
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Some of the sources used
http://www.savannahmonitor.co/stpp/skinny.html?iframe=true&width=1200&height=450
http://www.everythingreptile.org/fatty-liver-disease.html
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Lizards/Blue-Tongue-Skink/
https://bluetongueskinks.net/foodchart.html
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizards/1056172-cat-dog-food-blue-tongue.html
http://www.bluetongueskinks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29107
http://www.preparedfoods.com/articles/103674-tocopherols-for-preservation
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_5/features/Dog-Food-Preservatives_16221-1.html
http://www.petsafe.net/learn/pet-food-the-good-the-bad-and-the-healthy
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food-safety/article/two-preservatives-avoid
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Blue tongue skinks are omnivorous and will thrive with a healthy balance of plant matter and protein. Approximately 50-60% of the diet should be made up of plants, while 40-50% is made up of different proteins. The best proteins to pick from include dubia roaches, crickets, and mealworms as the staple. The occasional raw egg or frozen/thawed feeder rodent is a great little treat, but should not be a usual part of the diet. Some people feed superworms and waxworms as a staple, however, they have much higher fat contents than that of mealworms, dubias, and crickets so they may put too much weight on your lizard.
Now on to plant matter -- a very important part of the diet. For a run-down on my entire diet, I personally feed 50% insects, 20% leafy greens, 20% non-leafy vegetables and 10% fruit. Fruit should be kept to a small amount of their diet, as they have a lot of sugar. At the same time, many skinks obsess over fruits, so it’s a great way to get them to eat the foods they don’t like. (For example, I mix my skink’s favorite: blueberries, in with her least favorite: collard greens).
I personally selected all of the plant matter I feed based on this feeding chart on another site. My favorite leafy greens to use include collard greens, dandelion greens, and mustard greens. My primary vegetables include carrots, broccoli, squash, zucchini, cauliflower, and bell pepper, and the fruits I often add in include blueberries, apples, banana, and strawberries. Like I said, instead of regurgitating all the information on the feeding chart, check it out at the link above -- as there are plenty of other food options.
But wait! Your skink also needs calcium and multivitamin supplements with their food. You may have heard of dusting feeder insects before, and the same can be done here. A ratio of approximately 3:1 calcium:multivitamin is best. If you have UVB on your enclosure, you will probably be best using calcium without d3, but use calcium with d3 if you do not have UVB. Create a mix and dust the food each time, or feed your skink with calcium every feeding, except for each fourth feeding, which can be swapped with a multivitamin.
FOR THE REST OF THE CARE GUIDE (this is only a very small part of it) AND MANY OTHER RESOURCES, GO TO http://goherping.com/bluetongueskinks
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