Stimulation for your Bluey?

[tbcorbett]

Hi everyone!! Hope you guys are doing well!!

I turned around from my desk to give my skink a little looksie earlier today when I noticed she had found a tiny bit of Cuttlebone (which I kept half-buried for the isopods) in the enclosure.. and she was trying to hoark it down?! I give her plenty of calcium in her diet, so I was a bit taken aback to see her trying to eat something so.. icky. She spat it out, realizing it wasn't exactly edible, but it still worried me. Am I doing something wrong with her diet? Or is she just a bit dumb? I give her dog food mixed with plenty of kinds of veggies (Turnip Greens, Arugula, Green Beans, Squash, etc.) and add calcium powder to it as well.


She had plenty of food sitting out on the other side of the enclosure, yet wanted to roam around and dig through the substrate instead for snacks, apparently?

This got me wondering as well- is there any sort of special thing I could do to help feed into the 'scavenging' desire for her? Like.. some kind of food I could hide around the tank that would serve as something she could 'root around' for? Or some sort of other way to offer stimulation? There's already isopods in the enclosure she enjoyed eating, but hasn't seem interested in them lately. I prefer to avoid feeding her live things if I can.

I read somewhere else, someone said a whole, uncracked quail egg might do the trick? Something she could crack open herself and eat? Would that be viable?

[Janella]

So my guess is that your skink just found the cuttle bone while digging around. It tasted it because it was there. As for stimulation, eggs due work well and skinks love them. You could also hide fruit here in there. I wouldn't bury them, but just place them in hides and such.

[Amber07]

I find my bluey can be a bit restless and sometimes he likes to play with his food. I got some little plastic cat toy balls, unscrewed them and took out the bell and then I put some banana in there. He loves to roll it around and play with it and get some treats at the same time which can ensentive them to play with it! Hope this helps!

[tbcorbett]

So my guess is that your skink just found the cuttle bone while digging around. It tasted it because it was there. As for stimulation, eggs due work well and skinks love them. You could also hide fruit here in there. I wouldn't bury them, but just place them in hides and such.

I find my bluey can be a bit restless and sometimes he likes to play with his food. I got some little plastic cat toy balls, unscrewed them and took out the bell and then I put some banana in there. He loves to roll it around and play with it and get some treats at the same time which can ensentive them to play with it! Hope this helps!

Thank you Janella!!!!!! I have definitely been looking into Quail eggs. I'll find a store that has them eventually!!!!!!!

And Amber, that is a REALLY awesome idea!!! (And your skink sounds really cute! I would LOVE to see that!) I am gonna try this ASAP!!!!!!!

Thank you both so much!!!!!!!!!!! : DDD

[Noodlebasket]

You can also check on Craigslist and other similar sites for people selling quail eggs; farmers markets are another great source for rare foods like quail eggs!

[mistyskinks]

Can I just say what an awesome thread this is? What other ideas does everyone have for stimulation for your bluey?

I LOVE the putting food in a cat toy idea, and hiding quail eggs!