Looking into owning a BTS

[HarleyK]

Hi,

I am a tortoise owner and a member on tortoiseforum.org and now checking out northern BTS specifically.

I read the care sheets and read over previous threads. A couple questions I have is:

1.) Are northern BTS just as tame as beardies? For some reason I have a hard time believing that because they look much more menacing than beardies IMO

2.) Do northern BTS make good display animals? How messy are they or how often would you have to clean the glass? I have a redfoot tort and well, it would feel stressed out in a display setup in this case.

Thanks!!

[Katrina]

Welcome!!

You could post pics of your torts in the Off Topic forum - there are others on here who own torts or else people like me who just enjoy seeing photos of them!

The tameness depends on the bluey, but if you get a baby an handle it regularly it should become just as tame as a beardie. They are very curious and easy-going lizards, although it really depends on the individual.

For display animals - I'm not entirely sure what you mean. I wouldn't put them in an all-glass enclosure, they will do better with only one glass side. But mine are kind of display animals I guess - I have nice enclosures, I enjoy decorating them and they are very visible - one of the first things you see when you come in! It depends on the bluey, but many of mine are great display animals - usually out and visible. I guess it helps having multiple blueys as there is pretty much always at least a couple up.

I have sliding glass doors on the enclosures and clean them every couple weeks or before people come over. Again - some blueys are worse than others.

[Jeff]

Hi Harley. Welcome to BTS.NET! I am a TFO member too. Like Katrina said, blue-tongues are individuals and will vary from skink to skink. In general though, if you were to get a CBB baby BTS and raise it up, it will almost certainly be just as "tame" as a beardie. Most CBB BTS are as tame as a beardie regardless of how they are raised, but on rare occasion you run into one with a little more attitude. That is the main difference between the behavior of the two species in my opinion. You will almost never find a grumpy beardie. At the same time I think beardies are no where as interesting as BTS to keep.

Most BTS make great "display" animals if you are referring to how messy they are. Again, once in awhile you will find one that seems to enjoy making a mess, but I wouldn't consider it moreso than a beardie. Some do spend a lot of time hiding, but if you design your enclosure well, it will be attractive even if the skink is hiding.

If you are looking for a medium size lizard to keep as a pet, I would definitely rank BTS at the top of the list. I have kept MANY species of reptiles over the years, and BTS are by far my favorite.

Good luck with your research!

[HarleyK]

Thanks for the replies Katrina and Jeff. I recognize you JeffG from TFO...I actually read one of Tom's posts there and he talked about his experience with the one he bought from you (if you are the same Jeff).

Anyhow that's good to hear. By display I was wondering if they would do well in an all glass aquarium with a mesh lid? And I actually don't mind if they hide, but are they super messy as in rub-feces-all-on-glass messy?

Thanks for the opinion

[Nae]

They can be kept in an all glass aquarium and mesh lid, however it is strongly recommended to cover 3 sides. This helps to keep them secure, as one that doesnt feel secure will often try escaping, be restless etc.

If you have a look at some of the past enclosure threads, you'll see that quite a few people have glass fronted enclosures, which look REALLY nice if having a nice display is important.

Except for tannies and/or keis (cant remember which , most are not particularly aggressive, so I wouldnt fret too much over being bitten once your bluey is tame~

And they certinitly dont rub their poop on the glass! (Thank god...)

Welcome to the forum!

[Linnea]

i think my skink is tamer than any beardie ive met(though its not that many), though when he is stubborn he just wont budge. love their personalities, especially their odd problem solving xD note that i bought a 1 year old and did not tame it myself. works too!

I used to not cover more than the backside of a glass terrarium, but my skink climbed a lot on the sides so i covered them. most skinks seem to not understand glass at all. putting more hides into a larger display terrarium would maybe be okay for some BTS, but they would be hiding most of the time as to not feel insecure.

my skink isnt very messy, i think that goes for most of them. i clean the tank properly whenever he sheds, and spot clean when he poops, and clean the water and food dish every time theyre used. otherwise....i just clean the sliding doors to the terrarium when there are fingerprints on them ;P

i have actually had my skink rub their poop on the glass 2 times in the 7 months ive had him, but only since they crawl on their tummies and i wasnt home to clean the tank for 2 days, both times.