BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

My BTS won't eat his vegtables (i've been giving him squash mixed with rimain lettuse or peas) and he doesn't eat it. But he does eat 15-20 mealworms a day. How can I solve this problem?

Two ways: Grind up his meat with his veggies, so he can't pick them out, or, go cold turkey and he will eat his veggies when he gets hungry enough (don't due this with a sick or underweight bts)

I'm having a similar problem... the only fruit that Lilly will eat is blueberries, and she'll only eat veg if it's chopped finely into mushed cat food. Very annoying.

I'm tempted to do the cold turkey thing but I do worry about her

Romain lettuce is not a very good green to give. The best thing you can do is go out and get the mini food processor, they're like $15 if that. Get some good greens, like mustard, collard, kale, and throw those in and grind em up real small. Get some baby food (sweet potato is always a fav) or Spot's Stew and mix up the greens in there. Try giving other forms of meat too; i feed cooked chicken a lot and sometimes I'll mash some greens in there.

When I first got Scout, he would only eat cat food. He wouldn't even touch chicken or turkey, and would actually pick out the bits of meat and wipe them on his bowl to get rid of the greens that we had tried to mix in there.

What we found was that texture matters: he readily ate moist, mushy foods. We took protein out of his diet for a while and mixed his greens and fruit with high-quality baby food (he loves this stuff) or mashed bananas. He also would eat his greens when we covered them with the gravy from wet dog food. Over time we reintroduced chicken and turkey into his diet.

Today he will readily eat pretty much anything that we put in front of him, regardless of how it is prepared. Don't just give in and give him a lot of meat because it seems as if that is the only thing he will eat! If he gets hungry enough and he is healthy, he *will* try his greens. Play around with different foods and try and find what textures and tastes he prefers; once you know his personal habits it will be easier to feed him.

On another note, download the food charts from the caresheet and keep them handy. Mealworms and romaine lettuce don't have too much nutrition. Buy a mix of different foods on the food chart and see what he likes. It's a way of getting to know your lizard's individual personality!

15-20 mealworms a day? That's something that should change. Mealworms are not good foods.

Read the caresheet and find the food charts for what to feed your bluey.

After eating a diet like you've been feeding, it's going to be tough to switch you bluey to a healthy diet. It's a matter of waiting out the skink. Feed properly, and even if it doesn't eat right away, it'll eat what it needs eventually. It may take a few days, just keep feeding a fresh portion each day.

KW

Yea, if you read the caresheet it will say that mealworms and romaine lettuce aren't good staples.

NomadOfTheHills wrote:Two ways: Grind up his meat with his veggies, so he can't pick them out, or, go cold turkey and he will eat his veggies when he gets hungry enough (don't due this with a sick or underweight bts)

I think option #1 is a great idea.

KyleWeiss wrote:15-20 mealworms a day? That's something that should change. Mealworms are not good foods.

Read the caresheet and find the food charts for what to feed your bluey.

After eating a diet like you've been feeding, it's going to be tough to switch you bluey to a healthy diet. It's a matter of waiting out the skink. Feed properly, and even if it doesn't eat right away, it'll eat what it needs eventually. It may take a few days, just keep feeding a fresh portion each day.

KW

I've said it before and I'll say it again animals won't generally die of starvation voluntarily offer good food daily and it will eventually take whats given. (This also works well with picky kids, never met one that lasted longer than the second day and as we all know it takes quite a bit longer than that to starve to death)

My lovely wife hides it in little meat pattie,s or drool eg yoke on it .Get them on it young , mine even eat the lawn they love greens ...just dont kick there chips in winter

KyleWeiss wrote:15-20 mealworms a day? That's something that should change. Mealworms are not good foods.

Read the caresheet and find the food charts for what to feed your bluey.

After eating a diet like you've been feeding, it's going to be tough to switch you bluey to a healthy diet. It's a matter of waiting out the skink. Feed properly, and even if it doesn't eat right away, it'll eat what it needs eventually. It may take a few days, just keep feeding a fresh portion each day.

KW

Good post Kyle!

Insects should be treated more like candy or cookies to blueys than a staple food. It's the same thing as feeding a child cake and chips, then expecting them to eat their peas and bruessel sprouts.

Chopping the greens small and mixing them into the cat food has worked well for me. Another thing that did the trick was mixing the chopped greens with a small bit of fruit baby food (peach and blueberry-apple seem to be the favorites in our house.) They tend to lick the mixture up since it's sweet and swallow their veggies down at the same time.

applepiebald wrote:Insects should be treated more like candy or cookies to blueys than a staple food. It's the same thing as feeding a child cake and chips, then expecting them to eat their peas and bruessel sprouts.

I get what you are saying, but I prefer to use insects as my main meat portion, a lot of the time. It is much more natural than chicken or catfood, IMO.

NomadOfTheHills wrote:

applepiebald wrote:Insects should be treated more like candy or cookies to blueys than a staple food. It's the same thing as feeding a child cake and chips, then expecting them to eat their peas and bruessel sprouts.

I get what you are saying, but I prefer to use insects as my main meat portion, a lot of the time. It is much more natural than chicken or catfood, IMO.

I agree,cat food for cats,dog food for dogs, insects for lizards. to coin a phrase nature knows best , as long as you chuck some greens and veg down thier throats as well, I dont see a problem

I don't think there's anything natural about cat food, crickets, meal worms, or terrariums. Feed them some carrion!

I think actual "meat" as in chicken, beef, whatever, is as natural for protein as we can get. BTS are scavengers.....but they are slow! Dead things are an easy meal. Fast moving and flying bugs aren't. But they do eat them of course.

Lucifer_Spades wrote:

KyleWeiss wrote:15-20 mealworms a day? That's something that should change. Mealworms are not good foods.

Read the caresheet and find the food charts for what to feed your bluey.

After eating a diet like you've been feeding, it's going to be tough to switch you bluey to a healthy diet. It's a matter of waiting out the skink. Feed properly, and even if it doesn't eat right away, it'll eat what it needs eventually. It may take a few days, just keep feeding a fresh portion each day.

KW

I've said it before and I'll say it again animals won't generally die of starvation voluntarily offer good food daily and it will eventually take whats given. (This also works well with picky kids, never met one that lasted longer than the second day and as we all know it takes quite a bit longer than that to starve to death)

Yep!

KW

Zach wrote:I don't think there's anything natural about cat food, crickets, meal worms, or terrariums. Feed them some carrion!

I think actual "meat" as in chicken, beef, whatever, is as natural for protein as we can get. BTS are scavengers.....but they are slow! Dead things are an easy meal. Fast moving and flying bugs aren't. But they do eat them of course.

I'd be hard-pressed to say blueys are exclusively scavenger, Zach. I'm not the multi-bluey expert some might be, but from observation, when Rollie is out and about, his little nose is everywhere investigating. Tasting. Trying. He'll pick off more little bugs than I can imagine.

Most birds and reptiles get by on very frequent, very small pickings, taking advantage of opportunities as they come, and I think a good majority of natural foodstuffs WOULD be insects. It doesn't always have to be a huge sit-down meal, like how we spoil them. Sure, a dead 'roo or something might be in their path, but they can't rely on that, nor expect it. I think instead of scavenger, a bluey is a prime "Opportunist."

KW

Being omnivores. they can handle a varied diet. Like bears. What do bears eat? Carrion, if they can get it. Their main foods are insects, and vegeation.

Carrion is great, but not readily available. I'm sure being somewhat fossorial, annelids and beetles form a large percentage of their diet.

...but you repeat myself...

KW