BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Well I'm out in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada for pilot training. It's a small city, so it has some stores, but it's still pretty store. It also has 2 pet stores, and I decided to go check them out. One has a few cats and some fish, but the second carries reptiles, including a young Northern BTS. I don't have any pictures, but Blue's "What kind of blue tongues are these?" thread has a picture that looks amazingly similar.

Well I talked to the store owner, who of course had no idea that there were different types of BTS, but unlike most he was very eager to learn more. I told him what kind of BTS it was and gave him this site. He took the bluey out, and it seems to me to be a yearling. It was somewhat huffy, but also seemed fairly curious and active. The man was good about listening to some advice, so I told him first that the bluey will need UVB lighting and that it needed about 45% of it's meal to be veggies (a lot of greens), 45% meats and 10% fruits. I figured this was a simple and effective way to give him information he needed without overloading him. I spent some time with the bluey and it truly is a beatiful skink.

Now there were a few things I noticed that I'm curious about. First, it had all it's toes and they seemed pretty good, but I'm worried there might be a bit of stuck shed. I can't tell though if it's actually stuck shed or just how it regularly looks. Could someone please post some pictures of what a bit of stuck shed looks like on the toes? If it does seem like stuck shed I'll try to get it off with some warm water and rubbing. I will probably be visiting the store on a semi-regular basis over the next few weeks, just to get some bluey time in before my babies arrive. And if in 6 months, when I've got money and room for more skinks, the bluey is still there I may have to buy it. However, this is providing it's still there in good condition and the price has gone down ($200 currently). Otherwise I'll probably take my money and keep buying from breeders, which I plan to do anyway.

Advice is appreciated.

No pic for you, but it kind of depends on the colour of the legs/feet as to what it would look like, I'd say dull,dry and discoloured {possibley no help to you}you might get a nice discount if you intend to help and educate the shop owner though.

Alright, to describe what I saw, the toes were bent off to the side a bit, and there were whitish parts right near the nails that looked almost like an extra scale. The skink wasn't too impressed when I tried to touch it's feet, so I don't want to upset him if I don't have to. The nails themselves weren't overly long, but could probably get a trim soon.

I do really like this little guy, especially because I was so shocked to see a northern out here. The man actually doesn't know much about BTS, he just asked for something interesting and they sent him a bluey. It comes with some basic info, but it's obviously incorrect. I do plan to visit the little guy often and maybe I can hope for a discount once I'm able to get more. The store owner says he's doubtful that it will be bought anytime soon (he estimated 2 years!), so I could stand a chance.

I think next time I go back I'll see about the feet and make sure the UVB light is installed and the diet is improved. I'll also try to get a digi-cam so I can get some pictures. Either way, it's great bluey experience for me while I'm waiting for my new babies.

See if the bloke will let you soak the feet in a bowl of warm water, it could be substrate related, are the feet on a flat surface ie news paper bottom,not sure what else to suggest, pictures would give others a chance to comment aswell,

The skink is on aspen bedding and likes to burrow. When I go back I'll see if he'll let me soak them, but I don't want to look like an idiot and freak the lizard out if I don't need to. I'll try to get pictures, but don't expect them anytime soon. I'm in the midst of studying for my PSTAR, solo exam. Maybe Sunday at the earliest.

Okay, a friend and I went back to the store last night and played with the little guy. I took my Mac and managed to get some pictures of him. Introducing Price:



He's a total sweety, but he obviously needs a good caring home. His nails are getting pretty long, but on close inspection I'm not thinking there is stuck shed. We played with him for about an hour, and my friend loves him. I think that if I'm able in a few months, I'd like to come back and see about buying him. For now I'll just visit once a week and keep an eye on him during my time in Steinbach.
Note: We called him Price because we needed something to call him besides 'the skink'. I felt Price went well with Wocket and Tricks (the 2 tannies I'm getting).

Thats some real nice colours and pattern on that boy, he looks in good condition,the claws/toes do look long on the photo,is it all of them or one foot?maybe he's been stood on or squashed in the past is the front left the worst foot?

I don't know exactly what you mean by being squished, but the feet aren't too bad. The rear left (you can't see it) is actually the worse as one nail caught something and broke. The front left looks like it's missing a toe but it's actually good. I think a nice nail trim would do a world of good. I'll take some clippers with me next visit and see what I can do.

What I meant was, if he was a little baby skinky on the floor, a big foot {human} could do a lot of damage. One tiny step for man, one big trouble for a skinklet

Nice patterns Mate

Nice Northern...

Hmm, even Mom doesn't seem to mind the idea of bringing this little one home. If I can get a basic setup together it could work nice. I might have to put one of the tannies in the temp tank to start with. Then I'll get to work on building many new tanks.

Nice looking skinklet you have there! If the little one has some orthopedic problems, try and see if you CAN get a discount since you've already put time and effort into him. From what I've heard and even seen, blueys heal fast and can get around on damaged limbs.

Good job on being such a bluey helper!