I'm buying a blue-tongued skink, but I have some questions.?

Question

I have a pretty good idea as to what his schedule will be, but I have some questions.

[1] How much should I feed him(a baby) and what should I feed him? What vegetables are okay, and what are no-no's?

[2] How long does it take for the skink to become nearly fully grown?

[3] Should I turn the basking light and UV light off at night?

Answer 1

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/lizardsas...

I think this will have the answers to your questions :D   Good luck, have fun!

Answer 2

feed him crickets and i would keep the light on.

Answer 3

Awww i love BTS. There diet should be 60% veggies 40% protien. If he is baby he could probly eat cricket and pinkie mice. They will eat adult mice when they are full grown. As far as veggies no ice-berg lettace, no spianich, no beet greens, no herbs, no star fruit, and no rhubarb. And of coruse nothing that is poisous to humans. I`m not sure one how long it takes them to get full grown but i would guess a year. Also you do want to turn off both the uvb and the basking light at night, you don`t want any white light on the animal because he will not sleep if the white lights are left on. For night heat you can use an undertank heat pad or a red heat bulb. do not use a heat rock because they have been know to cause burns in reptiles.

Answer 4

[ 1 ] Hatchlings and juveniles should be offered food every day.

The diet should consist of 50% vegetables and greens, 40% insects and meat, and 10% fruit. Always use fresh fruit and vegetables when you can rather than frozen, as freezing can destroy any Vitamin B they hold.

Insects / Meat : crickets, woodies, grasshoppers, moths, snails and mealworms (only occasionaly), pinky mice (adults only - one every two months is sufficient), lean cooked chicken, lean cooked beef, lean cooked turkey, natural low fat cat food (sparingly, use insects and cooked meat firsthand - never use fish based meat and use a low protein brand)

Vegetables : squash, lettuce, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, corn

Greens : dandelion greens and flowers, collard greens, mustard greens, hibiscus, evening primrose, rose leaves and flowers

Fruits : figs, papaya, mango, grapes, diced apple, strawberry, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, melons and kiwi

Just stick to everything in the list and you should be fine, this is enough variety to provide a complete diet anyway.  Also remember to dust with calcium at least twice per week. =)

[ 2 ] Bluetongues grow really fast, they should reach adult size in about 1 - 2 years. They can also breed at 2 years of age.

[ 3 ] Any lights should definately be turned off at night to allow for a correct photoperiod. As long as the temperatures don't fall below 60 degrees (16'C) it will be fine, any lower could induce hibernation.