BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello everyone. It's been an extremely long time since I've been here so just thought I'd check back in. Next spring, I'll finally have a baby bluey. I've read the entire care sheet numerous times but I'm still confused to which is better between canned cat food or canned dog food. I'm hearing a lot of mixed things. Some people say canned cat food is better and I've heard others say canned dog food is better. I've also heard somewhere that neither is good for them and can cause health issues or has caused blueys to die early? I would like to know which is better because I'm looking for what ingredients would be best for a healthy, homemade diet (still using the caresheet as well).

Another thing I'm wondering is what is best/what does everyone use for heat and light? I've been looking into the Zoo Med Powersun MVB bulbs since they provide both heat and uvb but I've heard they caused eye problems in beardies and some other reptiles as well. Does anyone know if they cause problems for blueys? As far UVB goes if I didn't use an MVB, which would be better between a Reptisun 5.0 or Reptisun 10.0? I will be supplementing the diet so I'm wondering would I still need an MVB and/or UVB tube lights?

If anyone could help me out, it would be greatly appreciated.

Cat food vs dog food is something that has been discussed a lot and I don't think there is ever a clear winner. I will say that no matter what you use, it should be high quality. I've never fed cat food but things to look for when picking out dog food are grain free and lots of veggies and meat in the food. Check the ingredients before you buy. I know a lot of people feed Wellness brand dog food. I use Wilderness from Blue Buffalo. Your skink may also demonstrate a preference which you won't know until you get it. Don't be afraid to try a few things before you settle on a staple. You also can just use meat and mix it with veggies. (As a side note, I always mix veggies in with my dog food as I'm pretty sure most people do). Other people can tell you more about that but I know some people use beef and/or chicken.

As far as the lighting is concerned, I do not use UVB on my skink and have never had any problems. UVB, as far as I can tell, is a safety measure. Animals can either get vitamin D from their food or from UVB light. If the skink is ingesting enough, it does not need to be supplemented with UVB light. Now, that being said, extra UVB light will not hurt anything. The information you found about eye problems, etc from Powersun bulbs are usually user error. When you buy a MVB like a Powersun, they clearly state in the instructions how to mount it and that it MUST be a MINIMUM of 12 inches from your animal. Closer than this and it can cause things like eye damage. If used properly, it wouldn't cause any problems. I, personally, have used both Powersun and Solar-Glo bulbs with my leopard tortoise and I have been pleased with both bulbs. They will continue to produce light and heat after a year but they will produce significantly less UVB after 1 year so it is recommended that you replace them once a year. For my skinks, I use a combination of UTHs and regular heat lights. It all comes down to where/how you are mounting lights and your ambient temperature. The Reptisun bulbs will also produce UVB but they will not produce heat whereas MVBs like the Powersun will produce both. If your house stays warm enough, you would not need extra heating for at night with an MVB. The Reptisun would allow you to control temperature independent of the lighting.

I really hope that helps. A lot of the questions you asked are grey areas and based a lot on your setup and your circumstances. I'm sure other members can give you other opinions on the matter.

I have used dogfood for decades,the female in my avatar has devoured it since 1995,and is still going strong,so hasnt affected her longevity,nor the babies shes churned out in that time,i got her as an adult,previous owner estimated her at around ten years old when i got her,i have quite a few in the ten to 15 age region,alot have been raised on dogfood as well,indoors and never seen uv bulbs or sunlight

Calcium/d3 supplementation is of way more importance than uV lighting,uv lighting alone wont give them what they need,but may benefit them,personally i dont use it,i see dietry intake as being the most important part of calcium/d3 intake,thats with using or without using uv lighting

Uvb alone wont give them enough vitamin d /calcium,which alot of people dont realise,they are not miracle lights and should never be used in place of dietry supplementation,as there use alone will far from prevent mbd