My Aunt told me this easy diet that someone told her to try with her BT. 1 can of green beans 1 can of mixed vegts. 1 can of dog food and fruit of your choice put all in blender except dog food. Blend, add to dog food and mix Then I put into small ziploc bags and freeze. I take out as needed. Both of my Northern BTS love it! Just wanted to share with everyone who has Blues!
I'm not really a fan of the idea of feeding dog or cat food to skinks unless it is as a rare treat or if it's being used to fatten up a severely underweight/dehydrated animal. Look at the ingredients of a high quality dog food (Food is Wellness, if anyone is curious; nutritional info for fruits/veggies comes from Beautiful Dragons feeding chart.): • Chicken, Turkey, Chicken Liver, Chicken Broth, Chicken Meal, Turkey Liver = All arguably fine as a protein source, although it is not what their bodies are made to process as these are not protein sources they would naturally be eating in the wild. Not saying they are necessarily *bad,* just that there is little to no quantitative data showing the effects that eating these protein sources on a routine basis has on the animal. • Sweet Potatoes = Fine as a treat. High Vit. A (You want your skink to get Vitamin A, but too much can lead to Vitamin A toxicity), moderate oxalates (Oxalates prevent calcium absorption which is obviously not good for reptiles fed too many foods with higher oxalate levels) • Carrageen, Guar Gum = Preservatives • Carrots = Fine as a treat. High Vit. A, moderate oxalates • Apples = Good supplemental mix-in. Relatively high in sugar, as most fruits are. • Spinach = Fine as a rare treat. High Vit. A, high oxalates, contains goitrogens (Goitrogens can lead to thyroid problems if fed in too high amounts for extended periods.) • Parsley = Rare treat. High Vit. A, high oxalates, High Vit. C (Vitamin C supplementation is good and can help calcium absorption if given in the right amount; however, it can ironically have the opposite affect if given in too high of amounts.) • Blueberries = Good supplemental mix-in. • Broccoli = Rare treat. High Vit. C, moderate oxalates, goitrogens • Kale = Occasional mix-in. High Vit. A, moderate oxalates, goitrogens • Ground Flaxseed = Protein/fat source; again, little info on the effects of reptiles eating this regularly, although it is not too high on the list and is probably fine in small amounts, like with uromastyx. • Salmon Oil = Great for mammals and birds due to high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Can't find any specific info on how it affects reptiles, though. • Salt = Not really necessary and will probably be excreted anyways, but again, we are getting low on the list so this may not pose too much of a problem as long as the reptile is well hydrated (which the wet food will help with of course). • Chicory Root Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Potassium Chloride, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Cobalt Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement = Various dietary supplements. My only argument here is that the levels of these supplements are specifically formulated for dogs, not reptiles. Many of these are likely not comparable to the right amount a skink should be getting, or may even be unnecessary. Of course, there are many different dog foods, so ingredients will vary. However, I feel this gives a good example of what a high end dog food would provide. Feeding a lower end dog food (Iams, Purina, Science Diet, Eukanuba, etc.) will obviously give you more fillers and preservatives and less nutritional value. Your recipe also calls for a can of green beans--these are fine as an occasional mix-in, but (like many of the example canned dog food ingredients) are high in oxalates. I'm not sure what is meant by a can of mixed veggies, so I'll skip that. Do keep in mind that canned fruits and veggies do not contain the same nutritional value as fresh produce, and are often high in salt, sugar, and/or preservatives. Again, I am not saying this is a terrible thing to feed your skink. I know many breeders have used a canned dog food diet regimen for years--decades, even--with apparent success. However, I can't help but wonder how the skinks' long term health is affected by such a diet. Like all animals, reptiles need variety, so I would certainly not use this (or any *single* food, really) as their staple diet. As a treat? Fine. As a main food source? I suppose that depends on who you ask. But for me, until more solid research has been done comparing the health and longevity of reptiles on canned vs. fresh diets, I prefer to lean toward the latter as it has so often proved the better option for humans and animals alike.
