Basics

[dragonboy]

Hi , i am looking into getting a blue tongue skink
This is not my first lizard
I currently have a bearded dragon
From what i have heard they like the same basking tems n veggies
So i have some answers to my questions?
What kind of substrate?(shouldi use tile with a tube going to a box with aspen bark or whatever people use for him to dig, because i heard thats what a lot of people do )
what all do they eat (ALL)
what are the basking tems(i heard 100-110 and like 80's on the cool side)
Any more things u can think to add, add it please!
and how much does a not-to-fancy one cost (fancy meaning colored, ect. If i could get a pretty one for under 100$ that'll be cool)

[shingleback aus]

first of all welcome to the forum what you should first do is read the care sheet it will probably have most of your questions anserd also download the food chart.now about the cost were are you located if your in aus you could easely get one for under $100 but for any were else it is probably going to more expensive

[Chase]

The caresheet explains everything. If you read it and don't understand something then you can post on the forum and get some answers.

[Fatal_S]

Welcome!

First off, read the caresheet, it'll answer 99% of your questions, and tell you things you'd never know otherwise. Read it again, and again, and again. Print off the food charts, they help a lot when shopping.

Next, read through several of the previous threads on this forum. We've had a few newbies asking about the same things you are, so there will already be some answers there.

Assuming you're in North America:
BTS good for beginner pets: Northern, Eastern, Irian Jaya
To buy from a great breeder those will cost about $110, plus any shipping. This is a great price.
If you buy from a pet store...don't. The pet store animals are often improperly cared for, badly fed, improperly housed, sick with mites and worms, and Wild Caught. These are just not the kind of pet a beginner would want.

Right now is Brumating season for BTS in NA. In a month or so, they'll wake and breed. May/June we get babies. I recommend using the time until then to get all your info, set up, and be ready. Buy from a breeder and you'll get a great animal.

[rachel]

Welcome!! Where are you?? prices vary heaps!! I got my Easterns for $60 each ( i would consider them pretty!!).

[Tattoo]

Everyone else seems to have hit the high notes but they forget to add please post pictures when you get your bluey.

[rachel]

Tattoo-I CAN'T BELIEVE WE FORGOT THAT!!
pictures please!!! (when you get him/her)

[dragonboy]

well thanks,ill look at the care sheet.
I live in north america
Im not sure im getting it yet, mom has to convince dad...i kno he'll say no at first , but he gave in letting me get a BD , so im realy ok, my mom is ok with it as long as i "behave"...everyone knows i do that

[dragonboy]

Hey guys, i have some questions about feeding. Is there any vegies or fruit that they CANNOT HAVE. Can they eat roaches( i kno, it sounds gross but people actualy breed them for beardies, i dont n e more) and crickets if i gut load them (feed them for a while before feedinng them.
do i have to have that cigarr humidifier?(sp?) or can i just mist em while they are shedding.
Do they need baths?
Can i have some of my cage with textured tile and a pvc pipe leading into a dig box full of aspen?
I still need to go over it a couple times to memorize it... and if i confirm i am getting one ill start buting things and prob get one if feb...

[dragonboy]

Im realy confused with feeding. If somone can answer my question in my previous post , that would be nice, not just this one,

Ok, i have read that you can feed it snails and to get them outside....i would be afraid of pestisides on them, but is there any i can but in the store to breed, or is there somthing i can buy in bulk on the internet (ie crickets).
Also, i heard u can feed dog foood, lean meat in stuf... can this be a staple?If not what ALL can be a staple.for greens i would probily give him colard or something and sometimes sqaush(what i feed beardie)and if can feed lean meet as a staple i will, (i would probily boil cook chicken or ask my mom what to do as far as cooking it without seasoning.)But i have read that they just pick and only eat the meat if u feed every day at the meat ONLY. I would probily feed meat with the greens every other day...is this ok?(i would experiment...) I garentee u i will have tons of more questions...im going to go over that LONG caresheet again.(to whoever made it, it is long but VERY imformative).
Dangit, a question just slipped my mind, ill post it later

[Fatal_S]

Hey guys, i have some questions about feeding. Is there any vegies or fruit that they CANNOT HAVE. Can they eat roaches( i kno, it sounds gross but people actualy breed them for beardies, i dont n e more) and crickets if i gut load them (feed them for a while before feedinng them.
do i have to have that cigarr humidifier?(sp?) or can i just mist em while they are shedding.
Do they need baths?
Can i have some of my cage with textured tile and a pvc pipe leading into a dig box full of aspen?
I still need to go over it a couple times to memorize it... and if i confirm i am getting one ill start buting things and prob get one if feb...

On the caresheet there are some downloadable food charts. Download these, and read through them. They include foods which are good every day, sometimes, rarely, and foods never to give. I print these off and take them shopping with me. Roaches are good food for BTS. Gutloaded crickets are fine, but not very nutritious, more as an occasional fun thing.

Humidity can be bad for BTS, they tend to get Upper Respiratory Infections. Provide a simply moist hide, either all the time or just when they're shedding. For example, moist moss in a hide works great. Baths are good if they're having trouble shedding or if they get very dirty (painting with food/poo). Just use warm water, keep it shallow, and stay with them.

Flooring on your cage is your choice. There are a few people who use repticarpet on one side, where the water dish is, then a substrate on the other half. Only things about substrate is don't use pine/cedar shavings, and don't feed on sand/dirt if you have that in there. Aspen shavings or carefresh make good substrates. I don't know the point of your PVC pipe, but I can't see it being harmful.

For getting the skink, some breeders still have babies left from this year, otherwise babies will be born around May/June. Keep reading that caresheet, it helps a lot, promise.

Im realy confused with feeding. If somone can answer my question in my previous post , that would be nice, not just this one,

Ok, i have read that you can feed it snails and to get them outside....i would be afraid of pestisides on them, but is there any i can but in the store to breed, or is there somthing i can buy in bulk on the internet (ie crickets).
Also, i heard u can feed dog foood, lean meat in stuf... can this be a staple?If not what ALL can be a staple.for greens i would probily give him colard or something and sometimes sqaush(what i feed beardie)and if can feed lean meet as a staple i will, (i would probily boil cook chicken or ask my mom what to do as far as cooking it without seasoning.)But i have read that they just pick and only eat the meat if u feed every day at the meat ONLY. I would probily feed meat with the greens every other day...is this ok?(i would experiment...) I garentee u i will have tons of more questions...im going to go over that LONG caresheet again.(to whoever made it, it is long but VERY imformative).
Dangit, a question just slipped my mind, ill post it later

Snails are a wonderful food for BTS. We have a few threads active about them, check it out. If you get snails from your garden, keep them in a bucket inside with some food for a few days, if they're alive, they should be safe for your BTS to eat. You can also buy aquatic snails from pet stores, these work just as well.

Worms can also be great. The best are silk, phoenix, and wax worms I believe. These can be brought online or at some pet stores. Superworms or mealworms are not nearly as good, but mine have had them once. Once again, crickets are pretty useless, roaches are much better. Gutload any feeders if possible.

Again, the food charts on the caresheet are a wonder. Meat cat and dog foods work, just look into what they have. The more natural ingredients the better. Spots Stew is a good one that comes to mind. My BTS get cooked chicken (just cooked on a frying pan) or turkey. I do a variety of greens and veggies, with a fruit or 2, and then use a mini-chopper to make it all into one nice mash. This way they can't be picky about what they want to eat. The chopper is great, and only cost about $20. My current mash includes cooked chicken, bok choy, endive, dandelion greens, buttercup squash, papaya and mango. My guys seem to like it. I also have blueberries and snails.

[dragonboy]

well the thing i am woried about with snails is pestides.. so i might not do them... hmm i could just gutload crickets for 24 hours and feed him
something else 2-3 times a week.
Is it possible to find them at rep shows?
The only thing is that the shipping from breeders would be crazy expensive....

[dragonboy]

my point about the pvc's is like making a small box filled with aspen and a littled in the pvc so they could crawll in the pvc... dig a little aspen away and be in the box and make it a digging area/hide///

[Fatal_S]

Keeping the snails for the few days is to be sure there's no pesticides. You can also breed them (see recent snail threads) to get a sustainable food source. Snails really are a great food source, and BTS seem to love them.

Once again, crickets, even gutloaded are a pretty useless source of food. Good entertainment though.

You can find BTS at some herp shows, but you never know about the quality of the animal your getting, or if you can trust the breeder/seller. If you plan to do this, you'll want to know everything about the different species, sickness, and signs of neglect, and quiz the seller mercilessly.

To ship from a breeder is about $60 I think. That gives you a totaly of $170 for most BTS. At pet stores I find BTS for as low as $150, but those are sick and in horrible condition. Getting a sick BTS that needs expensive medical care (a simple vet check is $20+) will get rid of any savings you may get from a store/show.

Where are you located? If you're lucky, you could be within pickup distance from a breeder. We have breeders in California, Florida, Oregon, and more.

[dragonboy]

Well i live in North America , specificly in PA, if it is that much , my mom would be willing to drive 1 n a half to prob 2 hours...
is it possible for u to put a list of things to quiz a breeder?

[Katrina]

Some questions you want to ask a breeder (just ones that pop to mind, I'm sure others will add to the list):

-What species are they?
-What is their birth date (if they don't know this / how old the skink is it is likely a wild caught)
-What is their current diet? Make sure they are being fed a healthy diet, as mentioned above you don't want to get a sick animal.
-Get pics of the skink from several angles, as well as hopefuly pics of the parents.
-Ask about future help / guarantees - a good breeder will be able to help you if you have questions down the road (within reason!).
-Ask if they have been handled at all / maybe about housing and substrate...

Hope this helps! You will get a good feeling from a good breeder - they will answer all your questions, and within a reasonable time frame.

[dragonboy]

i realy dont care its color, as long as its super ugly, i realy just want a healthy BTS

[Katrina]

Thats how we felt too!!

Pictures will help you see that it is healthy though, to some extent, and any good breeder should be more than happy to email pics of the little one. Pics of the parents are good, because that is likely a lot like what your baby will look like when full grown.

Oh, and I don't think there is any super ugly BTS - certainly none that I've seen!

[SailleSkinklover]

NO crickets, if you can help it, they are so low in nutrition and very dry and can carry pinworms and other parasites. Silkworms or butterworms are great, if a little expensive.

I get lobster roaches from a guy that has beardies, thats what he feeds his. He got sick of paying for low nutrition crickets, and I decided to try the roaches fromy leopard gecko and my white lined gecko. They LOVE the roaches! I'm now in the process of starting my Dubia colony. (they don't climb like the lobsters)
For my bluey's protien, he loves eggs, esp. hard boiled, he loves chicken and turkey burger. this spring, I'll try the silkworms again, and a different kind of snail, as he wouldn't touch the little black ones I had for him.

[dragonboy]

i had dubias , but they are big and freeked me out... i hesitate getting lobster because they climb and get out alot(even with some kind of vaseline)

Hmm superworms are a no and mealworms (hate em n e ways) ,,,... Does the meat in there sald count for some of their protein? if so i could keep butterworms in my fridge and feed every other day...