BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hey everybody

I've been considering buying a eastern BTS and I may go ahead with it but I'm too sure if my dad will be all too thrilled Besides what I already knew, I read every single word of the care guide on this site to make sure there was nothing I missed

Anywho the ones I'm looking at are at PetSmart. I only want one though because I can only get the setup for one. I know theres a lot of potential problems with a pet store BTS but I can guarantee the skinks there are taken care of amazingly well, mainly because I'm the one that takes care of them ( I work in Petsmart in the Specialty department )

I was considering taking one home because I love them soo much and I've grown attached. I take care of them everyday at work anyways so doing it at home would'nt be much different, except that I have to pay for everything! and I would have a lot more time to devote to them.

We have one on the sales floor who is perfectly healthy and we have one in the back that was taken to the vet on PetSmarts tab because he was'nt pooping at all. He got some special food to get him back up to speed ( He got malnourished because he wasn't eating because he wasn't pooping ) and he finally started pooping again so all is well. I took him and gave him a nice soaking in shallow warm water to help with his shedding and pooping,just to make sure everything is running okay.

I may take the one that was malnourished because I may be able to "adopt" him for free since he was sick as opposed to the $169.00 otherwise. Chances are though that I'll have to pay regardless but I'm okay with that. At least I get a 15% discount

Only problem is that I swear they're both cat food addicts I tried some lettuce and other greens today and they ate a little but not as much. I then put some cat food in to see if they just weren't hungry and it was half eaten within a few minutes

Anywho I'll be doing a lot of reading too. It is nice to enjoy BTS on somebody else's tab though If anybody has any PetSmart related questions just ask or send me a PM

WOW! holy long post full of smilies batman.



Remember the number 1 rule when you do get one: PICTURES ARE THE LAW!

Hah, yeah people say I'm a smilies addict

's OK You are not alone on here, I don't think there is any smily limit police.

try a variety of greens (although not lettuce, it has no nutritional value). From what I've read and heard, each bluey has its own likes and dislikes when it comes to food, so you may just need to keep trying until you find what they like. You still need to vary their diet, but at least you will know what they like.

Also, try blending the greens WITH the cat food to see if you can trick them into eating those veggies.

The only bummer thing about pet store blueys (other than bad care which sounds like isn't the case here) is that they're wild caught!


Welcome to the forum.

Hello, good start finding this place, blueys are the best, so dont try the rest.

You say these skinks are Easterns, which would mean they are likely not wild caught. They may still have some parasite problems from they're last home, so if you get them, get a fecal check and such done by a vet. If you're sure they're easterns though, good on ya for finding a CB skink in a pet store. I recently found a northern in a store out in Manitoba, and I'm thinking of taking him home, but he'll get a good vet visit if I do.

As for feeding, most skinks love their catfood and dislike their greens. But we know that a diet of only catfood just isn't good for them, just like crickets and lettuce aren't very good for them. I suggest starting out by offering a variety of greens and then mixing them into the catfood. Eventually lower the amount of catfood until they're getting a well-balanced diet. Don't forget they should also get other veggies and some fruits. And variety is a great thing. Just do your best and I'm sure it'll be better than what they've had before.

It is possible to get the off the cat food. It'll take a while and some patience but I've done it. The key is to chop the veggies/greens up really small so that it's really hard to pick them out. Each week or so you slowly add more veggies and less cat food. Because I wanted mine off cat food all together, I also added the meat (turkey, chicken...) that I was using. It took a while but both of my catfood junkies have been off it for almost two years and have no problem eating what the rest of the crew eats.

Fatal_S wrote:You say these skinks are Easterns, which would mean they are likely not wild caught. They may still have some parasite problems from they're last home, so if you get them, get a fecal check and such done by a vet. If you're sure they're easterns though, good on ya for finding a CB skink in a pet store. I recently found a northern in a store out in Manitoba, and I'm thinking of taking him home, but he'll get a good vet visit if I do.

As for feeding, most skinks love their catfood and dislike their greens. But we know that a diet of only catfood just isn't good for them, just like crickets and lettuce aren't very good for them. I suggest starting out by offering a variety of greens and then mixing them into the catfood. Eventually lower the amount of catfood until they're getting a well-balanced diet. Don't forget they should also get other veggies and some fruits. And variety is a great thing. Just do your best and I'm sure it'll be better than what they've had before.

That's another thing, since it's illegal to ship wild caught BTS out of Indonesia, the exporters write down the animals as "scincoides", or the eastern, which have no legal designation because they don't exist in Indonesia (besides the Tanimbar which caused a lot of confusion in Europe a while back; the story is in the bluey bible). Easterns are quite rare in the U.S and I've never heard of one being in a pet store. The only way that's possible is if someone who actually owned one sold it to PetSmart. And I don't think the biggest pet chain just buys from people off the street. I'm sure it's either an Indonesian or an IJ.

I'm not meaning to pick on you! We've just been here a long time and know how things go with the pet shops, and I feel it important to be honest and tell things simply exactly how they really are. I hope you aren't offended!

Cant wait til you get a bluey and take pictures!

f.C

Welcome..what part of jersey are you from? I worked in the Paramus and Union PetSmart's and the old Nanuet, NY ones.

welcome!! im getting my first one sooooooon!!! yay. it's a happy time.





-----Ariel

Zach wrote:That's another thing, since it's illegal to ship wild caught BTS out of Indonesia, the exporters write down the animals as "scincoides", or the eastern, which have no legal designation because they don't exist in Indonesia (besides the Tanimbar which caused a lot of confusion in Europe a while back; the story is in the bluey bible). Easterns are quite rare in the U.S and I've never heard of one being in a pet store. The only way that's possible is if someone who actually owned one sold it to PetSmart. And I don't think the biggest pet chain just buys from people off the street. I'm sure it's either an Indonesian or an IJ.

I'm not meaning to pick on you! We've just been here a long time and know how things go with the pet shops, and I feel it important to be honest and tell things simply exactly how they really are. I hope you aren't offended!

Good post, Zach.

People do occasionally sell random animals to PetSmart, but for an Eastern to be there would be a very, very, very unlikely thing.

Did you mean to say it's illegal for Indonesian species to be exported? Or is it just loosely regulated illegalities that they proceed to go through with anyway?

KW

Zach wrote:

Fatal_S wrote:You say these skinks are Easterns, which would mean they are likely not wild caught. They may still have some parasite problems from they're last home, so if you get them, get a fecal check and such done by a vet. If you're sure they're easterns though, good on ya for finding a CB skink in a pet store. I recently found a northern in a store out in Manitoba, and I'm thinking of taking him home, but he'll get a good vet visit if I do.

As for feeding, most skinks love their catfood and dislike their greens. But we know that a diet of only catfood just isn't good for them, just like crickets and lettuce aren't very good for them. I suggest starting out by offering a variety of greens and then mixing them into the catfood. Eventually lower the amount of catfood until they're getting a well-balanced diet. Don't forget they should also get other veggies and some fruits. And variety is a great thing. Just do your best and I'm sure it'll be better than what they've had before.

That's another thing, since it's illegal to ship wild caught BTS out of Indonesia, the exporters write down the animals as "scincoides", or the eastern, which have no legal designation because they don't exist in Indonesia (besides the Tanimbar which caused a lot of confusion in Europe a while back; the story is in the bluey bible). Easterns are quite rare in the U.S and I've never heard of one being in a pet store. The only way that's possible is if someone who actually owned one sold it to PetSmart. And I don't think the biggest pet chain just buys from people off the street. I'm sure it's either an Indonesian or an IJ.

I'm not meaning to pick on you! We've just been here a long time and know how things go with the pet shops, and I feel it important to be honest and tell things simply exactly how they really are. I hope you aren't offended!

Actually your'e absolutely right, I think he is indeed an Indonesian sink. Woops!

And luckily they both went for checkups to the Vet on PetSmarts tab

KyleWeiss wrote:

Zach wrote:That's another thing, since it's illegal to ship wild caught BTS out of Indonesia, the exporters write down the animals as "scincoides", or the eastern, which have no legal designation because they don't exist in Indonesia (besides the Tanimbar which caused a lot of confusion in Europe a while back; the story is in the bluey bible). Easterns are quite rare in the U.S and I've never heard of one being in a pet store. The only way that's possible is if someone who actually owned one sold it to PetSmart. And I don't think the biggest pet chain just buys from people off the street. I'm sure it's either an Indonesian or an IJ.

I'm not meaning to pick on you! We've just been here a long time and know how things go with the pet shops, and I feel it important to be honest and tell things simply exactly how they really are. I hope you aren't offended!

Good post, Zach.

People do occasionally sell random animals to PetSmart, but for an Eastern to be there would be a very, very, very unlikely thing.

Did you mean to say it's illegal for Indonesian species to be exported? Or is it just loosely regulated illegalities that they proceed to go through with anyway?

KW

Captive bred BTS can be exported from Indonesia, but wild caughts cannot. Exporters get around this by simply stating that their WC are captive bred, or they capture gravid females and wait for babies, creating in essence, a bluey baby farm. That's one of the reasons we see fairly young indos in pet stores. Pet store owners don't exactly want aged, cut up or environmentally abused BTS.

KibblesNbitz wrote:

Zach wrote:

Fatal_S wrote:You say these skinks are Easterns, which would mean they are likely not wild caught. They may still have some parasite problems from they're last home, so if you get them, get a fecal check and such done by a vet. If you're sure they're easterns though, good on ya for finding a CB skink in a pet store. I recently found a northern in a store out in Manitoba, and I'm thinking of taking him home, but he'll get a good vet visit if I do.

As for feeding, most skinks love their catfood and dislike their greens. But we know that a diet of only catfood just isn't good for them, just like crickets and lettuce aren't very good for them. I suggest starting out by offering a variety of greens and then mixing them into the catfood. Eventually lower the amount of catfood until they're getting a well-balanced diet. Don't forget they should also get other veggies and some fruits. And variety is a great thing. Just do your best and I'm sure it'll be better than what they've had before.

That's another thing, since it's illegal to ship wild caught BTS out of Indonesia, the exporters write down the animals as "scincoides", or the eastern, which have no legal designation because they don't exist in Indonesia (besides the Tanimbar which caused a lot of confusion in Europe a while back; the story is in the bluey bible). Easterns are quite rare in the U.S and I've never heard of one being in a pet store. The only way that's possible is if someone who actually owned one sold it to PetSmart. And I don't think the biggest pet chain just buys from people off the street. I'm sure it's either an Indonesian or an IJ.

I'm not meaning to pick on you! We've just been here a long time and know how things go with the pet shops, and I feel it important to be honest and tell things simply exactly how they really are. I hope you aren't offended!

Actually your'e absolutely right, I think he is indeed an Indonesian sink. Woops!

And luckily they both went for checkups to the Vet on PetSmarts tab

Heh, let us know if you find any interesting results....

So, we had a skink in the back that was a little sick and malnurished since before I got there. Problem was were moving to our new store where the cages are much smaller and theres not as much room in the sick area.

So......I'm taking him home tomorrow after work

I couldn't let him stay in the smaller cages. We have 4 big cages but they're going to be occupied by snakes so I had to do something. Plus he needed a good home so I figured I would take him. My manager is letting me adopt him. Basically means he's free to me which is fine with me because hes normally $169.00 to $200.00

Only problem is we don't have a lot of supplies in our current store because were moving to our new store on Monday. All the things I need are in the new store and I can't buy anything until it officially opens. So my manager is going to give me a 20 gallon and a water bowl and a light and all that good stuff that I can use until this Monday when I can buy everything else There's a 40 gallon terrarium that I'm looking at in the new store and when the new store opens my manager said it would be a real shame if the cage was marked as *cough* damaged *cough* and I got a 50% discount. $110 to around $50 for a 40 gallon sounds good to me

The skink is a real sweetheart and I'm so anxious for tomorrow

Your boss sounds pretty cool!
Can't wait to see pics of your new guy! How did his vet check ups go? Do you guys know what kind of illness/malnourishment he has?
be sure to post pics when you get him! Congrats!

As far as I know he just wasn't getting enough all around foods. He also has some damaged scales but I don't care about little stuff like that. He does have a beautiful design though. Black stripes and on each side of every stripe there are alternating black and white dots