BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

I was recently PMd a link to an article from Vegasarah (thanks!). The interesting point that she noted was that at the end of the article it mentioned in the "fun facts" that BTS will ingest small stones to aid in digestion. I have heard of this with other lizards, but never for BTS. It definitely isn't a good idea to allow them to eat stones due to impaction risks, but I was wondering what others thought, especially the Australians. Think this might be true? Or is this misinformation?

I know lots of us have seen blueys try to eat stones...

http://www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org/asset ... dSkink.pdf

Birds do this too. And arent reptiles supposedly derived from birds? Or is it the other way around? It is difficult to know exactly what animals do in their natural environment.

No real idea about blueys swallowing stones but seed-eating birds do, although they are retained in the crop.

That link doesn't work Kat... Ironic though, Rosamond-Gifford zoo is here in Syracuse!

Nvrmind, I found it: http://www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org/asset ... dSkink.pdf


I looked through the bibliography and this is the only article that mentioned swallowing stones: http://www.oaklandzoo.org/site/animals/ ... gued-skink

I just thought that was interesting... As I told Katrina, I have seen Rocket try to eat some small stones in the garden. I always stopped her and summed it up to her being a fatty, but maybe there is some merit to this?

Last summer I had my IJ, who was a baby at the time, out in the yard, and he picked up a small rock, which I removed, but then he ate another one right as I put him back down and it was gone before I could retrieve it. I found it last week while changing his substrate

Last summer I had my IJ, who was a baby at the time, out in the yard, and he picked up a small rock, which I removed, but then he ate another one right as I put him back down and it was gone before I could retrieve it. I found it last week while changing his substrate

Vegasarah wrote:I just thought that was interesting... As I told Katrina, I have seen Rocket try to eat some small stones in the garden. I always stopped her and summed it up to her being a fatty, but maybe there is some merit to this?

My northerns will continually try and eat rocks, but like you I always attributed it to them being absolute pigs.