Recomended diet for a Eastern Water Skink

[ianinoz]

Been giving her medium live and dead mealworms (no more than 3 or 4 every few days), medium live and dead crickets (1 every few days), she is known to catch and eat cockroaches.

I have from time to time given her bits of diced cooked turkey, chicken, beef, lamb, even bits of cooked prawn and ham, grapes, lettuce and cabbage shreds (that she finds on the kitchen floor sometimes).

She is pretty lively and healthy looking, and her tail (lost it in March when she had a nasty experience outside somewhere) has regrown nicely.

Open to advice on her dietary requirements.

Photo : this afternoon while she was hanging out with me and loafing on the head of the lounge and enjoying the aircon. She was toasty there and made herself very comfy and was so relaxed .

 

[book]

It has been interesting to read your ongoing experiences with your wild house lizard.
Eastern Water Skinks are my favorites. I was inspired to get my license and find someone selling them after seeing wild ones when we moved to Queensland.
I thought of posting into you water skink thread in the past but you start new threads so often the feed back get less relevant without the running story.
I would back off on the meal worms. They are not good nutritionally and the number of meal worms you are feeding will be making the bulk of its intake making it less likely to look for other sources of food. Crickets and roaches are much better staples. Lizzie will do best on a wide variety of insects but only 20 - 25 total per week. Some can be very greedy and they can get obese. Look for other insects from your yard like grasshoppers, smooth green caterpillars, moths and other flying insects. Worms are good. If you start a worm farm you will also end up with Soldier Fly larvae and they are very good nutritionally.
They do normally take small amounts of fruit. The wild ones here eat small berries fallen from trees in our yard. Fruit available to wild lizards is seasonal so I only feed my captives the same way. In the Spring and Summer they are very occasionally offered bits of fruit no more than half the size of their heads.

 

[grimbeny]

I dont think you need to feed this lizard, it is probably not in its best interest.

 

[ianinoz]

It'a atill a bit cool here for there to be much in the way of bugs in the lawn ( I have bushy area under my bluegum and another where the banana trees are in the backyard) and shrubs in my yard.

Off to buy some more crickets tomorrow I think, this will probably be the all I need before the warm weather returns and then Lizzy WILL GET more variety.

She spent all day hanging out with me today (off and on) and didn't want any worms today, I offered, she looked, she declined, maybe she's hanging out for nice tasty cricket. Will thaw one tonight and leave it out for her to find.

Still no cockroaches in my house, some roaches running around outside last night , I think Lizzy is finding, catching and eating them as they come inside and before we see them. She's a great pest exterminator and real asset to have living in the house.

It has been interesting to read your ongoing experiences with your wild house lizard.
Eastern Water Skinks are my favorites. I was inspired to get my license and find someone selling them after seeing wild ones when we moved to Queensland.
I thought of posting into you water skink thread in the past but you start new threads so often the feed back get less relevant without the running story.
I would back off on the meal worms. They are not good nutritionally and the number of meal worms you are feeding will be making the bulk of its intake making it less likely to look for other sources of food. Crickets and roaches are much better staples. Lizzie will do best on a wide variety of insects but only 20 - 25 total per week. Some can be very greedy and they can get obese. Look for other insects from your yard like grasshoppers, smooth green caterpillars, moths and other flying insects. Worms are good. If you start a worm farm you will also end up with Soldier Fly larvae and they are very good nutritionally.
They do normally take small amounts of fruit. The wild ones here eat small berries fallen from trees in our yard. Fruit available to wild lizards is seasonal so I only feed my captives the same way. In the Spring and Summer they are very occasionally offered bits of fruit no more than half the size of their heads.

20 - 25 insects per week ? seems like an huge amount , she's never demanded more than a dozen medium mealies off me in a week together with never more than 2 - 3 medium crickets in a week . If that's the norm she must be catching bugs I don't see inside and under the house and in the yard.
She was a lot hungrier in the warmer part of the year though. I was giving her diced meat and the occasional bit of fruit then, and she was hunting down cockraches and other bugs and patrolling the entire house most days , sometimes in the morning and again about 5pm. I also regularly spotted her (her stumpy tail after she lost it made it easy to tell it was her and not one of the other skinks in the colony that lives under my house and in my garage).

Regularly see them sunning on my front patio , the paths, the drive way, and often see them keeping tabs on me (sticky beaking from under or behind something) when I'm doing things in the yard, taking the sun on the chair on my patio, or in the shed. One skink is so curious he (a big water skink) sometimes gets in the way and risks having something dropped on him or being stepped on. He's not as friendly as Lizzy, but he doesn't seem all that scared of me (no reason to be, I've never chased him, and yes I do talk to him to when I see him and I've tossed him the occasional raw prawn after fishing too).

The worm farm (earth worms) sounds like a great idea (I'll give that a try). I'm also hoping to breed my own mealworms (got over a dozen pupae now). For lizards, the local birds (wag tails, magpies) and for fishing baits. The magpies are funny buggers to watch when they are playing in my yard, and they follow me about and sing to me sometimes.

I've befriended all the resident skinks (little brown skinks, water skinks, and there are at least 2 bluetongues), I offered them little bits of diced chicken or other left over - too old to eat meat when we had it, rather than tossing it when we had left overs for too long. (I never left it there long enough for the local cats to find it). They are great little critters, very inquisitive, and they do a great job at controlling spiders (not seen a red back, trapdoor or funnel web since the colony of wild water skinks established itself mostly under my house).

Amazing how much you get out interacting with wild birds and lizards, and now I'm retired I've the time to get to know them and they see me and get to interact with me lots more.

 

[book]

20 - 25 insects per week ? seems like an huge amount , she's never demanded more than a dozen medium mealies off me in a week together with never more than 2 - 3 medium crickets in a week . If that's the norm she must be catching bugs I don't see inside and under the house and in the yard.
She was a lot hungrier in the warmer part of the year though. I was giving her diced meat and the occasional bit of fruit then, and she was hunting down cockraches and other bugs and patrolling the entire house most days , sometimes in the morning and again about 5pm.

The 20 - 25 insects a week is a maximum they should be eating in the warmest part of the year to avoid over feeding. Insect size would be about half the size of the lizards head. They could be feed on the higher side of the numbers if the insects are smaller. You are potentially giving her 15 insects a week and in the warmer months giving her meat as well. As your supply becomes the bulk of her food it become more important to supply a proper diet as she is less likely to get what she needs from the remaining insects she catches. If she becomes dependent on you then she may even go hungry if something stops you from continuing the supply.
You are probably doing her no harm in the short term and you both get something out of the arrangement. Just remember the closer you get to feeding her a full weeks worth of food she becomes more reliant on your supply. If she fills up on 'junk food' she may not hunt for variety and end up with vitamin and calcium deficiency, or she may continue to hunt and eat more than she should and become over weight with associated health problems.
I do love watching the wild life at our place and have used bird feeders in the past as I figured we have limited their food supply by building on their original habitat. Now I prefer to improve the habit I share with them by planting ground covers and plants that feed birds and lizards with seasonal flowers and fruit or attract insects. The population of Eastern Water Skinks have increased considerably since we moved here and if something happened to us or we move away the population should continue to thrive (unless new owners change things back to lawn and concrete or have predator pets like small dogs or cats.)

 

[ianinoz]

The 20 - 25 insects a week is a maximum they should be eating in the warmest part of the year to avoid over feeding. Insect size would be about half the size of the lizards head. They could be feed on the higher side of the numbers if the insects are smaller. You are potentially giving her 15 insects a week and in the warmer months giving her meat as well. As your supply becomes the bulk of her food it become more important to supply a proper diet as she is less likely to get what she needs from the remaining insects she catches. If she becomes dependent on you then she may even go hungry if something stops you from continuing the supply.
You are probably doing her no harm in the short term and you both get something out of the arrangement. Just remember the closer you get to feeding her a full weeks worth of food she becomes more reliant on your supply. If she fills up on 'junk food' she may not hunt for variety and end up with vitamin and calcium deficiency, or she may continue to hunt and eat more than she should and become over weight with associated health problems.
I do love watching the wild life at our place and have used bird feeders in the past as I figured we have limited their food supply by building on their original habitat. Now I prefer to improve the habit I share with them by planting ground covers and plants that feed birds and lizards with seasonal flowers and fruit or attract insects. The population of Eastern Water Skinks have increased considerably since we moved here and if something happened to us or we move away the population should continue to thrive (unless new owners change things back to lawn and concrete or have predator pets like small dogs or cats.)

This was the reason why I only offered her small amounts of diced meat and other treats over summer and autumn, she was happy to accept these when she found them (a few times a week), and was very active in hunting down insects (mostly cockroaches under the furnature, we stopped placing roach baits and using surfac spray and flying/crawlng insect sprays when we became aware that Lizzy was visiting almost on a daily basis), and she did a great job of exterminating the roaches, demolishing some house spiders and gave the little ants that came into the kitchen a hard time).
It was only when Lizzy showed up in July after brumating for a few months I decided to get some mealworms to use as treats, and then some crickets as treats too. They've been a great means of building a very good level of trust between Lizzy and me and of building on my reationship with Lizzy. She LUVS them ! and now lets me tickle her under the chin or on the side of her head and neck, has ever gone hand surfing a couple times (when she climbed completely onto my open hand to take a mealworm and eat it there). She's very comfortable around me, not so trusting and comfortable of my wife - but at least she doesn't run away and hide whenever my wife comes into the room now.

I have never intended the mealwoms (or crickets sometimes) to be used as her only source of food. She is free to come and go as she pleases and I am certain she goes on hunting forays under the house and in the "wild" area under the bluegum .

This is why I never give more than 4 medium meal worms at a time, and usually only 2 or 3 even if she comes back for more and gives me "the stare". And this happens about 3 times a week at present. Lizzy seems content with that and will usually go for a patrol to check all the likely roach hiding places when she realises she'll get no more food from me and then comes back and hangs out on the top of the lounge or on the fax transformer for a while and has a siesta.

She's NOT 100% dependent on us for food, and I think she'll have no problem finding all the food she needs of her own accord if we go on holiday, being a wild lizard she will just revert back to totally wild and independent, unlike a lizard that's been bought and raised in captivity and never needed to find it's own food.

We're a retired couple (in our mid 50s) and have no desire to or plans of moving. AND she has in/out ways back out if the house is locked up so she'll never be trapped in a foodless house - some 3/4" holes I drilled for coax cable access from under the house about 20 years ago that are still there (hidden behind the furnature but accessible to her in strategic rooms will let her go in and out).

I too have a thriving and growing colony of EW skinks, and brown skinks and some bluetongues in my yard. (NO cat, no dog, but 4 dogs next door - the EW skinks and bluetongues have been seen raiding the neighbour's dog's dogfood bowls. And their dogs chase any EW Skinks that they see, but I'm told they aways get away from the dogs). I enjoy seeing the lizards doing there own thing in my yard and often see them having sun bake and siesta on the paths and on my front patio in summer.

ps
I noticed that the huntsman spiders are getting active again this evening when I got home after dark, saw a few prowling about on the boundary fence next to my driveway.
Spotted a roachlike bug, all wings with a body about the size of mealworm beetle on the wall next to my front door - saved it for Lizzy.

If she shows up tomorrow (was AWOL today, sunny warmish and not much breeze today so she's probably been outside instead) she'll get it offered to her along with the medium (very fat cricket) I thawed out for her today and I'm keeping for her.

Left the front patio light on and will see if I can catch a moth or two for her too later tonight. Lizzy will think all Xmas' came at once if I get a moth as well for her (will definitely have to offered from between my fingers else the roachybug and any moth with fly off.

Are mealworm pupae OK for eastern water skinks as a treat ?

Are mealworm beetles before they go brown and armour plated OK too ?

PS 2 :
Loved the bark roach (one with wings), I let it go about 2 ft away from her and it started crawling away and she really enjoyed chasing it and catching it and made short work of eating it. The legs made her nose tickle I think as she rubbed it on the fabric of the lounge after she'd killed the roach by bashing it up.

Discovered she likes mealworm beetle pupae, gave her one that had just formed, ate it with gusto.

 

[ianinoz]

Loves live deformed (wingless and deformed legs) mealworm beetles. (after 2 days they remained soft bodied and they were unable to crawl much so probably no good as breeders).

 

[dihsmaj]

Ian, mealworms don't have wings, their wing-shell thingos are fused. They may well have wings, but they can't open the shells, so they can't fly.

 

[ianinoz]

It has been interesting to read your ongoing experiences with your wild house lizard.
Eastern Water Skinks are my favorites. I was inspired to get my license and find someone selling them after seeing wild ones when we moved to Queensland.
I thought of posting into you water skink thread in the past but you start new threads so often the feed back get less relevant without the running story.
I would back off on the meal worms. They are not good nutritionally and the number of meal worms you are feeding will be making the bulk of its intake making it less likely to look for other sources of food. Crickets and roaches are much better staples. Lizzie will do best on a wide variety of insects but only 20 - 25 total per week. Some can be very greedy and they can get obese. Look for other insects from your yard like grasshoppers, smooth green caterpillars, moths and other flying insects. Worms are good. If you start a worm farm you will also end up with Soldier Fly larvae and they are very good nutritionally.
They do normally take small amounts of fruit. The wild ones here eat small berries fallen from trees in our yard. Fruit available to wild lizards is seasonal so I only feed my captives the same way. In the Spring and Summer they are very occasionally offered bits of fruit no more than half the size of their heads.

Lizzy's luxurious lunch box lid wading pool (she loves it, paddles in it and drinks from everyday since I put it there - in the corner and filled it with water). Would have a deeper pool for her but I'd have to make it Lizzy accessable and safe for her and our grandson (who will likely be crawling soon)).

I'm thawing out a medium cricket for her every few days and giving them to her as superdopper treat. (about same size meal for her as 3 or 4 mealworms or mealworm beetles I think).

Gonna see about catching some moths for her now the moths are showing up. (These will be a rare treat and she wont get them very often) wont be going to much effort catching these since she still goes outside when it suits her and I want her to keep on catching most of her own food.

 

[K3nny]

Ian, mealworms don't have wings, their wing-shell thingos are fused. They may well have wings, but they can't open the shells, so they can't fly.

actually they can, but just never do cz usually we provide food aplenty and theres no point in them akwardly hovering in search for meals

 

[dihsmaj]

Seriously? I watched this one show and it was talking about Darkling Beetles and how their shells are fused.

 

[ianinoz]

None of my beetles have made any attempt to fly off, too well provided for with bits of soft but still moist carrot I suppose.

Going to leave a cristanphenon flower near Lizzy's favourate warming spot tomorrow, I've checked and these are edible (never knew that, tasted a little piece of pettle and tasted OK), Will be interesting to see if Lizzy has a nibble if she shows up tomorrow (which I expect she will, she's been spending most of the day hanging out on same warming spot, on the head of the loungechair and having regular sips of water from her wading pool ,seems quite content to chill.
Gives me "I'm hungry stare" me on for a treat when she has warmed up and then has a good rub along her body on the lounge's fabric and any hard surfaces and then climbs down to the floor and see's if she can find anything under the cabinets and furnature and is now cruising the laundry and kitchen again. She's definitely shedding, lots of loose scales, feel sorry for her, must be really itchy and unconfortable.

Seem to be a large proportion of mealworm beetles that I'm getting who have deformed wings and or deformed legs (about 1/2). I'm giving the deformed beetles a couple of days with the other beetles and then since they still have soft bodies I'm offering them to Lizzy as treats.

 

[ianinoz]

New observation: 3 oct 11

I think EWS percieve bright colours.

Lizzy was facinated by the coloured buttons on the Digital STB's remote when she saw it for the first time this morning (it usually lives on the coffee table).

She was particularly taken with the bright yellow button and was interested enough to try to nibble it.

I know she likes green seedless grapes (even if they are too big for her and must be cut into halves for her).

If she likes yellow, I'm wondering if she'll like a little piece of apple flesh - goes yellow when exposed to air.

What fruit do captive EWS owners give to their EWSs ?

 

[Sdaji]

I used to feed my Water Skinks an exclusive diet of dusted woodies, they thrived, as did all the small skink species I kept on that diet. I have played around giving them 'treats' (more for my fun than theirs, and not for nutrition). They like most fruits, banana, apple, berries, etc. I'm personally a bit skeptical about how poor mealworms are nutritionally and have used them a heap with my own animals, including maintaining lizards and frogs on exclusive diets of them, never with any trouble. Overseas mealworms are often the recommended staple. Each to their own of course, and just as a disclaimer I'll say that if you feed a mealworm to a lizard it will eat its way out through the belly so you should never do it (just so that you can never blame me if anything goes wrong - Sdaji knows nothing and you should follow someone else's advice!). Even though they're overplayed, there probably genuinely are problems sometimes with some species.

As for mealworms and wings, their elytra aren't fused (I don't think any beetles have fused elytra), and they do have fully formed wings, but they are poor flyers. If you throw them up in the air they'll usually open their elytra up and use their hind wings to guide their descent. I've never seen one fly up and rarely seen them bring their flying wings out unless they've been falling (usually with help from Sdaji).

I took this picture just now after reading the thread. Yes, I killed the beetle to convince it not to fold its wings back in after I pulled them out, but you can easily do it with a live one and it will just fold the hind wing back up under the elytrum. In case anyone was concerned, the beetle didn't just donate its life to science, it was eaten a few seconds after the picture was taken.

 

[ianinoz]

I've heard that urban myth that mealworms will eat their way out if eaten live.

Can't see that happening with Lizzy as she chews them up pretty well, she loves live mealworm lavae.

Can't believe how hungry she is now she's returned from eloping with Scrapper the resident alpha male EWS. Never seen her put away so much food.

Tried offering her some little apple pieces - she smiffed them a couple of times and decided she'd rather try me on for another live cricket or two or 3.

I save the deformed mealworm beetles and the old mealworm beetles when they die for her (and for Scrapper), Scrapper loves them, so does Lizzy. No sure if Lizzy's baby (born late August or on the Fathers' Day w/e) is big enough to handle them, seem plenty of smaller beetles and lavae in the weeds/grass in the area I know she lives in.

I"ve not used roach baits or sprays for nearly 12 months and any roaches I spot in the house now I catch for Lizzy and keep in an MT mealworm tube until I see her next. She loves them. Very rare to have a roach inside with Lizzy in residence, I think she finds them all before I see them and eats them, esp the little ones..

She also loves the live crickets I buy for her. (Always get an escapee or 2 when I'm fishing out 4 or 5 into a small round tub , she gets the fun of chasing them down and I'm sure she finds them or they accidentally find her). Great fun handfeeding live medium crickets to Lizzy one at a time, she gets very excited when she sees the cricket tub or the roach tub.

I found she loves hunting down "freerange" mealworm lavae too, I'll often toss a few in her general direction for her when she is on the hunt, she always finds them and I think she likes this new game, she'll watch me and go straight to them when land ,sometimes a several feet away from her. Not as much fun as handfeeding them to her but it gives her stimulation and some exercise.

How long does it take for mealworm eggs to hatch and for the little wormlings to emerge ?