Merauke or Halmahera?

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Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Classy » Sun Dec 17, 2017 9:59 am

Both of these I could get my hands on to, but I'm just wondering which one I should choose. I want a friendly one also, so if one is more friendly than the other that would be nice to know. I currently have a 40 gallon breeder and will upgrade when the time comes. Thanks!
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Tokkay » Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:06 am

I believe they're both very similar in terms of heating/humidity needs, and I've never personally kept those species but I think their temperaments are usually pretty similar as well. In the US you'll probably see a lot of wild caught ones for sale, but if you want a friendlier one you may want to seek out captive bred skinks if you're able to find any.

I've read before that Meraukes can grow bigger than Halmahera skinks, but I'm not 100% sure on that.
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby xxmonitorlizardxx » Sun Dec 17, 2017 12:05 pm

I'm particularly fond of Meraukes myself :)
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Janella » Sun Dec 17, 2017 3:14 pm

Meruake all the way. My Noodles is the sweetest lizard on the earth. My 4 and 2 year old can handle him while I watch over him closely. Hamalera can be a a little bit more temperamental as far as I have read and been told.
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Janella » Sun Dec 17, 2017 3:14 pm

Meruake all the way. My Noodles is the sweetest lizard on the earth. My 4 and 2 year old can handle him while I watch over him closely. Hamalera can be a a little bit more temperamental as far as I have read and been told.
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Classy » Mon Dec 18, 2017 7:19 am

Thanks so much everyone! I have everything set up, but I was just wondering, do I need a heat mat under the enclosure? I have a heat lamp and UVB, but I've kept many reptiles before and never used one. Also, humidity is about 50%, will that do for a Merauke?
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby splashy07 » Mon Dec 18, 2017 7:46 am

I've had both a few years back, and did not see any difference in temperament/personality. Had a Merauke and 2 Halys. Have since gone all Aussie but
never had issues with the Gigas. One of my Halys reached 23 inches! Merauke not far behind, their long tails add to their length and desireable look. Unfortunately either type would more than likely be imported, necessitating an immediate vet visit after purchase to rule out any type of parasite or disorder. As previously mentioned, you may want to seek out a reputable breeder (many are mis-represented as 'captive bred' and even incorrectly identified as a species.) Not a heck of a lot of Merauke breeders out there, buy many of us, myself included, breed Northerns and babies become available in spring/summer. You will have absolutely NO issues with a Northern. From what I have heard, Halmaheras are about the most difficult with their humidity issues, but I did not have problems with them. The Halmahera Islands are quite humid, equivalent to I would surmise our Key West. If you can maintain that humidity, you'd be fine. (70-80+) Best of luck whatever you choose, and never hesitate to ask for advice.
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby ReptiFiles » Mon Dec 18, 2017 10:29 am

Tokkay wrote:I believe they're both very similar in terms of heating/humidity needs, and I've never personally kept those species but I think their temperaments are usually pretty similar as well.


Halmaheras actually need the highest humidity levels of all blue tongue skink species — consistent 80% minimum.

In my experience and based on what I've observed, Meraukes have sweeter personalities than Halmaheras, especially if you can find one captive-bred. No guarantees, though; I've had my Merauke for 2 years and he doesn't particularly care for my existence. We've reached an agreement: if I give him food, keep his water dish clean, let him free-roam at least 1x/week, and do interesting things that he can watch, he will let me touch him and pick him up, although he has made it clear that he doesn't enjoy the experience. :lol:

Northerns tend to have more consistently "friendly" dispositions, comparable to a bearded dragon. They're also easier to care for, due to lower humidity needs.

Classy wrote:Thanks so much everyone! I have everything set up, but I was just wondering, do I need a heat mat under the enclosure? I have a heat lamp and UVB, but I've kept many reptiles before and never used one. Also, humidity is about 50%, will that do for a Merauke?


If your temps get lower than 70 on the cool side, a heat mat would be advisable — as long as you use a thermostat (not thermometer) to control how hot it gets. Setting it to 75 degrees should be perfect.

As for humidity, Meraukes need humidity between 60-80%. 60% can be fine on average, but when they're preparing to shed, humidity will need to be consistently higher.

I would recommend reading through this care guide to make sure you have your enclosure ready for the new addition: https://www.reptifiles.com/blue-tongue- ... are-sheet/.
Mariah Healey
Author of ReptiFiles.com, a free online educational resource for reptile owners
Check out my research on captive husbandry for BTS: https://www.reptifiles.com/blue-tongue-skink-care-sheet/
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Classy » Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:04 pm

Thank you so much, everyone! I got a captive bred/born Merauke from snakes at sunset. He/she will come tomorrow, I can't wait. I've watched a lot of care guides on them and I'm pretty sure I'm ready. I just have one question. For feeding, I have a ton of roaches/crickets for my chameleon and bearded dragon. I've read that you could use dog food for blue tongue skinks, is that correct? I've heard about people using blue buffalo, but I was wondering, wet or dry dog food or insects? I'd add veggies too he/she's diet too, but for the meat.
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Janella » Mon Dec 18, 2017 5:59 pm

Congratulations on your new skink to come. Make sure to post pictures. As far as diet goes, be sure to follow the diet chart on this forum. They need 50% protein source, 40% veggie source, and 10% fruit source. My skinks like meat source of Natural Balance canned dog food (Gobbler Cobbler or Chow Down Chowder), lean ground turkey, quail, chicken hearts/gizzards, eggs, and snails. Only one of my skinks likes to eat live food. He goes absolutely nuts for roaches and horn worms. I personally don't feed crickets, because they aren't that high of a protein source. I hope that helps. Remember we are her to help if you have any more questions. :-)
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Classy » Mon Dec 18, 2017 6:54 pm

IMG_0031.JPG
IMG_0034.JPG

Here is the food I bought. Also, here is a pic of my enclosure.
image.jpg

A thermometer is in there right now, I'll take it out once he or she comes.
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Janella » Mon Dec 18, 2017 7:18 pm

Instinct is a good food. Do you have a large water bowl to add in the enclosure? What about other things for it to hide under? What substrate is that?
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Classy » Mon Dec 18, 2017 7:26 pm

The photo got cut off but yes, there is a pretty big sized water bowl in there. For substrate that is cypress mulch. Where should I add another thing for him, I have another one that I used for my tortoises.
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Classy » Mon Dec 18, 2017 7:27 pm

Also, what bulb do you use? I have a 100w.
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby Tokkay » Mon Dec 18, 2017 7:52 pm

I also use Instinct brand dog food! Just make sure you mix it with a variety of greens and veggies + some fruit occasionally. Instinct dog food is a great brand but most of their food is 95% protein, so they need a good amount of veggies added to it as well. I mix a big batch up at once and freeze weekly meals for my skinks. I also personally like to use the rabbit and chicken varieties of Instinct dog food to mix it up a little.

And you could add more hides to your cage but skinks also love to burrow, so you could try leaf litter too. Josh's Frogs is a good website and usually has some cheap leaf litter you could order if you're interested. Give them lots of burrowing/hiding options and they'll be happy. My skinks seem to prefer more enclosed hides than the double open-ended logs. More sheltered feeling, I suppose?

For heat it's mostly going to depend on what temperatures you're getting. Try the 100w and measure your temperatures; if they're too low you can increase to a 150w and measure again.
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Re: Merauke or Halmahera?

Postby ReptiFiles » Tue Dec 19, 2017 9:54 am

How old is your new skink? Juveniles under 2 years old need a higher protein diet to facilitate the rapid growth that occurs during this time, so you're looking at 70-80% protein and 20-30% vegetables, with fruit as an occasional treat. Cat food works best with juveniles. Adults can do 50-60% protein with dog food.
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