Desperate For Help.. Pink Tongue Skink

[Scaredycatash]

Hi, I am new here, I joined because I see some people on here do keep PTS and I need all the help I can get, the forum I usually am on didn't help me at all

So I have recently purchased some PTS (3 of them) and the person I purchased them from told me after I already recieved them that he was feeding them only cat food. I hate feeding reptiles (like monitors) cat/dog food, I think its just not right we don't feed dogs/cats mealworms or crickets? Anyways my problem is that I cant get them to eat anything. I have tried earthworms and roachs, I am looking for a source for snails or slugs but can't seem to find one. If there is any advice anyone can give me to help me get these guys eating I would super apperciate it. I really want to keep these guys happy and healthy. Thank you again.

Ashley

 

[Tony C]

How often do you feed? Do you let them go hungry if they don't eat the bugs or do you give them more cat food right away?

Edit: Welcome to GF!

 

[M_surinamensis]

Have a couple ice cube trays and a blender?

 

[Scaredycatash]

Thank you for replies and welcomes

I do have ice cube tray and blender..

I have had them since tuesday and I have thrown in earthworms and they bite them and as soon as they wriggle they let go and back up.. I haven't offered any cat food to them. They have been drinking and still are very active. I hate to say it but, I dont want to offer them any cat food in hopes that hunger will drive them to eat different things. I don't want them to starve

 

[Tony C]

They won't starve, most reptiles can go a LONG time without food.

 

[M_surinamensis]

For species that will accept dead food, which pink tongue skinks are generally inclined to do, you can use a blender and the ice cube tray to mix your own slurried diet. Using the exact proportions of ingredients that are ideal for their nutritional and caloric needs and sidestepping any picky responses where they refuse to eat a specific food item in favor of another that they find more desirable.

Insects, worms, feeder lizards and frogs, snails, rodents, egg, any supplements you plan on using and any nutritional substitutes* stick them all in the blender in the proportions you want. Mix it thoroughly, drain it using a piece of cheesecloth or an extremely fine sieve if necessary to get the consistency you want** and then press the thick paste into the ice cube trays. The trays provide easily measured portions, just pop out the number of cubes you want to use and thaw it thoroughly prior to feeding.

Couple things to keep in mind... freezing will alter the nutritional value of the items, this should be accounted for and compensated for if necessary. Additionally, feeding this kind of stuff can have the side effect of retarding natural foraging and hunting behaviors if it is presented every day at the same time in the same place, be sure to change it up on a regular basis- hide it in a corner, wedge it between the angle of a climbing branch, stick it inside a hide, put a couple small pieces of loose slate over the top of a bowl so that the lizards need to dig at it and move the rock before they can get at the food- encourage exploration and movement in order to maintain good muscle tone and caloric use and mix up the time of day that the food is offered in order to keep them behaving like that all day long.

I agree with Tony that you should deny them the improper cat food and wait them out provided that they continue to have a healthy maintenance weight. That said, if they begin to lose weight or if you do hit a point where you feel that getting something in them is important to maintain proper digestive function... using this kind of mixed mush allows you to gradually alter the proportions. You can start by including a portion of the food that you know they will consume, in order to prompt the feeding behaviors associated with the scent or appearance of it- and then reduce the amount of the item you want to eliminate in subsequent feedings.

My preference is always for whole food items and fresh prey- but frozen stuff is good for emergency situations when you may not be able to find live snails and good for weaning picky feeders off an inappropriate food item and onto the diet you want to use long term if it becomes necessary to take intermediate steps rather than just waiting them out.

*in careful... calculated... measured and exact amounts, some items such as cooked ground turkey can be used to fill one of the puzzle pieces in the dietary requirements despite not being a species or even prey type that the animal would find in nature. Deviations from natural dietary items or their direct analogues are something that should always be carefully monitored by someone who is experienced with the species and general reptile biology.

**for PTS, I'd personally leave it fairly chunky.

 

[Johnantny]

Care to tell us your set up and temperatures? Cannot give advice on feeding if the underlying issue is a husbandry one. In 90% of the case with captive bred reptiles, its usually a miss on temps (too low), humidity, ventilation (too much), etc.

Thanks

John