New owner feeding question

[Andreamorey]

Hi everyone
We got our first bts 5 days ago we believe she is a merauke we don't know the sex but refer to her as a girl and have named her blue,
We have done loads of research on what to feed her but the reptile shop we bought her from only fed her locusts!!!!! So how soon can I change her diet to vegetables, fruit,chicken,dog food, ground beef etc etc....
Also is raw carrott or applesauce (only half a teaspoon) ok?
Her set up is as follows
4x2x2 viv
Basking rock and ceramic lamp in one end with hide
and hides in cool end
Orchid bark 12cm deep

Also how long should we leave it before we handle her?
Thankyou any replies would be much appreciated

[Linnea]

you can change immediately, no probs. make sure she has no MBD issues that are visible, it is not reversible but its good to make sure your skink is healthy from the beginning. dont forget to supplement calcium and D3 every now and then.

be sure to not blend fruit with the regular food, it is a treat and should be considered as such ;D applesauce is therefor also a treat, and it usually contains fillings that arent very good, so stick to regular apple pieces - apple is a great treat.

raw carrot is okay to blend in with the regular food, but it has high amounts of carotine( a vitamin), so dont mix it with every meal. many on the forum mixes in squash and mustard greens as staple veggies, do see if you have any laying around

try to leave her alone in her new home for a week, just giving food and changing water. it is different with every skink how much attention they seek, and how comfortable they feel with approaching people that may or may not carry food.
so, after a week or so, you can start handing and see what happens. it may be successful, or it may be not. dont be scared if she/he huffs, its a warning sign meaning "here i am" or slight annoyance, but will not usually result in a bite or anything more than futile struggle ;D

welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your new skink - we love photos (the others will help tell you more about your skink if you post images)

[Andreamorey]

Is she merauke?

[Karen]

Definitely looks Merauke to me! I hope she is settling in well for you.

[LarissaLurid]

Definitely Merauke! My fav ;D You have a cutie. I like the silver ones

[Andreamorey]

Thankyou she is very beautiful, she seems to be settling in ok hiding and burying herself most of the time but she ate her first meal today straight away very enthusiastically considering she was only fed locusts at the reptile shop so I think that's a good sign xx

[Linnea]

its great she is eating so quickly.

(note that i do not know the nutritional value of locusts as i have never dealt with them as feeders)

dont worry or focus on the locusts as long as your skink seems overall healthy. My skink ate crickets and veggies/salad and he was doing just fine (bought as an adult). he got vitamin supplement and all in the petshop though. keep track on her weight though, it may be good to know she hasnt got a bit too much parasites or anything else. monitoring effects of a new diet can be a good idea.

what matters is that she is in good health and recieves what she needs. reptiles are great at saving what they might need, so little in human terms is very much to them. note that this doesnt mean to return to locust diet. if you wish to feed insects as a staple, then go for gut loaded roaches~
some feed only dog food without veggies, apart from occassional veggie treats, and also have great results.