Protein Sources

[Cathy20]

On the food chart provided the the FAQ section of the forum, the Meats/Protein list says to feed Cockroach, Dog Food (canned), Earthworm, Horn Worm, Silkworm, and Snails frequently to your BTS. Also, anything else on the list is generally something a human would not eat. I noticed that there are human-edible foods on the other lists, though. I was wondering if it is okay to feed my BTS beef, chicken, pork, fish, or any other type of meat people eat as a frequent protein source. Also, I did a search on Google about oxalates for my BTS and came upon an old-ish post that answered my question about oxalates and also let me know that citrus fruits are bad for my BTS, which is slightly depressing because my BTS's favorite food is Mandarin Oranges (canned). I'm going grocery shopping later and wanted to know if I could get anything there protein-wise for him. Thank you

[supersnakeman101]

all the meats that you mentioned are fine maybe besides the fish but you will have to wait for someone more experienced on the topic to answer yay or nay on that

what i do is mix kale or collard greens into a food prossosor with ground beef (90%lean) and then freeze it and have enough food for a month ( 2 feeding a week)
but what works for me may not work for you

[El Lobo]

I would avoid fish and probably also pork. Cooked chicken is OK in moderation but has a poor Ca:P ratio. Supplementing with powdered phosphorous-free calcium with D3 helps to restore some of the balance. Sticking with the tried and true protein source such as dog food will establish a good balanced diet and variation can come later.

Most animals (with a few exceptions) cannot tolerate citrus fruits.

ETA: Freezing leafy greens leaches thiamine from them.

[Cathy20]

Another question: What is a Ca:P ratio? what does it stand for? And if my BTS hasn't had problems when i feed him Mandarin Oranges, do you think they're safe? He absolutely LOVES them but i only give them to him as a treat maybe at most two or three times a month. Thanks for the replies!

[tylociraptor]

Calcium:Phosphorous.

The dangerous part of a citris fruit is in the rind, however I do not feed them to any of my pets, just to be on the safe side. Try all sorts of other fruits, there are lots that are perfectly safe, as listed on the sheet. I know Plinko (my friend's skink, the lil bugger that got me wanting one) LOVES blueberries. All sorts of skinks like different things!

[NOP]

I feed my little guy Zoo med Canned Monitor and tegu food for a high protien source....he seems to enjoy it more than anything Omnivorous related...plus put some veggie in a bowl then put some of the food on it and while eating the protien he gets some of the veggie as well..i usually sprinkle a lil bit of cal on top. I have noticed a signifacant wieght increase since introducing the Monitor and tegu food into his diet

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/rep ... itor-food/

[Cathy20]

NOP, How long does one of those cans last for a BTS? How much do you feed one BTS? I'm just curious because I'm now considering getting it for my skink.

[NOP]

Well my guy should be 7 months old now and I feed him a bowl of food daily that he usually picks at but almost always goes for the canned diet first...when I open the can I cut it into 8-12 slices and then just pick 1 piece a day just cut that piece up a bit to make smaller pieces and mix that in with some fresh veggie and a little squash...add a lil of whatever else food I have and there ya go...so for me 1 can is like a week-ish you need to refrigerate after opening and I seal it in a small container and put in the bottom of my fridge

[Cathy20]

well my guy's about 7 years old so I suppose if I cut the can into 8 pieces it'll last me 8 weeks...do you think it will last in the fridge that long?

[NOP]

Umm for a 7 year old I would probably cut it into 4 pieces and mix one of the four into food for him just to see how he takes to it and how much he would eat out of it...I'm assuming you feed once a week so I would try to make good use of it because when I open any can and have to refrigerate it I don't like to keep it refrigerated for more than 2 weeks I try to use it all...I would buy like 2 cans if I was you and then see how your guy takes to it..I started with 4 cans of the tegu mix and 4 cans of an Omnivorous lizard mix and he all but refuses to touch the Omnivorous mix but loves the tegu mix to the point ive started to cut back on it a bit. (he has put on some very noticeable weight lately) I'm not sure how long you can refrigerate it for but I'm sure if you called the customer service at lll reptile they might know...they are usually very helpful

[Cathy20]

Thanks for the input. I'll see if I can get my hands on a few cans of that stuff. I'll let you know how it goes