Is Your Blue Tongue Skink Overweight?
Blue Tongue Skinks are lovely docile creatures and can easily be tamed. They make ideal pets for both children and beginners. But, as with any pet, there are certain things you need to know before going ahead and buying one.
A common problem with this species of reptile is obesity. Due to their naturally chunky and sausage-like appearance, it can be difficult for you to determine whether your skink is overweight or not.
After reading this article, you’ll be able to recognize the signs of obesity, how to deal with it, why it occurs, and what you can do to avoid it in the future.
Signs Your Skink May Be Overweight
It’s vital to evaluate blue-tongue skinks for obesity if they appear heavy and disproportionate, despite being naturally chunky. Northern Blue Tongue Skinks, the most common species, typically measure between 12 and 24 inches and weigh no more than 600 grams.
Symptoms of obesity can vary, but some of the more common indicators include reduced activity and laziness. If your skink is usually active during the day and suddenly becomes lethargic and uninterested, it may signify he is suffering because of excess weight.
You may notice lots of excess flesh under your skink’s chin. Prominent jowls are another sign that your skink may be suffering from obesity. Weight issues can also be demonstrated by body parts, such as legs or the head, not being in proportion to the rest of the body.
Heavy breathing may also indicate that your skink is having issues with his weight. However, as these reptiles are known for their peculiar breathing habits, it would usually be accompanied by one or more of the symptoms already outlined.
Causes of Obesity
Overfeeding and feeding the wrong food types are the most common causes of obesity in blue-tongue skinks. How often you should feed your skink depends on its age.
Young and neonatal skinks need feeding daily as long as they are happy to eat. In contrast, adults will only need one or two feedings per week. Straying too far from these guidelines can easily lead to obesity, so ensure you constantly monitor your pets’ eating habits.
Ideally, your pet lizard should eat 50% vegetables, 40% protein, and 10% fruit. Among the many vegetables available are collard greens, butternut squash, peas, and brussel sprouts.
Providing your skink with bugs such as crickets, silkworms, locusts, and lean meat such as chicken will ensure they are getting enough protein. Many fruit options include mango, raspberries, strawberries, and figs.
Some foods are best avoided altogether, while others should only be offered to your skink occasionally and only as a treat. The following food guidelines can help you prevent your skink from becoming overweight.
Some foods are best avoided altogether, while others should only be offered to your skink occasionally and only as treats.
The following food guidelines can help you prevent your skink from becoming overweight.
- Peanut butter – Please don’t feed your skink peanut butter as it is high in fat and sugar and can contain preservatives.
- Bananas – Bananas contain high levels of phosphorous, which binds calcium and removes it from the body. They’re also very high in fat, so they should only be fed in tiny portions once a month or less, if at all.
- Tuna – You shouldn’t feed your bluey tuna. Tuna is not a natural food source of blue tongue skinks and is also high in fat and salt and can contain heavy metals such as mercury.
- Fish – Because fish is high in both salt and fat, don’t include it in your skinks diet. It can also contain heavy metals.
- Mealworms – Mealworms are okay, and skinks rarely turn their noses up at them. But they should only be offered occasionally as they’re quite fatty.
- Eggs – Eggs are okay so long as they’re only offered as a treat once a month due to their high cholesterol and fat content.
- Mice – As with eggs, mice should only be offered as a treat once or twice a month as they’re hard to digest and fatty.
Skinks can also become obese if they do not get enough exercise or are kept in tanks that are too small. To be able to explore and move around, blue tongue skinks require at least eight square feet of floor space. The bigger, the better.
Being unable to process calories properly is the most fundamental cause of weight gain. Food will not be digested if your pet cannot raise its body temperature. Weight gain can also result from low temperatures in your skink’s enclosure.
Treatment
When treating your blue tongue skink’s obesity, the first thing you need to consider is his diet. How often do you feed him? Does he receive too many treats and not enough vegetables? Is his portion too big? It may be necessary to reduce the frequency of feeding times and replace some fruit treats with more vegetables to provide a healthier balance.
If the enclosure doesn’t meet the minimum requirements, especially if your skink doesn’t get regular free roam time, you’ll need to buy a larger enclosure. Exercising regularly outside of the tank will help your pet burn the calories it needs to maintain a healthy weight.
Blue Tongue Skinks are not natural swimmers. However, water won’t harm them as long as you supervise them, and it’s a safe form of exercise. You can put a small amount of water in a bathtub or a kids’ paddling pool. You can watch them try to swim by straightening their legs and swishing their tails
As long as you’re present to supervise your skink and ensure that the temperature is not below 80 degrees Fahrenheit, you can take it outside. Not only will they benefit from the exercise, but also from the sun’s natural ultraviolet rays.
To monitor your skink’s progress, you should weigh him once a week using a kitchen scale. You may need to consult a veterinarian if he is still overweight after a month to determine if there is an underlying medical condition.
Help at Your Fingertips
Reptiles make excellent long-term pets. The care they require will vary from species to species. As an example, you should always bear in mind that blue tongue skinks are prone to obesity. Having a concerted focus on keeping the diet balanced and healthy will ensure many years of lively blue tongue presence in your home!
