BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

HELLO !!!!!!!
We have just joined the wonderful world of BTS care! With our latest addition to the family named Cyan !
Bad on us that the amount or research prior to getting him/her was limited so now in catch-up mode. Having read through the excellent care sheet on this site I just wanted to get confirmation of exactly what variant of BTS we have.


He/she is extremely friendly, eating really well and it’s coming out of the other end as regular as clockwork
The whole family is learning every day so just wanted to say “Hi” and if there are any newbie tips we would welcome all/any things to help us on our learning journey.

Hi, and welcome. You have a Halmahera. More often than not, they are imported therefore a vet check is recommended. They need a basking area of 95+ and humidity 80+.

Hi Splashy,

Thanks for this, that is what the local reptile store said so great to get it confirmed. Will organise a vet check, currently looking for a local specialist.

Really appreciate your advice.

At what age can you work out what sex they are?

You may never be able to work out what sex your skink is simply from observing physical changes as they grow. For males that reach maturity (often after roughly 10-12 months depending on circumstances) sperm plugs is the obvious one but the absence of them isn't a confirmation either. Many breeders will know from experience and behaviours between skinks I.e. directly observed mating, but even behaviour is inconclusive as males and females can also fight.

There are other methods to determine through medical imaging and assessments etc. but typically that would be reserved for very specific circumstances or requirements of the individual owner.

For the record: the guessing game is the fun part. I had my skink from 7 days old and initially thought male, then changed to female...then found plugs a month or two after he turned 1

Ditto to the last response on sexing.