Blue Tongue Skink

Killerrookie

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Hello, it's Austin and I was wondering if anyone on the forums owns a BTS and if so could I possibly see pics of their setup and them! I'm very interested and been doing research on them for a while now. Anyone have tips or anything that could help me? I plan on getting one on January 28. :)
Thanks!
 

lisa127

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I had one for over 16 years. They are awesome lizards and pretty easy to care for really. Do you have specific questions?

Unfortunately, this is the only photo on this tablet of mine. The shredded paper was being used temporarily. It is not appropriate long term. Substrate will depend on which type you get.577291_10200344782974276_1956016853_n.jpg
 

Killerrookie

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I had one for over 16 years. They are awesome lizards and pretty easy to care for really. Do you have specific questions?

Unfortunately, this is the only photo on this tablet of mine. The shredded paper was being used temporarily. It is not appropriate long term. Substrate will depend on which type you get.View attachment 195999
I just want the Northern Australian Blue Tongue Skink. I just really want to know how they should be set up in a enclosure. I've read so much saying they don't need UVB lights or no lights at all.
 

lisa127

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I just want the Northern Australian Blue Tongue Skink. I just really want to know how they should be set up in a enclosure. I've read so much saying they don't need UVB lights or no lights at all.
I've heard that as well but I always provided one. You don't need the strong 10.0 one. Just the 5.0. Leave it on 12 hours a day. I think 2 feet by 4 feet of floor space is a good size. For the northern you can use aspen shavings for bedding since they don't need the higher humidity that other types need. Though a humid hide is a good idea. They love to burrow into the bedding so make it deep enough for that. Temps in the 70s with a basking spot around 95 is good. Nights can go down to about 70. They are omnivores. Greens/veggies and some fruit can be half the diet. The other half protein. Bugs and nightcrawlers, cooked eggs, cooked plain chicken, high quality dog food. Live food is not required though.
 

Nicole M

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I've had a rough few months and have been pretty absent from the forum--but hello! I have ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1483215434.109245.jpga Northern from Jeff Greene ( @JeffG ) and absolutely love mine! If you're planning to get a baby, you'll pretty much have to wait until summer (June/July) for babies to be sold. I highly recommend Jeff as a breeder. My experience with him has been amazing, and he still answers my questions even months down the line. He genuinely cares about his animals and is extremely knowledgeable. His website is btskinks.com (but like I said, it will be months before babies are available).

As for setups and care, this is the absolute best caresheet you'll find online (I only wish every reptile had such a good care guide!): http://bluetongueskinks.net/care.htm (you'll find a very helpful diet chart here: http://bluetongueskinks.net/foodchart.html)

I also recommend the blue tongue skink forums (there's a lot of info there, as well as some species-specific care sheets), "Blue Tongue Skink Keepers" facebook group, and if you're located in the USA, you might want to keep an eye on the "Blue Tongue Skink Classifieds: USA" facebook group for sales.

Here's a (not so great) picture of my setup--my Northern Pleakley is only 6 months old right now. I got Pleakley at 1 month old, only 6.5" and 33g... Now he/she is 16.5" and 466g! They grow FAST, so keep that in mind when setting up. Because of that, I recommend just getting the adult enclosure right off the bat--just make sure to provide plenty of hides!

The enclosure is a 40g breeder (36" long x 18" wide x 17" high), but I'll upgrade to something even larger when Pleakley's an adult. I live in an area that's relatively humid, so I'm using aspen for substrate and have no problems (you can't really tell from the photo, but the substrate is 4-5" deep for burrowing). That said,ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1483215555.535688.jpg I replace one of the cork flats with a Tupperware humid hide full of moist sphagnum every time Pleakley's getting ready to shed. I'd recommend doing that regardless of what substrate you use, but especially if you use something moisture-sucking like aspen. BTS have very delicate toes and often lose them due to construction from stuck shed. As a little baby, Pleakley had one rough shed--while there was no stuck shed on the toes, two of them ended up very irritated and swollen because he/she had difficulty removing the shed and probably got too rough. Since then, I've used a humid hide every shed and have found four perfectly shed gloves every time! And northerns tolerate a wide range of humidity, so it won't harm them (just make sure to keep the humid hide of the warm end of the enclosure).

The water dish in the enclosure is kind of obscured by a plant, but it's in there. The basking tile is actually a slate cheese tray and it currently attacked to a box to keep it above the substrate (just until I can get some PVC and make a little platform for it). For lighting, I have a 100 watt MVB bulb on the hot end (most people say that calcium w/ D3 supplements are enough for BTS, but I personally prefer to provide UVB).

PHEW! That was a long post... but hopefully helpful! As a bonus, here's a picture of Pleakley's half-birthday celebration this month. :)
 

Nicole M

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Oh boy--the placement of those photos appear messed up on my phone... alas.
 

lisa127

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I used to belong to the blue tongue skink forums Nicole talks about above (not the fb group). Very good forums and Jeff is a good breeder to check out.
 

Killerrookie

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I used to belong to the blue tongue skink forums Nicole talks about above (not the fb group). Very good forums and Jeff is a good breeder to check out.
Thank you also!!
I saw videos on BTS breeding and it's pretty neat.
 

Tom

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I've kept them for a few years now. As long as the food you feed contains D3, you shouldn't need any indoor UV. I've never used it for them. I also use a calcium supplement with D3 in it a couple times a week for growing babies.

I don't like bone dry substrates like aspen shavings for any species. I use coco chips and it works great for them. I leave it a little damp under their hides, but drier on most of the surface. The coco chips are also great for burrowing and rooting around. Very safe for them.

I also use humid hides for my guys. I use a plastic tub with a lid on it and I cut out a hole in the side, just big enough for the lizard to fit through. I use damp coco coir inside and the lizards like to hang out in there regularly. Using this method and the lightly dampened substrate gave me flawless sheds even in my dry climate.

These are a great species. I'll bet you will like it better than any other reptile you've ever had. Their personalities are amazing.

Here is a thread I did on one of mine a few years back.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-blue-tongue-skink.30188/
 

Nicole M

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I've kept them for a few years now. As long as the food you feed contains D3, you shouldn't need any indoor UV. I've never used it for them. I also use a calcium supplement with D3 in it a couple times a week for growing babies.

I don't like bone dry substrates like aspen shavings for any species. I use coco chips and it works great for them. I leave it a little damp under their hides, but drier on most of the surface. The coco chips are also great for burrowing and rooting around. Very safe for them.

I also use humid hides for my guys. I use a plastic tub with a lid on it and I cut out a hole in the side, just big enough for the lizard to fit through. I use damp coco coir inside and the lizards like to hang out in there regularly. Using this method and the lightly dampened substrate gave me flawless sheds even in my dry climate.

These are a great species. I'll bet you will like it better than any other reptile you've ever had. Their personalities are amazing.

Here is a thread I did on one of mine a few years back.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-blue-tongue-skink.30188/
I agree re: bone dry substrates. I bought aspen mainly because it would be easy for a baby to burrow in, but as soon as I'm done with this bag I'll be switching over to something that holds moisture better. I worry about the sustainability of cypress mulch, though. I'll check out the coco chips! Do you mind if I ask where you find yours and if there are any brands you prefer?
 

Killerrookie

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I have organic potting soil, Reptibark, and Cypress mulch on hand. I figured any of these would do and thanks Tom.
 

lisa127

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I have organic potting soil, Reptibark, and Cypress mulch on hand. I figured any of these would do and thanks Tom.
I've looked into coco chips myself and found that reptile basics has a huge amount for a good price if you want to check it out.
 

Killerrookie

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I've looked into coco chips myself and found that reptile basics has a huge amount for a good price if you want to check it out.
I don't mind buying more substrate it's just I have so much that I haven't used.
 

cmacusa3

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I've looked into coco chips myself and found that reptile basics has a huge amount for a good price if you want to check it out.
I've found these to work pretty well
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1483235779.089139.jpg
 

Oogway the russian tort

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I'm not an expert on its but I've seen people use the rabbit hutches on wheels. This can only be used outside if our weather tolerates the bts
 

Killerrookie

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Yeah I've seen people house them in those and it's unique.
I'm curious about one thing tho! What kind of reptile or Amphibian can I house in my 20 gallon tank?
 

Oogway the russian tort

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Yeah I've seen people house them in those and it's unique.
I'm curious about one thing tho! What kind of reptile or Amphibian can I house in my 20 gallon tank?
I have some firebelly newts but I m sure u can store like salamanders and other newts they are easy to take care of and basically eat worms i mean those r the ones I would have in a 20gallon
 
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