BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

We've had a lot of very similar threads lately about BTS not eating so I figured I'd do a sticky about this common question.

If your bluey isn't eating... are you feeding it too often? Reptiles don't need to eat as often as a mammal. A healthy adult only needs food once or twice per week and can safely go months without eating. Sick or lethargic blueys are obviously different, but if you bluey is healthy and in good condition missing a few meals is nothing to worry about.

If your bluey isn't eating... did you just get it? Is it still settling in to it's new home? Give it a week or two to settle in. Offer small, healthy meals every couple days (depending on age) and don't stress if it takes a few days or weeks to start eating.

If you bluey isn't eating... is it winter out? Is it starting to slow down and hide more? Read up on brumation. It is perfectly normal.

Have a look at the diet chart: http://bluetongueskinks.net/foodchart.html
And these threads: viewforum.php?f=24
If you need more info, try searching old threads: search.php

If you have additional questions or your situation doesn't fit, feel free to start a new thread. We are ALWAYS here to help and no questions are dumb.

Thank you so much! This has settled my worries and reassured me that my bluey is fine.

Glad it helped. If anyone still has questions, feel free to post them! This was only meant to be a quick source of info and not to deter people from asking questions.

My skink Noam wasn't eating, or is not eating as much as he usually does. I heard about feeding amounts, but does anyone know why their apatite would decrease, and when to worry.

He is eating, just not a lot, Mabel a couple of bites every other day.

They don't need to eat much - a couple bits every other day is plenty. How old is he? How large? Adults don't need to eat more than once or twice a week. This is all in the food chart, which I linked in the first post here.

As for when to worry - weigh him and then weigh again every couple weeks. If he started out in good shape and loses about 10% of his body weight then it is probably time to get him checked out by a vet. They will slow down in eating for a variety of reasons - leading up to a shed, sensing the season change etc. But if he is eating a couple bites every other day I'd bet that you're probably just overfeeding him. Reptiles have very slow metabolisms and don't need to eat much.

Today I thought Plinko looked a little thin... I weighed him and he gained 50 grams! I'm sure he's fine.. sometimes we tend to over-worry

Heres another one for you Cosmo hasnt eaten more then 2 bites in the past 3 months. I dont have a scale so i cant weight him but he looks a bit thinner to me. I usually feed him veggies mixed with merrick or natural balance dog food. I tried ceasar hoping being a bit smellier would entice him more but that didnt work and I got his favorite wax worms (usually a treat but if it got him to start eating it would be good) and hes watching them crawl around in the bowl like hes watching tv. Should I try something more interesting like a pinky or give him a bit longer? The wierd thing is hes more active then I've ever seen him. any ideas?

It's a male - he slowed down for winter and now is more interested in finding a lady friend than in food. Perfectly normal!

However - the only way to be sure there is no cause for concern is to pick up a scale and monitor his weight. A couple bites of food go a long way for a reptile, so it doesn't sound like there is any cause for concern but only you can see how much weight he has lost or how his condition looks.

Ok thanks a lot

Thank you so much