Good idea?

So, thanks to Tom and Lisa27 (plus some other awesome people) I've gotten myself hooked on BLUE TONGUE SKINKS! That's right, from everything I have read, this is lizard for me (sigh. can't wait ) and I had a (good?) idea. So they'll pretty much eat anything (very exaggerated!) but can they eat aquatic turtle muchies? I mean, with 6 TURTLES, I have quite a bit! plus, it has protein, and some plant matter. As an added yummy, of course. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

@Tom @Lisa27 should be able to help you on that.

Yes. You could feed them that as part of a varied diet. I feed mine a fair amount of roaches, but you do't have to do that either. You wanna know the top secret primary diet of many of the top breeders in the country? Pedigree beef canned dog food mixed with thawed frozen mixed vegetables. No kidding. It may be controversial. It may seem un-natural. But it works and they have multiple generations of healthy babies and long lived adults to prove it. You could spend hours cutting, preparing and mixing up your own food in the prefect ratios, or you can just put a couple of spoonfuls of canned dog food and some greens into a bowl, mix it up, and be done with it. I mix in some Repcal with D3 every other or every third feeding too.

Tom said:

Yes. You could feed them that as part of a varied diet. I feed mine a fair amount of roaches, but you do't have to do that either. You wanna know the top secret primary diet of many of the top breeders in the country? Pedigree beef canned dog food mixed with thawed frozen mixed vegetables. No kidding. It may be controversial. It may seem un-natural. But it works and they have multiple generations of healthy babies and long lived adults to prove it. You could spend hours cutting, preparing and mixing up your own food in the prefect ratios, or you can just put a couple of spoonfuls of canned dog food and some greens into a bowl, mix it up, and be done with it. I mix in some Repcal with D3 every other or every third feeding too.

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I always have some calcium on hand, so that'll be perfect! I heard you could catfood too, but apparently the taurines in it are bad for them? Would they mind if they vegetables were squishy? Haha, I know my other animals would!

I have fed occasional cat food to mine with no ill effect. Not very often though. They don't care if the veggies are squishy. I am a relative noob to the BTS. Only been keeping them for a few years and I only have four of them. For REALLY good info go to the skink forum or message JeffG here on TFO. He is a serious pro, but he will act all humble when you talk to him. He's a genuinely good guy and I highly recommend talking to him if you are going to get one. Hey @JeffG . Words of wisdom for yet another BTS noob?

Tom said:

I have fed occasional cat food to mine with no ill effect. Not very often though. They don't care if the veggies are squishy. I am a relative noob to the BTS. Only been keeping them for a few years and I only have four of them. For REALLY good info go to the skink forum or message JeffG here on TFO. He is a serious pro, but he will act all humble when you talk to him. He's a genuinely good guy and I highly recommend talking to him if you are going to get one. Hey @JeffG . Words of wisdom for yet another BTS noob?

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Thank you!

I use canned dog food as well because it's the best way to get the healthier leafy greens into them. Just mash it all up with the dog food. The only veggies mine will eat plain are thawed out frozen mixed veggies. He also loves cut up grapes, blueberries, and bananas. As for those turtle munchies, I don't see why once in a while it would hurt. If I cook a roasted chicken for my family I will pick out the meat in the center without any seasonings and shred that up for him too. Insect wise he loves superworms and nightcrawlers. Forget crickets for a full grown blue tongue - they are too small and fast for a BTS and they won't bother. I'm so glad you decided on a blue tongued skink. They are awesome lizards!! I wish mine wasn't so old now.

As for brand of canned dog food, I just use what I have here for my dog. Which is usually chicken flavored canned pro plan or purina one.

You totally sold me one them All right, I have heard are more of a slow moving lizard, which I like a lot more Just a treat, of course!
Well, I heard some have lived to 20! And with the great I bet he's getting, he'll live longer too!
Do you know where I might be able to get one? I've been having a very hard time finding a breeder around here, and I'd like to get a baby, which makes it a little bit harder?

I have one that is at least 25 years old and my friend who gave him to me doesn't know how old he was when he got him, but he was an adult. I've heard they can go to 35, but honestly, I don't know how anyone would know that.

These lizards are so awesome and so easy. Their personalities are great. I do think you will enjoy it more if you raise your own baby. Jeff will know where to get one if he has already sold out of his for this year. If he has any, get one of his. I have one and it is awesome.

Wow, that's a long time! I'm all for the long lived animals! Yes, I'd like a baby I left him a PM earlier, so hopefully he still has some!

I've had mine for 15 years and he was an adult when I got him. So I have no idea how old he is. I wish I had started with a baby as well. Yes, they are pretty slow moving lizards.

lisa127 said:

I've had mine for 15 years and he was an adult when I got him. So I have no idea how old he is. I wish I had started with a baby as well. Yes, they are pretty slow moving lizards.

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that's a nice long time! Good care makes all the difference... Unfortunately, unlike bearded dragons, skinks are just start to gain 'popularity' and most sold in stores or elsewhere are still wild caught, and babies seem to be difficult to find
well (not to promote tortoises are slow) but animals that are even able to live that long, and that's a bit of time in the animal world! (such and turtles and tortoises) have slower metabolisms, and they animal itself is (usually, my turtles are 24/7) slowerish

Yellow Turtle01 said:

that's a nice long time! Good care makes all the difference... Unfortunately, unlike bearded dragons, skinks are just start to gain 'popularity' and most sold in stores or elsewhere are still wild caught, and babies seem to be difficult to find
well (not to promote tortoises are slow) but animals that are even able to live that long, and that's a bit of time in the animal world! (such and turtles and tortoises) have slower metabolisms, and they animal itself is (usually, my turtles are 24/7) slowerish

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Mine was most definitely wild caught unfortunately. Fifteen years ago I was a stay at home mom. I got bored and wanted to get out of the house for a few hours a week so I got a part time job at PetSmart. Bubba was there for months with no one buying him. He hung out with me while I was working. Needless to say I eventually took him home. I would have loved to experienced a captive bred baby at some time though.

Good thing he had someone looking out for him Was he the only one??
I'd love to have little guy so that I could know how he was raised, or raise him to eat better, and o just im the longest possible

Yellow Turtle01 said:

Good thing he had someone looking out for him Was he the only one??
I'd love to have little guy so that I could know how he was raised, or raise him to eat better, and o just im the longest possible

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Yes, he was being housed at the store with a monkey tailed skink. These skinks don't sell as well because the average person going into petsmart for a lizard is not looking to spend over $100 on just the lizard not including setup.

lisa127 said:

Mine was most definitely wild caught unfortunately.

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Do you know which type you have? I can't tell from your pics.

Too snake-like for me!

Tom said:

Do you know which type you have? I can't tell from your pics.

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