Everything I NEED to know before getting a BTS?

[spyrothedragon]

This is a pretty intense post with a LOT of questions, I get that, but maybe people have different answers for different questions, so I might as well get it all out here now (plus I split them into categories to make it easier to scroll to answers you may know). I had a gecko many years ago so I'm kind of without a ton of experience with lizards and want to learn. I have never had a BTS, but over the last few months I've fallen in love with them. I moved from Michigan to NYC and my turtle and cat are still with my grandparents and will eventually move in with me, too! But for now my girlfriend and I are both very lonely without our pets and had considered getting a bearded dragon, but then stumbled across the BTS and knew this would be the best choice for the new addition to our family!

I've spoken to multiple breeders in the east coast area, all seem promising. BTS are going at $325-350 on average? This is normal, yes?

One of my favorite actresses has a BTS, which is where I initially discovered them and then went on to do a lot of my own research and I think she has a Northern... I've been reading how sociable they can be/enjoy being scratched/etc, so my heart was really set on a Northern opposed to a Merauke. That being said, another breeder in the area seems lovely, as well and sells Meraukes... SO... here are my BTS questions, so I can have the info I need before I make my choice!

1. Personalities: Difference in comparison to Meraukes from Northerns? Can you still train Meraukes to be sociable/held/let them wander around outside of their terrarium and non-aggressive? Which one is the better first skink pet and why?

2. Diets: How much am I meant to be feeding my baby when I get her? So many people say that (as well as turtles) you should feed as much as they can eat in one sitting. Well, my turtle can just go on eating and eating and eating and really never seems to get full, so I find I have to find some kind of balance. I want to make sure I'm not overfeeding... so just a guesstimate would be nice? Additionally, I know they eat a variety of foods... but is it okay to JUST give dog food one day and JUST give fruit another or mealworms etc. how much dog food? Split the can in half or...? Should I be getting them all their food sources at one time? How long should I be feeding my baby daily until I should switch to once a week, and should I transition slowly?

3. Terrariums and lighting: I saw 40 gall. at minimum, and 90 wattage heat bulb? Do they benefit from a UV bulb ray, as well, (my turtle does), and will the other unheated side of the terrarium affect them or make them sick without the extra light? What kind of padding is best for the ground of the terrarium and how often to clean it? Best/most efficient/cheapest websites to purchase terrariums? PetSmart goes for about $200 includes lights etc, and I was wondering if there is a cheaper reptile site?

4. Parasites: I worry about parasites in my baby, as I have no experience with this in ANY of the many animals I've had in the past. Obviously no one wants to get their lizard infested and ill. Best way to really scope out the best breeders and ensure they're being honest with the lizards they're giving you? The signs to KNOW if your BTS may have them and needs a trip to the vet? Does this require surgery?

5. Vets: I very rarely took my turtle to the vet because many said they wouldn't take reptiles. Should check ups be required for BTS, or only if they get sick?

6. "Underground Reptiles" and other breeders: Underground Reptiles seems potentially like a sketchy site as I've been on the hunt for my lizard, but I wanted to know if anyone has had experience buying from them and if maybe they actually do a good job? If not, as I mentioned, I do have a few breeders in the NYC area in mind, but I was wondering if anyone else had some additional names to pass my way?

7. Water: Some seem to like to swim... would it be okay to get maybe a large bowl or something to let them swim around for awhile or is that a no go?

8. Training to relax: I would really love to have a skink I can handle and let roam around freely without being anxious or aggressive. I've been reading you should let them settle in for a couple of weeks, then handle 10-15 minutes daily for awhile until they calm down? Any other pointers? How long is it OK to leave them out of their terrarium and roaming around?

9. Cats and other pets: As I mentioned, my cat will be coming home to us eventually. It may be six months, eight, or a year. How to introduce these animals gently to let my cat get comfortable with her as another pet, and train him to NOT think of her as prey? Does anyone experience doing this with cats or dog? I don't want to let her roam around my apartment worried my cats going to pounce on her. (I'd be keeping a watching eye, but still)

I know that was a lot, but I think that's all I have right now. I'll be sure to make a new forum if I find I have more questions. Really ANY info would be helpful. I want to ensure she has a long and happy life with us, so I feel it's better to ask questions than to sit in the dark, especially from all of you who are likely very educated in the skink field.

Thank you so much!

~Brittany

[Hamish]

Hi Brittany,

I'm pretty new to BTS keeping so i don't know all the answers but ill have a go at a few:
For the diet Bluetongueskinks.net's food chart has pretty much everything on it so i would go there for guidance.
To be more sure that you lizard doesn't have parasites; check how them and their parents are being kept and make sure that you are getting a captive bred lizard. Your lizard will definitely be captive bred if it is a northern because of the export laws in Australia so not really a worry.
Some skinks do like to soak in their water dish when they are in shed so a water dish that they could fit in would be good.
I also have a cat and a dog. I have trained my dog not to not attack the lizard which was pretty easy because i just would tell him to go on his bed and ten said NO whenever he tried to go to the lizard and he got the idea after a while. I would never, however, trust my cat with my lizard. in my opinion cats are just too unpredictable and i don't want to risk any harm coming to my lizard. this comes down to personal preference though.
I hope this helped,

Hamish

[kingofnobbys]

This is a pretty intense post with a LOT of questions, I get that, but maybe people have different answers for different questions, so I might as well get it all out here now (plus I split them into categories to make it easier to scroll to answers you may know). I had a gecko many years ago so I'm kind of without a ton of experience with lizards and want to learn. I have never had a BTS, but over the last few months I've fallen in love with them. I moved from Michigan to NYC and my turtle and cat are still with my grandparents and will eventually move in with me, too! But for now my girlfriend and I are both very lonely without our pets and had considered getting a bearded dragon, but then stumbled across the BTS and knew this would be the best choice for the new addition to our family!

I've spoken to multiple breeders in the east coast area, all seem promising. BTS are going at $325-350 on average? This is normal, yes?

One of my favorite actresses has a BTS, which is where I initially discovered them and then went on to do a lot of my own research and I think she has a Northern... I've been reading how sociable they can be/enjoy being scratched/etc, so my heart was really set on a Northern opposed to a Merauke. That being said, another breeder in the area seems lovely, as well and sells Meraukes... SO... here are my BTS questions, so I can have the info I need before I make my choice!
1. Personalities: Difference in comparison to Meraukes from Northerns? Can you still train Meraukes to be sociable/held/let them wander around outside of their terrarium and non-aggressive? Which one is the better first skink pet and why?
Can't comment on Indonesian BTs , but my experience is every skink has it's own personality and a lot of how tame they are is in the rearing , and if it's skittish / aggressive there is a strong chance it's
>> either been wild caught and illegally trafficked
>> nor been interacted with if captive bred
>> been abused by a previous keeper
>> is sick

I've tamed rescued (injured) wild skinks and been very successful at getting them to become very relaxed and even affectionate , it's a matter earning it's trust and being very patient and gentle with it.


2. Diets: How much am I meant to be feeding my baby when I get her? So many people say that (as well as turtles) you should feed as much as they can eat in one sitting. Well, my turtle can just go on eating and eating and eating and really never seems to get full, so I find I have to find some kind of balance. I want to make sure I'm not overfeeding... so just a guesstimate would be nice? Additionally, I know they eat a variety of foods... but is it okay to JUST give dog food one day and JUST give fruit another or mealworms etc. how much dog food? Split the can in half or...? Should I be getting them all their food sources at one time? How long should I be feeding my baby daily until I should switch to once a week, and should I transition slowly?
>>> my 1p , and my OPINION , some here will disagree .
Mealworms and superworms are treats ONLY.
Best feeder insects for baby / juvenile are
>> BSFL
>> silkworms
>> crickets
>> roaches
>> locusts
>> garden snails (but be careful they are poison and parasite free)
I fed my baby / juvenile BTs twice per day (as many insects as they wanted) , and gave grated veg and softened VetaFarm Lizard pellets. I occasionally gave soft / hard boiled eggs , and sometimes gave boiled lean chicken mince and banana was a treat.
I never give my skinks dog food. They don't get this the wild , and the proteins and fats are wrong.


3. Terrariums and lighting: I saw 40 gall. at minimum, and 90 wattage heat bulb? Do they benefit from a UV bulb ray, as well, (my turtle does), and will the other unheated side of the terrarium affect them or make them sick without the extra light? What kind of padding is best for the ground of the terrarium and how often to clean it? Best/most efficient/cheapest websites to purchase terrariums? PetSmart goes for about $200 includes lights etc, and I was wondering if there is a cheaper reptile site?
<<< please don't buy a kit from PetSmart, buy the lighting , the viv, the substrate all separately to conform to the Care Sheet for the species of skink you will be buying. Make sure the temperatures and tank humidity are all correct before you bring the skink home.

4. Parasites: I worry about parasites in my baby, as I have no experience with this in ANY of the many animals I've had in the past. Obviously no one wants to get their lizard infested and ill. Best way to really scope out the best breeders and ensure they're being honest with the lizards they're giving you? The signs to KNOW if your BTS may have them and needs a trip to the vet? Does this require surgery?

5. Vets: I very rarely took my turtle to the vet because many said they wouldn't take reptiles. Should check ups be required for BTS, or only if they get sick?
<<< locate a local REPTILE VET , not an exotics pet or general pet. Make sure they are experienced with the species of skink you are getting. Some recommend a health check ASAP and then annually.


6. "Underground Reptiles" and other breeders: Underground Reptiles seems potentially like a sketchy site as I've been on the hunt for my lizard, but I wanted to know if anyone has had experience buying from them and if maybe they actually do a good job? If not, as I mentioned, I do have a few breeders in the NYC area in mind, but I was wondering if anyone else had some additional names to pass my way?
<<< don't buy from a pet shop.
<<< don't buy from a bulk lizard farmer.
<<< find a local hobbyist who happens to have a couple of breeding pairs or small breeding group , you'll get a better specimen and can view the parents of the skink you are interested. It will likely be more used to human contact and in much better health.

7. Water: Some seem to like to swim... would it be okay to get maybe a large bowl or something to let them swim around for awhile or is that a no go?
<<< keep the water very shallow , BTs have been known to down in water dishes that have deep water in them and they were unable to get out of.

8. Training to relax: I would really love to have a skink I can handle and let roam around freely without being anxious or aggressive. I've been reading you should let them settle in for a couple of weeks, then handle 10-15 minutes daily for awhile until they calm down? Any other pointers? How long is it OK to leave them out of their terrarium and roaming around?

9. Cats and other pets: As I mentioned, my cat will be coming home to us eventually. It may be six months, eight, or a year. How to introduce these animals gently to let my cat get comfortable with her as another pet, and train him to NOT think of her as prey? Does anyone experience doing this with cats or dog? I don't want to let her roam around my apartment worried my cats going to pounce on her. (I'd be keeping a watching eye, but still)
<<<< CATS .... they must NEVER EVER have access to the skink or even the room the skink is in , the result will be very bad for the skink. Please don't let UTUBE vids people claiming their cat and lizard are pals fool you. (These people are at the best deluded.)
<<<< dogs , can be trained to not attack the skink. BE VERY CAREFUL wrt dog's access to the skink.

I know that was a lot, but I think that's all I have right now. I'll be sure to make a new forum if I find I have more questions. Really ANY info would be helpful. I want to ensure she has a long and happy life with us, so I feel it's better to ask questions than to sit in the dark, especially from all of you who are likely very educated in the skink field.

Thank you so much!

~Brittany

[Y33T]

for diets i too would recommend you to look at bluetongueskinks.net's food chart.

blue tongues don't "swim" but like to soak in their water bowl. they need a large, shallow bowl so they don't drown. some blueys don't ever soak so having a large bowl would be a waste of space.

introducing cats and other animals is a VERY bad idea, putting a lizard with a larger animal will cause stress because cats and dogs are predators. cats are by far more dangerous to reptiles because of how quick and unpredictable they are. their claws carry bacteria and one scratch can quickly kill a lizard. i have 2 cats and i never trust them near any of my skinks. especially after one of them somehow dragged one of my easterns out and cornered him, scared for his life, this happened the day after i brought him home. i'm glad i saved him before my cat decides to rip his legs off and watch him suffer like he does to the crickets. if you ever let your bluey out freeroaming, lock your cat up in another room. its better safe than sorry.

[AshleeTheShort]

My cats are as calm and lazy as can be, and I still don’t trust them. They can be in the same room, if Duncan (my bluey) is secure in her enclosure. However, if I am taking her out, I lock them out of the room. They honestly don’t pay her too much attention—that takes too much energy. She seems to like observing them though. Well, if they are doing anything.

A side note, I also advise to keep an eye out for mites. I picked them up recently from somewhere (possibly a reptile expo). They are a complete pain and make for a very miserable skink. I feel so terrible still.

[splashy07]

Cats are a natural predator of reptiles. Feral cats kill thousands of them, it is their nature. If you are planning on a glass aquarium with a light on top that's another danger, cats like the warm area and can knock off the light and start a fire. 40+ years of reptile keeping I've heard all kinds of horror stories. If you plan on buying from a pet shop or expo, expect your animal to have been imported and an immediate vet check/fecal exam would be a good idea. Many imports come in with mites, even if treated by the pet shop they often re-appear. They are the nemesis of reptile keepers. Also many shops advertise as 'captive born' which is by no means captive bred. Gravid females are collected in the wild and imported, so it is then said that the babies are captive born. Also beware of mis-representation, species being labelled as something more desireable. To the uneducated, 'blue tongue skink' is a generic term meaning all of them. If the shop says they're from a breeder, get the name and contact the breeder. I've seen hundreds of Meraukes and Irian Jayas (Indonesian imports) being labelled and sold as Northerns, which are always captive bred and born as Australia hasn't exported since the mid 70's. Do your homework, know what you are getting.

[FluffySkink]

I don't even own a skink yet, but I wouldn't let an animal that small free roam without supervision. You said you wanted it to have free range of the apartment. There are soooo many small places it could hide and get lost or stuck. I really recommend only having it out when you are supervising it.

[splashy07]

And do you keep your apartment at 95 degrees?