Blue-tongued skinks can eat tomatoes, but they should be fed sporadically. Tomatoes contain vitamin C, A, antioxidants and fiber, so they are not poor in nutrients.
Despite their health benefits, tomatoes are very acidic and somewhat high in oxalates, so they can cause problems in large quantities.
Things to consider
Some things to keep in mind when feeding tomatoes to your blue-tongued lizard:
- Tomatoes have low calcium levels, which is essential for healthy bones and development. This means that feeding your skink with too many tomatoes can lead to calcium deficiency which is not good for your pet.
- Tomatoes have an undesirable ratio of calcium and phosphorous such that the existence of phosphorous in tomatoes prevents absorption of calcium in the body. This leads to calcium deficiency in your blue tongue lizard or, in the most extreme cases, to metabolic bone disease.
Better alternatives
When considering alternative food options for blue-tongued skinks, it is important to prioritize their nutritional needs.
Leafy greens such as collard greens, kale, and mustard greens are excellent choices as they provide essential vitamins and minerals while being low in oxalates. These greens are high in calcium and have a favorable calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, promoting healthy bone development.
Additionally, incorporating a variety of fruits like berries, mangoes, and papayas can provide a good source of vitamins and natural sugars.
As blue-tongued skinks are omnivores, insects such as crickets, mealworms, and silkworms can also be offered as a protein-rich supplement to their diet.
It is crucial to maintain a balanced and diverse diet to ensure the overall health and well-being of blue-tongued skinks.
Reptilink Options for Blue-tongue Skinks
The 25/25/50 Omnivore blend + Insects reptilinks are specially formulated for adult and subadult blue-tongued skinks they contain 50% vegetable matter (no fruit), 25% insects, and 25% lean rabbit.
Ingredients: Insects (hisser roaches, crickets, superworms), Rabbit (Ohio raised New Zealand white or California white breed, includes entire carcass) organic green beans, collard greens, dandelion greens, endive, 100% natural collagen casing.
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PetsWithScales.com is an informational website about big lizard pet care. We collect and provide information from different sources across the web on how to keep and care for reptiles as pets. The species we mainly deal with are tegus, monitor lizards, skinks and geckos. Our aim is to provide high quality information to help pet owners make better, more informed decisions about their animal’s diets, health and life.