BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

What do you think about this? http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... d=12620187
I'm planning to switch over to silkworms instead of dog food, so I was wondering if this would be a good way to get veggies into my skink's diet.

Sounds good - but since these are dehydrated - not sure if a bluey will eat them (I know mine wouldn't). And I (being the totally protective freak that I am) would be concerned that something like that may stick in their throat (?)...could be wrong though.

I have found such a large selection at my local grocery store of greens - sold by the pound. And yes, I get strange looks with I bring up 1 stalk of each green (collard, mustard etc) and 2 green beans...but I just laugh and tell them if is for an animal. I have hermit crabs also, and buy 1 shrimp, and one very small piece of fish for them once a week. The folks get used to it.

Anyway, since it is easily found/bought in a fresher form (better vitamins and other ingredients) I forgo the processed stuff.

But then again...that is me

None of the veggies in that mix are 'ideal' veggies (unlike a mustard/collard/squash combo, which would kick butt). I don't see it hurting if used sometimes, but I wouldn't rely on it.

My question is why?

It is no big deal to prepare a meal from fresh ingredients choosing more appropriate veg as outlined by Fatal. It would also be cheaper and nutritionally better than dried packaged commercial foods.

Is the intention to feed silkworms exclusively in lieu of dogfood and if so what is the dietary rationale?

The dehydrated/freeze dried foods need to be re-hydrated before feeding, so no worry about it swelling up and choking the animal or what ever the concern was.

People dont realize that frozen/freeze dried/dehydrated foods can have MORE nutrients in them than fresh. This is especially true when you are buying produce that is not in season (strawberries in the middle of winter). These fresh produce have to be shipped all over the country/internationally and once they are picked, they begin to loose nutrients at this point. So the time they are picked, cleaned, shipped, unpacked, sitting for sale at grocery store, the produce could have lost a lot of its nutrients. Typically foods that are "processed" such as frozen, freeze dried, the time between picking and packaging is MUCH shorter than the shipping of fresh. These processes lock in MOST of the nutrients (obviously some are lost such as Thiamine when freezing). But overall, I would trust these "processed" foods over fresh produce you buy at your larger grocery stores. Now if you are buying from a farmers market, then yes, I would agree that they probably have more nutrients, but not from a grocery store.

I have used this brand http://www.sfbb.com/Veggie-Mix_78.php in the past. Reptiles accepted it, but I never continued it due to the cost of feeding 20+ skinks. I see nothing wrong with feeding these diets. Probably better veggies than whats in most of the dog food products.

Lastly, I would be cautious of only using silkworms for your protein source. I have a hard time thinking that feeding one type of insect will cover all the required nutrients of the skink. If you are going to not feed a processed food (such as dog food) then you will want to use a variety of protein sources. Heck even with dog foods, many professionals recommend switching your dogs/cat's food formulas/brands every couple of bags to make sure they are getting everything they need.

I work at Petsmart and we now have to feed those dehydrated veggies to all of our animals as opposed to fresh. Its not bad as a treat for birds and rodents, but the reptiles all hate it. When you rehydrate it, it turns to mush. None of the reps will eat it, and usually hunger-strike until we start sneaking in fresh greens and veggies for them. I would NOT recommend using this product.

Also, like Brad said, I wouldn't rely solely on silk worms. They are an excellent feeder choice, but variety is probably the best thing you can do for them diet-wise.

I'm considering cutting out the dogfood once we have a colony of snails, but it will be mixed with gut loaded dubias, maybe a young hisser or two when the colony gets much bigger, some large snails, and cooked lamb and turkey. I'm still researching on the best way to do this safely though...I wouldnt recommend just jumping into radically changing the diet.