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Rebecca
01-31-03, 08:17 PM
What do your skinks eat?? Mine's still small so I've been trying mealworms and crickets, but it's not interested in them. Any ideas??

silke
01-31-03, 09:26 PM
what kinda skinks are they?
try some fruity baby food
you may get some suggestions to try good quality cat food
you can try shredded squash or carrots
papaya is also good with a great calcium to phosphorous ratio

Linds
01-31-03, 10:10 PM
What kind of skinks???

Rebecca
01-31-03, 10:43 PM
Orange throated skink. I believe that their also called a gold skink.

Linds
01-31-03, 10:59 PM
I'm unfamiliar with those... do you have a pic? Sorry I cannot be of more help :confused:

Rebecca
02-01-03, 12:52 PM
I doubt a pic will help. Out of Mamma.com, Askjeeves.com and Google.com I only got like 2 useful links. There were other links about them but not about what they eat or anything like that. Is there anything else that basicly all of most skinks will eat?? I'm kinda at a loss on this. It ate crickets at the store but not here?? So what else do you guys do??

silke
02-01-03, 02:12 PM
hmmmm
i have an african mabuya skink (small, about 4 inches SVL) golden beige in colour with peachy sides but the side of her face has black and white spotted markings
she strictly eats insects (had her for 3 years) i keep trying fruits and veggies every now any then but so far nada (papaya, prickly pear, peach bb food, shredded carrot, squash)
i have her in a 20 gal long tank with sand on one side with a rock and basking spot and mulch, moss, cork bark and coconut hut on the other side
since she is a basker i also have a UVB bulb
she eats mealies from a dish and loves chasing crix around when i dump them in (calcium dusted are easier to find too)
cool temp is 70-75 and hot basking area is 100
she is active and runs around a lot - diurnal

how long have you had yours? she may just be settling in after the 'move'
make sure yours has plenty of hides as i suspect this is a particularly shy species
if you keep mealies in a dish 24/7 she will probably come around and eat when she is ready to
hope this helps

Katatonic
02-02-03, 02:27 AM
All the conventional feeder insects: Crickets, mealworms (which you said didn't work), waxworms... Try some smaller waxworms, you may possibly have luck with those. I know this "Orange-throated" skink is rather small, from your previous posts, but you could try some of the "Can-o-Snails", but you would have to mince them in order for them to be eaten by your little guy... I know a vast array of skinks love snails and slugs. It's merely a suggestion of mine. Remember to keep the little guy warm too eh... From what I've been able to find, you should have a fairly warm "hot spot". Good luck.
LATER

Rebecca
02-02-03, 01:49 PM
Ya I have a basking spot for it. So far it's not used it but it will. I never thought of can-o-snails. Sounds gross!! Thanks for the help!

Katatonic
02-03-03, 11:59 PM
LOL, yea, the can-o-snails isn't the most pleasant of dishes... But hey, it could work. A word of advice... Don't stick your nose over the jar when you open it, and try to avoid spilling the "juice" on anything.
': D
Enjoy.
LATER.

silke
02-04-03, 03:39 PM
yeah...i bought a can o crickets once and the smell was NASTY
none of my insectivors would touch em but my hermit crabs Loved them

Just Me
02-04-03, 06:00 PM
I have a care sheet for ocellated skinks and it says they will take "soft fruit".
Does it count if you MAKE it soft? lol.
*this is stupid* I know apples aren't soft, but is it okay if I mash a bit up for my skink?

--Just Me--

Just Me
02-04-03, 09:59 PM
Okay, I tried mushy banana and mushy apple... nothing. lol. Maybe he's just picky.

Katatonic
02-04-03, 11:16 PM
Just try to think of what fruits would be native to your particular skinks' homelands and offer those types of fruit... Perhaps you'd even have to let it begin to ferment in order for them to gain interest. Because if you think of it, most skinks are ground dwellers, and would rarely see that beautifully peeled and sliced mango or banana laid out on a dish for them in the wild. Soft, mushy fruits may perhaps be easier for the smaller species of skinks to eat.
Good luck ladies and gents.
LATER.

Rebecca
02-05-03, 01:10 AM
How do you find out what type of fruit to feed it when your not even sure of the species?? I think I have it eating crickets now. I guess it just needed to settle in more. Thank you all for the help!!

XxRachxX
02-05-03, 11:25 AM
http://www.centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/reptiles/lizards/LZD2726.shtml

just thought it might help!

Rebecca
02-05-03, 01:16 PM
Thanks.

lynsey_togofire
02-12-03, 11:08 PM
i have a togo fire skink and i know that he absolutly adores crickets. powdered of course. i haven't had him long enough to actually see what else he will eat, but i've heard that they like feeder fish, meal worms, red wigglers, and other things like that. also try the fruit stuff. if he is new, he may just be nervous, so give him time. you said that he isn't using his basking area? that sounds like a problem seeing as how that is how they digest their food. he may be too cold to eat.:( if that is the case, you need to warm him and and do it quickly! how big is he? how big will he get? and, does he have a proper place to burrow? i know that MY skink, Gucci, LOVES to burrow and he spends the majority of the day under his bedding. maybe you need to see about that too.anything could be the cause of the food strike. hope this helps!

Rebecca
02-13-03, 12:39 AM
It's eating now, I guess it was just nervous. It's also ALWAYS basking! Well not always but is nice and warm and also loves to burrow. I tried paper towel on the one side and the dirt,shavings on the other it burrowed under the paper towel, so it has LOTS of room to burrow now I took the paper towel out. I have no idea how big it'll get cuz I'm not even sure of the specie name. I'm pretty sure it's a gold skink though.

lynsey_togofire
02-13-03, 12:45 AM
well...gold skink is kinda broad...what's he look like? b/c technically my Togo Fire Skink could be claimed as "gold". his back is a golden color, but his sides are bright red with black spots. then his belly is smooth and white. he has black legs with white dots on them. he's the cutest thing ever! but, of course, any proud parent will say that! LOL! anyway, good to hear that he is eating. and OMG! burrowing is sooooo funny to watch! HAHA

Rebecca
02-13-03, 02:31 PM
No that's the name that I found on the web, not what I just named it. It's actually olive in color, a black line down each side, white belly, has a tiny bit of redish-orangeish-goldish on the side of it's throat (sp?).