Adult, Blue-tongued skinks can be fed every one to two days, while juveniles can be fed daily. The bulk of the diet (45-60%) should consist of greens. Feed dark, leafy greens such as mustard greens, kale, dandelion, endive, romaine, beet tops, bok choy, and collard greens.
What food can blue tongue lizards eat?
Bluetongues are omnivores and should be offered a variety of foods such as insects e.g. crickets, worms, snails and slugs. They will eat a range of chopped fruits and vegetables including dandelion, milk thistle, watercress, banana, apple, pawpaw, pear, green beans, carrots, alfafa sprouts, parsley and tomato.
Can blue tongue skinks eat dog food?
Most blue tongue skink keepers swear by cat and dog food, and many skinks enjoy eating it. It makes a good diet when mixed with vegetables. Make sure to use canned food rather than kibble (although kibble is alright occasionally if water is added), and avoid formulas containing artificial colors/flavors or fish.
Can blue tongue skinks eat raw meat?
Any actual meats such chicken, turkey, duck or beef should always be cooked, never raw, as this poses far too much of a contamination and poisoning risk. Actual meats should be viewed as a treat only, as your skink’s main meat/protein source should be insect based.
What can I feed my blue tongue skink? – Related Questions
What is skinks favorite food?
Skinks love:
Eating insects – crickets, moths and cockroaches are favourites. A place to hide – lizards have a good chance of escaping predators if your garden includes logs, small bundles of sticks and dense ground cover.
Can blue tongue skinks eat scrambled eggs?
You can prepare eggs boiled or scrambled, whichever is most comfortable for you, some skinks may seem to prefer one or the other. You can give raw eggs to your pet skink, just ensure that you don’t provide them with the eggshell as the shell is sharp and can cause damage internally.
Can skinks eat cucumber?
Peas, green beans, corn, squash, carrots, sweet potato, cucumber, zucchini, green peppers and parsley can also be added. Adult skinks prefer their salad coarsely chopped, while juveniles prefer finely chopped greens. Fruit should make up no more then 5-10% of the diet.
Can skinks eat bananas?
They can also feed on fruit and vegetables, but the vegetables have to be cooked for the skink to be able to eat it. Skinks especially love bananas and strawberries etc. (no citrus fruit).
Do skink bites hurt?
Skinks do bite because they have teeth and jaws strong enough to clasp against the skin. Yet, their bites don’t have to be a concern. Skink bites are often light, shallow, and pain-free. Skinks have about 40 small yet sharp teeth fused to their jawbones (pleurodont teeth).
Can skinks recognize their owners?
Many feel that they have not developed this emotion, as it does not naturally benefit them. However, most reptiles do seem to recognize people who frequently handle and feed them.
How can you tell if a skink is happy?
If you’re not sure whether your skink likes being held, check its breathing, movements, and tongue flicks. A happy skink will breathe calmly and have smooth inquisitive movements. If you notice heavy breathing or any rapid movements and tongue flicks, you should put the animal back in its enclosure.
Do skinks get lonely?
Sociality Does Not (Necessarily) Mean Reptiles Get Lonely
But it is important to note that the tendency to interact with other members of their own species does not mean these animals feel “lonely” when deprived of this kind of contact.
Do blue tongue skinks recognize their owners?
I honestly believe that blue-tongued skinks can learn to recognize their owners. Handling is important, and the best way to get to know your pet skink is to hold it often. Let it wander around outside its cage, hand-feed it, lay it on your chest and let it watch TV with you.
Do skinks need to be misted?
The Zilla Rock Lair is an ideal hiding space for your skink to cool down. For moisture, provide a bowl or dish of fresh water 2-3 times per week. Misting once to twice daily will also help maintain the humidity at around 60-70%.
How smart are blue tongue skinks?
Blue-tongued Skinks are considered to be extremely intelligent with a resilient nature. They are very agile creatures.
Do blue tongue skinks feel love?
Yes, they have as many feelings as us including love and hate.
Is it cruel to keep a blue tongue lizard?
The first thing to do is, relax! Blue-tongue lizards are not poisonous and do not pose any threat to people or their pets. In fact, they can be a very helpful friend to have around the garden as they eat snails and caterpillars and other insects and can help keep the population of these invertebrate garden pests down.
How cold is too cold for a blue tongue skink?
Your temperatures should always stay above 60 degrees on the cold side and 85 degrees or above on the hot side. As for health issues, skinks can go into brumation if the temperature stays at 60 degrees or below for a day or two.
Do blue tongues need heat at night?
Blue tongue skinks generally do not need any kind of lighting or heating during the night. Some people prefer red or black bulbs for providing nighttime heat, but it’s actually healthier for skinks to experience a nightly temperature drop.
How can you tell if a blue tongue lizard is happy?
BEHAVIOURAL SIGNS OF A HAPPY REPTILE
- Normal appetite.
- Hunting or foraging for food.
- Unhurried (relaxed) drinking.
- Relaxed basking (diurnal reptiles)
- Relaxed movement around enclosure.
- Exploratory behaviour, e.g. tongue flicking, inspecting new objects.
- Affiliative (friendly) behaviour between cage mates.
