Can Bluey's eat Shrimp?

[J_Couvy]

Hey guys; quick question here.

Is it safe to feed a blue tongue skink shrimp as a protein source? I have some in my freezer that I'm not going to end up using and I was wondering if it could be added to the skink chow I make for my girl. It wasn't listed on the blue tongue skink food chart and I have never heard of anyone feeding seafood to their bluey so I wasn't sure it was safe. Usually I use ground turkey or extra lean ground beef as a protein source along with Hotdog Princess' fruits greens and veggies but I just want to get rid of the shrimp (it won't stay as her main source of protein). Maybe I could even mix the shrimp up with the ground turkey/beef?

Let me know.

[Dood]

I'd say no

Avoid feeding seafood, canned meats and lunch meat. Also limit the feeding of unfertilized eggs

from - http://www.everythingreptile.org/blue-t ... -care.html

But it doesnt go into detail why not

I doubt they'd have the opportunity to eat shrimp in the wild but insects are close relatives to crustaceans

[MechHAN]

Many seafood like shrimp have high amont purine, that can be a problem.
I can offer you some recipes about shrimp, if you want and tell me what kind of shirmp you get... they would be a great dish.

[Belphegor]

What about canned dog food that has seafood? Is that also a no for skinks?

[wermy]

Personally I have fed canned dog/cat food containing salmon. It is very much loved by my BTS but like the others have said, seafood is not in their natural diet so I only give it for the sake of variety every once in a while.

I think the concerns have something to do with parasite transfer or mercury content? IMHO as long as the shrimp is thoroughly cooked and not a major/constant portion of their diet, I don't see a big risk in mixing some into the turkey for the next few feedings. Seafood is not a natural diet for us simians either, but we seem to handle it just fine.

[MechHAN]

I think the concerns have something to do with parasite transfer or mercury content? IMHO as long as the shrimp is thoroughly cooked and not a major/constant portion of their diet, I don't see a big risk in mixing some into the turkey for the next few feedings. Seafood is not a natural diet for us simians either, but we seem to handle it just fine.

I think purine is a bigger problem than parasite or mercury as you said, parasite usually wont outlast from thoroughly cook...
In fact for human, too much seafood can cause some problem too, like gout, especially when combine with beer (which may people like to have with seafood or barbecue).

[donkeybuff]

I've fed shrimp a handful of times; I never noticed any adverse effects. However, it's probably not a good idea as anything more than an occasional treat for variety's sake.

[J_Couvy]

Ok, I think I'll mix a bit of the shrimp in with some ground turkey next time a make my skink food and keep the shrimp for occasional treats if Hotdog likes them. I'll boil the shrimp before I add it to her food as well. Like I said, shrimp is not going to become a staple protein for her so I think it should be fine. Thanks for the advice guys.