Feeding

[ThatOneReptileNoob]

I'm planning on getting a northern blue tongue skink, and I've been researching their feeding. I'm sure I'm overthinking it, but when care sheets say 50% protein for babies do they mean 50% things with protein or do I need to do the math and give 50% protein by feeding specific amounts of specific protein sources? For instance, if a feeder insect had, say, 30% protein, do I need to feed just enough of the insect to reach 50% protein? Or do I just need to feed that for 50% of it's diet? (I do plan on mixing up the food, it won't just have one kind of bug)

[DourPanda]

The way I read it, is that it's saying 50% of their diet should be a protein source.

[ThatOneReptileNoob]

The way I read it, is that it's saying 50% of their diet should be a protein source.

Thank you so much. That was one of the few things I wasn’t sure about with their care.

[IvanDanko]

Hey guys,

I'd like to add in babies will require a higher proportion of protein in their diet - roughly 70-80% protein. Cat food is very useful for this purpose - its higher in protein than dog food. You can switch to dog food at 8-12 months depending on growth rate (nutritional profile becomes about 50% protein 50% greens/vegetable sources) as less protein is required but it often includes vegetables and/or vegetable fibre, plus the serving of vegetables you may add. Then you can add in feeder insects as variety in the diet

Hope I didnt ramble on too much

(Note: use of cat/dog food is my personal preference, but has seen alot of success amongst keepers also. End of the day its up to you!)

[ThatOneReptileNoob]

Hey guys,

I'd like to add in babies will require a higher proportion of protein in their diet - roughly 70-80% protein. Cat food is very useful for this purpose - its higher in protein than dog food. You can switch to dog food at 8-12 months depending on growth rate (nutritional profile becomes about 50% protein 50% greens/vegetable sources) as less protein is required but it often includes vegetables and/or vegetable fibre, plus the serving of vegetables you may add. Then you can add in feeder insects as variety in the diet

Hope I didnt ramble on too much

(Note: use of cat/dog food is my personal preference, but has seen alot of success amongst keepers also. End of the day its up to you!)

Thanks for your input! I’m aware of the diet change as they grow, but are you sure about that protein percentage for babies? I had read here http://bluetongueskinks.net/blue.htm that it was 50% or more? I know that includes what you said, but it seems quite a bit higher?

Anyhow, the dog and cat food thing; I plan on only using that occasionally. Not because I think it’s bad, but because I have loads of time and few expenses right now, so why not feed the most INSANELY varied diet possible ?

[IvanDanko]

This is true! I have seen quite a few sources that say 50% or more but I found this when I was researching BTS keeping to be really detailed and useful that mentioned the higher figure:

https://reptifiles.com/blue-tongue-skink-care/

I should correct that in saying perhaps its as long as its 50% or above - I misread the above as 50% or less!

And good idea on the variety! Can't spoil them too much

[ThatOneReptileNoob]

Oh, yah! I know reptifiles! I think I must have overlooked that bit of the article, or decided to go with what I heard other places, because I’ve read that article (not the whole thing, but good chonks of it) about three times.

[IvanDanko]

I think you should be fine either way! Tendency is always to leave extra on the plate and let the skink figure it out

[ThatOneReptileNoob]

I think you should be fine either way! Tendency is always to leave extra on the plate and let the skink figure it out

Well, if there’s ever a dinner it won’t eat, I plan on breeding most of the feeders myself (only stuff I know won’t population boom and overwhelm me), so most anything it won’t eat can probably either go back in its bin or to a tub of night crawlers.