They are even known to be scavengers and eat meat that has gone rotten, that doesn't necessarily make it okay for them to eat in captivity. These are blue-tongues that live in very arid areas, with T. multifasciata favoring sandy regions dominated by spinifex grasslands. In the wild, Blue Tongue Skinks will jump at the chance to eat meat , even if it's rotting and decaying. Cat food can be offered to young skinks, but once they are adults, you should only give them dog food. Lifespan Of A Blue Tongue Skink In captivity, 14 – 16 years seems the most common area, but we have met owners who’s lived to the ages of 22. Specifically, they feed on a variety of small creatures such as insects, other reptiles, and some plant matter. Let me explain… how often do blue tongue skinks shed? Invite customers to join your mailing list. Often large numbers of seeds or fruits were consumed, and one T. occipitalis, for example, had eaten 226 small berries. Contact Information(888) 833-8242orders@reptilesupply.com, Empire Theme by Pixel Union. Blue tongue skinks, also known as blue-tongued skinks, are an Australian genus of reptiles that are members of the skink (Scincidae) family. Long Term Retention of Spermatozoa in Tiliqua. Wild skinks do not always have the most healthy diet, but in captivity, we can ensure that we offer them only the best foods that will keep them healthy. High acidity will cause stomach upset, and high water content can cause diarrhea. The amount of vegetative matter that blue tongue skinks eat in the wild can vary greatly between seasons and individuals (Fenner et al. Skinks don’t have to eat every day, but will do so when conditions are favourable. Powered by WP – Designed with the Customizr theme, Northern Blue-tongue Skink Breeding 2020 — A Review in Photos, Babies 2020 — Northern Blue-tongue Skinks, Female Northern Bluetongue Breeders — 2021, Breeding Pairs of Northern Blue-Tongue Skinks — February 2021, The Captive Blue-tongue Skink Diet — An Overview. In order to obtain all these delicacies, they forage. We offer the highest quality USA grown feeder insects and quality products at reasonable prices. The truth is, although Blue - Tongues often eat raw meat in nature, as a pet, it is strongly recommended that you do … Can Blue Tongue Skinks Eat Raw Meat | BluTongued. You can use pinkie mice if your pet skink needs a calcium boost, for example, if they are recovering from an illness or they have just laid eggs. In the wild, they search for this pray from leaves and decaying wood. Blue Tongue skinks tend to soak in the water during the shedding period to ease the shedding process. As adults (8+ months old), they only need feeding 1-2 times per week. Using specimens from the Kimberley area, Jones (1992) reported finding plant remains, arthropods, vertebrate material (carrion? All blue tongue skinks are members of the genus Tiliqua, and are named for their characteristic blue tongues., and are named for their characteristic blue tongues. The only difference between reality and fiction is that fiction needs to be credible. Even individuals of the same species that live in different regions have different diets. Cat and dog food can be fed to your skink as a healthy addition to their diet. Skinks are lactose intolerant, so they cannot process dairy, and this will make them very sick if you feed it to them. Blue-tongues usually eat from late morning through to midday after getting some sun. What do they eat? Blue Tongue Skink Diet List Blue tongue skinks need to feed on a balanced diet. Blue-tailed skinks are generally insectivores and tend to feed on a diet of Your skink needs calcium to grow and maintain healthy bones and a healthy body, so any foods that are high in oxalates should also be limited if not avoided altogether.Â. Meat and Insects The wild skink's primary source of protein is insects . The northern blue tongue skinks are among the largest growing species, so you do not have to worry about any huge growing skink surprises. See below for a guide on what are the best and worse fruits and vegetables for your blue-tongued skink: Why Are Some Vegetables & Fruits Better Than Others? You can prepare the eggs by boiling or scrambling; whichever is easiest for you, your skink may prefer one or the other. Raw eggs can be given, but it should be ensured that there is no shell present as the shell is sharp and can cause them damage internally if ingested. Leeks - In larger quantities can cause anemia and organ failure. Feeding Raw Meat To Your Blue Tongued Skink. Water should always be made available to your pet skink; they will drink from a water dish when they are thirsty. Facts And Pictures. The endangered T. adelaidensis, the pygmy blue-tongue skink, is an exception to the varied diet approach as it appears to focus almost exclusively on hunting insects and spiders. However, […] The tongue of a shingleback is colored deep blue and contrasting a bright pink mouth. The reason is that these big friendly skinks are very slow moving. Most Shinglebacks have the same mate for their entire lives. Blue-tongue lizards can live for more than 20 years and reach over 50cm in length. While blue tongue skinks will eat fruit, I would suggest that they make up only a small portion of your lizard’s diet due to their higher sugar content. The best time to feed you skink is 1-2 hours after they have woken up, this allows them to warm up and will help them to digest the food they eat as their digestion is quite slow. 2007 and Shea 2006), but it is important that they are offered frequently as it really is Dried fruits - High sugar, low water content, Green or purple grapes, raisins - Liver and kidney issues, Oranges, lemons, tangerines, clementine, grapefruits, kumquats, navel, anything citrus. In extreme situations, do not hesitate to contact a vet or a reptile expert and definitely, do not experiment with different unorthodox diets with your skink reptile. In the wild, skinks can only feed on foods they find in their natural habitat. In captivity however, they do well on a varied diet consisting of protein, and both fruit and vegetable matter. Powered by Shopify, Discoid roaches (also called False death roaches), Lean beef or goat meat – heart, ground (only cooked). 🔑 Blue Tongue Skink Background Key Takeaways: Blue Tongue Skinks hail from semi-desert regions of Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania and make great pets due to their mild mannered disposition. The amazing shingleback skinks, Tiliqua rugosa, are the best studied of the Tiliqua. Spotting a bluey in your backyard during spring is more common than you think. Similarly, molluscs were only found in Tiliqua occipitalis, and in low numbers.” (Notably, the low number of molluscs in the diet is probably due to their scarcity in these arid environments.). You can put all their food in a large bowl to let them eat it unless it is live bugs which you can hand feed, place in a feeder dish or let them catch in a separate feeder tank. In the wild, they eat fruit, insects, mollusks and carrion. Using supplements to dust your live feeders is an essential part of maintaining the long term health of your pet skink. He examined stomach contents from a large sample of both species and compared them: “Among arthropod prey material, beetles (Coleoptera), grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera) and insect larvae of various types predominated in both species. As pets, blue tongue skinks can enjoy a big variety of foods, such as live bugs, meat, veggies, greens, dog or cat food, fruits and plants. Have a question? Blue tongue skinks are omnivores, and in the wild they eat plants, vegetables, fruits, berries, blossoms, dead animals, bugs. However, most species are insectivores, and eat mostly Blue Tongue … Some vegetables and fruits are better for your blue-tongued skink; there are various reasons, some more obvious than others. They are known scavengers and eat meat that has gone bad and is rotting, that doesn't necessarily make it the best for them to have in captivity. Yes, blue tongue skinks can have eggs; eggs are high in fat and cholesterol, which can cause obesity and other related health problems, so they should only be offered occasionally. As well as proteins, nearly half of your pet skink's diet needs to be plant-based, which makes it vital that you know what you need to feed them to maintain their health and wellbeing throughout their lives. Some species are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals. Instead of raw meat, you can use cooked meats such as lean beef, ground turkey, chicken, duck, or venison. Some insects are higher or lower in various nutrients, and dusting your feeders will ensure that your blue-tongued skink gets plenty of these nutrients in their diet. Blue-tongue skinks are opportunistic omnivores: their diet includes insects, larvae, snails, slugs and other invertebrates; soft fruit, flowers, greens and seeds; other reptiles, including smaller skinks; occasional small mammals, eggs and hatchling birds; and carrion. They have a large, triangular head like other Tiliqua , but they have a much more slender body and a short, slender tail. Skinks kept as pets, such as the Australian blue-tongued skink, are normally omnivores, preferring to eat both meat and plant matter to get the nutrients they need. Blue-Tongued skinks are omnivorous eating other animals as well as plant material. A large number of studies over an extensive geographical range have shown that they eat primarily plant material with a small component of animal foods such as insects, larvae, molluscs, small vertebrates, carrion, and dung. Maybe so you can gauge what is normal or maybe abnormal. It’s fine to leave food in their enclosure for them to eat over the course of the day, but if left unfinished it’s best to throw it out after a day. Why do blue tongue lizards have blue tongues? As they age, your skink will need to eat less, as juveniles (3-8 months) you should feed them 3 times per week. Stammer (1976) reported that they had been observed eating cattle dung, and Baker (1992) observed the species feeding on parakeelya, a type of flowering herb found in the Australian desert. Before we get into the detail, we should mention that skunks – as omnivores are not overly picky animals. Baby blue tongue skinks (0-3 months) - dust with pure calcium 3-4 times per week, multivitamin - 2 days per week. I have seen a few wild shinglebacks in Western Australia almost this vivid, but these are amazing. Based on distinct skull shapes and some differences in dentition, Shea suspected this might indicate the two species had evolved for eating different diets. (Oxalic acid/oxalates, goitrogens, and calcium absorption). Feeding Cat/Dog Food To Your Blue Tongued Skink. Blue-tongued skinks are omnivorous, eating both animal and plant matter. Blue Tongue Skinks are omnivorous reptiles, in the wild, they eat a varied diet of dead animals, live bugs, fruits, vegetables, berries, blossoms and other foods that they may happen to come across.  While skinks are in the wild, they can eat raw meat. In the very broadest sense of the term, Blue Tongued Skink reptiles are omnivores which means that they eat plants as well as meat and you need to design their diet accordingly. Once per week for babies and juveniles is fine, and once every two weeks is fine for adults. Shea concludes: “Both species appear to be omnivorous, with little indication of any stenophagy [diet specialization].