BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello there!

First, thank you for having me in this forum! I am in LOVE with BTS and am looking to buy one!

A little about me, I currently own a box turtle, Pacman frog, hermit crabs, and a crested gecko. I have done my research on what beach particular species needs care wise & I would love to add a skink to my bunch, but I cannot seem to find any near where I live.

I met a guy at a reptile expo this weekend who is selling two adults. The first one is said to be a Northern or Eastern, and the second is an Indonesian. I don't know my skink types, so I'm really confused here. He said that his grandchildren both play with them daily and never have any issues. They are both very tame. I am wondering:

1.) Is this species identification correct?
2.) When choosing, is one a better pick than the other? (I was leaning more toward the first, but...)
3.) He is wanting $350 for each. Good price or should I look elsewhere? I really don't know what a good price range is for them!

Thank you guys so much! I am so glad I ran across this forum!

The first one definitely isn’t an eastern. Most likely an Irian jaya.

Y33T wrote:The first one definitely isn’t an eastern. Most likely an Irian jaya.

Oh my! That makes me nervous. I'm not familiar with that type at all.... However, the owner said he is very tame & docile, and you can do whatever you want with him, so that's good! I'm not picky on species at all, but I would like to know the exact, just so I can do my proper research.

Thanks for your response! It's much appreciated.

The first one appears to be a hybrid, possibly a cross between a northern and an Indonesian species. Or could be IJ. Second one is Halmahera (Indonesian, needs extreme humidity.) Crossing species is a big no-no, and his prices are a bit high. And the fact he is saying northern or eastern?? I'd buy somewhere else.

splashy07 wrote:The first one appears to be a hybrid, possibly a cross between a northern and an Indonesian species. Or could be IJ. Second one is Halmahera (Indonesian, needs extreme humidity.) Crossing species is a big no-no, and his prices are a bit high. And the fact he is saying northern or eastern?? I'd buy somewhere else.

Thank you so much for your response! I actually was VERY fortunate & ran across some Northern babies, & I purchased them from the breeder instead!