New here and some questions

[jskinner]

Hi,
My name is John. I have been lurking on this amazing forum since about August and finally decided to make an account as I have been considering a Blue Tongue for my next reptile. I have had other reptiles but something has always drawn me to BTS. So as a newbie I of course had a few questions for you fellow reptile enthusiasts to answer.I have read over the care sheet probably 20 times and I have always known if I needed additional advice to join the forum so I finally did. So here are my questions:
-I am interested in a Northern because I like the look and personality they have, so my questions will pertain mostly to this species.

1. A friend of mine is selling a 6'x2'x2' melamine reptile enclosure equipped with an incandescent and florescent light fixture and I was wondering if anyone uses melamine for their cage and if they have any issues.

2. I plan to use a cypress mulch substrate and I wanted to know if this is good for northerns? I like the look better than Aspen and I have heard Aspen dries out their bellies. 

3. Also, I am worried if I get the cypress from a Home Improvement store that it might contain some mites or something else that could harm my skink? How would I go about getting rid of them even for just peace of mind? Freezing it?

4. I know that it is normal for skinks to burrow for days at a time. How often do they do this? I know it depends on the animal but in general.

Thank you for bearing through my post, lol I know it is kind of long. I am sure I will think of more questions later. XD

[Katrina]

Welcome!! Don't worry about the length of post, they are good questions and you are doing your research before getting a bluey - that is great. We don't mind answering any questions you have.

1. Melamine is fine, sounds like a good enclosure.
2. Cypress is great, I also like the look better. It should work fine, it depends on how humid your climate is, but if you aren't in a very humid area it should be fine.
3. Reptile mites are host specific - you won't get mites from a Home Improvement store, luckily, but you might get other bugs in there. Freezing or baking in the oven would work fine to get rid of anything that might be in there.
4. I've found that newer acquisitions and younger ones burrow / hide a lot more. They are curious creatures and so once you can convince them that they are safe and that everything is fine, they are much more likely to hang out in the open. I try to make sure they feel safe by providing lots of hides and bothering them minimally until they are awake and out in the open. If you get a captive bred Northern you shouldn't have too many issues, it is more likely the wild caught ones that will be difficult to tame. Like you said - it does depend on the individual animal. My first ever BTS is a Merauke that was always very hidey and secretive, he would run when we entered the room (we got him when he was 6 weeks old). He is now 4.5 and just in the last year he has become very unafraid and is always out and watching, and doesn't mind being touched or held. I'm not sure what finally changed, but it took quite a while. All my others were much quicker to trust us.

[jskinner]

thankyou for the warm welcome, Katrina! That is what I thought about the cypress. Ofcourse I thought of another question...For babies, do you keep them on cypress or would they ingest the substrate? Do you ever have issues with the skinks ingesting substrate?

[WanderingChai]

For babies, do you keep them on cypress or would they ingest the substrate? Do you ever have issues with the skinks ingesting substrate?

If you feed them outside of their tank(I think most of us do) or at least on a plate, you shouldn't have to worry.

[jskinner]

Thank you, WanderingChai

[WanderingChai]

No problem.

[Katrina]

I just feed on large plates, but in the enclosure. I don't have any issues with them ingesting substrate - I use bigger plastic tupperware lids, then just put them in the dishwasher after. Either way works fine, they are pretty good about not eating substrate.

Babies can be on paper towel for a bit until you are sure they are pooping, but there isn't any harm to putting them on substrate right away. They are basically miniature adults, so care is similar and they are also quite hardy / easy to care for.

[A.VinczeBTs]

My girl will get aspen in her mouth, never eats it, ever. Just works the food down and spits the aspen out.

However I put some paper towel under the area now just because of the mess. I doubt if I didn't have the towel though that she'd accidentally ingest aspen, she's pretty good at not eating it because it tastes like you know....not food. D:
Nothing wrong with making sure though by putting a towel over the area or a paper plate like Katrina.

[SFBlueTongue81]

Hey welcome!
I'm from the same situation; I've had many different reptiles since I was a kid (Ball Pythons, corn snakes, iguana, leopard geckos, Rainbow Boa) I've always wanted a BTS and just got my first one a Northern about a month ago.
I can tell you these guys are so different than any other reptile I've had! Lot's of personality, and a lot more fun!!
My understanding of Melamine is that it's just plastic so that shouldn't be an issue.
I've been using Cypress mulch and I really like it, It can hold just enough humidity to keep 20-30%, looks great, and still easy for BTS to burrow into. If you buy from Supply store, freeze, bake, or my favorite nuke for a min in Microwave because it's so fast, that should kill any eggs/bugs ect. Some people freak out about the Microwave, but hey I make my oatmeal in it everyday and I'm not dead yet.
Mine really hasn't burrowed down for a week or so, it'll make some tracks dig under the plants, or hide in the leaves, but he really likes his bark hide and spends 90% of his hiding time there. On another interesting note I've noticed as soon as the lights go off in the tank I'll walk by and can see his little eyes shut and fast asleep under his hide. Or as soon as the lights go off I hear him digging down like "Ok i'm outta here" but he comes back out when the lights go on in the morning. :-)

[jskinner]

Thank you everyone for the help and advice! SFBlueTongue81, I hear you on the personality part. That is a main factor in why I would like to own one of these beautiful creatures. You can't sit and watch TV with a snake, you know what I mean?

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

You can't sit and watch TV with a snake, you know what I mean?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybPLzUpCSvI

[jskinner]

You can't sit and watch TV with a snake, you know what I mean?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybPLzUpCSvI

Haha, too funny! But still, you get my point.

[jskinner]

Another question: Do you put babies right into a full size adult enclosure or would it be too stressful? If not at what age/ size would you introduce them to the adult enclosure?

[Jeff]

Newborn babies do fine in a full sized adult enclosure. I think the easiest way to do it is to put them in their life-long enclosure right from the start.

[jskinner]

Thank you, Jeff!