trading in my fish for a blue tounge lizard

[skinkalisous]

i am highly looking at trading muy fish in for a blue tounge but there are some important things i would love to know
1 are they as easy to look after as what people say
2 what do they eat
3 what do they need in there terrium
4 how large do they grow
5 do they bite etc

any help would be greatly appeciated as im pricing one on wedsday

thanks

[Nae]

I would DEFINITELY recommend doing a considerable amount more research before jumping into picking on up as soon as Wednesday! Read through the caresheet, plus all the answers to those questions can be find by either just browsing through the forum or doing a quick search

[Linnea]

i am highly looking at trading muy fish in for a blue tounge but there are some important things i would love to know
1 are they as easy to look after as what people say
2 what do they eat
3 what do they need in there terrium
4 how large do they grow
5 do they bite etc

any help would be greatly appeciated as im pricing one on wedsday

thanks

please read the caresheet. pretty please. and dont rush into this when you know so very little, we will definitely help you with them, but those questions are alarming. many get blueys and treat them wrong, so please understand our worry.

blueys live for 30 years or more. make sure you have a veterinarian around you that accept reptiles.
they are easy to keep lizards if you are interested in them, definitely, but they require effort.

they are omnivores. it means they need to eat a variated diet. usually it is said and adult bluey needs 60% vegetable matter and 40% proteins in meat shape.
usually, people mix squash (or other veggies and salads, not iceberg or spinach etc. check toxic list) and dogfood, since they like to spit out their veggies its easy to mix the dogfood and the veggies.
they can go for weeks without food and be stubborn about their diet.
fruit is treats. only treats.
adults should be fed one to three times a week depending on how much you feed. always get to know your skinks average weight so you know its not eating too much or too little, or if it has parasites that needs to be treated.

blueys need space, floor space mainly. minimum is one meter x 50 cm floor space.
some hide ALL day, every day. some live to bask, some love to climb around and are really active. you never know.
you will need a good temperature gradient. good substrate, good basking spot, a hide or two. preferably 3 covered sides to help your bluey feel comfortable.
be prepared it might be in hide all the time.

they get to 45-60 cm. meruakes grow the largest, and the others somewhat smaller. it is quite individual.

everything can bite. blueys can be moody, humans can be moody. usually skinks just huff and make themselves big, run away or show their tongue rather than bite. you never know if you get a super nice skink or one that needs time to calm down. to the skink, you will be a a large, scary predator.

do not keep several blueys in a tank, some can be very very nice to people, but might kill another skink.

please take more time to read and think. this is a companion for life, and a very nice and special pet. to most here its the best lizard in the world since they have so much personality n___n

[skinkalisous]

yeah im going to local pet shop today for more info i also have a top breeder helping me with a set up they are putting together for me and they have givin me alot of help with what to feed it etc

[NOP]

My little one is still getting used to me and he can be a little bit nippy but pretty much your skin is too thick for babies to bite through....he actually cant even open his mouth wide enough to get my fingers so i dont even worry about it...and after a Month now the number of times he nips at me is ONLY when i try to take him out of his cage when he is out he is very docile. I HIGHLY recommend reading the CARE SHEET on here because there is also a Diet Care sheet which tells all kinds of good and bad food for them. Also it is normal for them not to eat for a week or more when they get to a new home so dont freak out if the little one doesnt eat for a few days.

[Spindown]

yeah im going to local pet shop today for more info

STOP RIGHT THERE! Pet stores *Can* give you accurate advice, but 99% of the time they say ridiculous things like "feed it x" when that is TOTALLY inappropriate. DO NOT BUY a bluey right now. I'd advise waiting AT LEAST a month to do accurate research, and this forum is a GREAT place to start. Peruse the food chart that is stickied, and ask more questions as you read more. This will also give you a bit more time to think if you really want this animal or if this is an impulse buy. (I have to do this a lot lol.

I've seen SEVERAL pet stores recommend crickets and ONLY crickets, and the skinks are skin and bones and OBVIOUSLY starving. Some of them are somewhat OK looking, but have signs of MBD (a bone disease due to lack of calcium) due once again to a VERY incorrect diet.

I'd recommend paying much more attention to the breeders advice than anything the pet store would say to you, and even then double and triple check that what you have been told is correct.
Who is the breeder? I'm just curious, but why do you call them a top breeder when you know almost nothing about this species? Breeders can and some do lie about their experience and status...I had that happen with a species of snake I'm working with when I was starting out. I'm not saying its not possible hes a great breeder, but have you checked his BOI? I'd google him and check Faunaclassifieds to get an idea about him.

You can NEVER be too careful IMO.

Blueys live a LONG time compared to a lot of cat and dog breeds, and NO animal is a throw away. Blueys are a COMMITMENT, and deserve to be treated to the best that you can provide.

[Spindown]

1 are they as easy to look after as what people say
2 what do they eat
3 what do they need in there terrium
4 how large do they grow
5 do they bite etc

1. EVERY skink is unique and different. I have 4 (used to be 5), and one I had to leave basically alone other than cleanings and feedings for him to calm down and get used to us. This is sort of abnormal, but he was a WC Pet store animal who I dont think had a very good life up until the point we got him. My IJ i had raised from a baby and she was very cage aggressive. She was fine as soon as you managed to get her out, but she did bite. Her baby phase was bitey bitey BITEY!! She couldnt do a lot of damage as a baby, but my adult Northern chomped me the other day and I had a bruised sore knuckle for a few days...

2. Read the Food chart. and then re-read it! I printed it off and stuck it to my fridge

3. At least 1 hide (2 is better), a water dish (YES they need water!), and big enough to soak in is good in case they are having a tough time with shedding, A basking area, and some sort of floor covering (substrate).
Great hide ideas are in lots of threads here, but I want to point out that PVC pipes are AWESOME for them. Mine ALL love these and use them all the time. I've got one that even sleeps in hers sometimes Just make sure that they are several inches tall (wide) to accommodate adult growth. Skinks WILL climb into something that they can then not escape from.

Size of caging is important too, and I would recommend against aquariums if you can afford to. 40 gallon tanks are the MINIMUM i'd recommend, and my Northern Female is in a 75 gallon, and when shes not brumating she uses EVERY INCH.
I am saving up for some type of molded plastic caging, I'm sure others can recommend some good brands. (example is Boaphile for TYPE of cage) or you can make your own from wood etc.

Why do I recommend against aquarium type glass cages?
*Heavy*
*More difficult to clean*
*VERY breakable*
*Do not keep in humidity AT ALL if you have an unmodified screen type top*
*Screen tops are harder to secure, allowing escapes*
*Skinks do not understand glass, so can freak out if 3/4 sides are not covered (in many cases like my guys)

*IMPORTANT: Unless you have a really tall cage, or a front opening cage of some sort...Skinks CAN and many WILL climb to a height almost as tall as they are long. I've had several escapes until I got locking screen lids from 20'' tall glass aquariums. They have tiny legs but they practically stand on their tails to get out, and somehow it works! Not all skinks are escape artists, but if they fall they can get very very hurt. I've been lucky, but I dont want to risk it, so be VERY careful to NEVER leave a lid off of a cage, just in case you have a climber.

4. Each skink is (once again) unique and will grow to a different size. Growth can depend on a lot of factors, such as proper feeding, etc. My WC Indo grew VERY slowly compared to my others, and hes now 21 inches. I've got a Newer Form Merauke who is pushing 2 feet (23 inches (for now!)), and the others are in between. so I'd recommend planning for two feet.

5. Anything with a set of teeth (and some that dont) are capable of biting. This being said, I dont have too many biters, in fact, I've only been bitten by two of my skinks, my IJ was a big biter inside her cage (like i mentioned earlier) and my male Northern REALLY hates his nail trimmings (which I previously did not know as I'm not his first owner) and took my by surprise. They havent done any serious damage, but keep in mind they can crush snails like its nothing. They CAN raise welts, and sometimes draw blood. Normally they dont really want to do damage, as my bites have all been warning bites, and they have let go of their own accord.

Being afraid of being bitten is one of the silliest things you can fear as a new reptile owner (unless you own venomous), because you will be really timid around your animals UNTIL you get bitten, and realize its really no big deal, and it will take a lot of the fun out of it. There is no reason to be afraid of a bluey bite. Can they bruise and cause a little damage? Yes. Most bites, however are not serious, and I've never personally heard of anyone having to get stitches (someone with more experience can discuss this), and they definitely cant kill you unless you do something really odd (I've never heard of this happening). (people think some WEIRD things sometimes LOL)

I'm not saying harass your bluey until it bites you, but if it happens, it happens, and you will probably feel much better, instead of being scared! Thats sure how it was for me! Now other lizards bites are a totally different story! I would NEVER EVER want to get bit by an Iguana or a Monitor...and definitely do not want to get bit by any snake of the Morelia genus

[skinkalisous]

after alot of reseacrch i am getting a blue tounge lol

i cant wait

[LarissaLurid]

I agree with those above, sorry I don't have the time to write a long reply right now, but NEVER listen to pet stores and I highly recommend NOT buying from there since they are usually unhealthy, overpriced, and wild caught animals. Also no offense, but "a lot" of research takes more than just a day, especially when you are asking things like how big they get, what they eat, and all the very basic things. Pet stores have no idea what they are talking about 99% of the time. I teach people who work at the pet store near me things all the time, so that just shows how little they know. Many pet stores have no idea what they are selling, like when one near me sold in 1 bag some chiclids, a plectostomus and some barbs. The chiclids killed the pleco on the way home since the person selling them didn't even know the well known fact of how aggressive they are. They even sold a water dragon (which needs a 6x4x4 foot cage) with a 10 gallon tank! And just the other day one person sprayed cleaner on a frog and killed it. These are a few reasons why you should never listen to people in pet stores. If you want to get info, this website is really the best place to get it.

also they are not too difficult, MINIMUM 40 gallon wide tank for one (larger is better, but never get a 55g thats MUCH too thin) floor space is much more important than height.

They need a substrate they can burrow in, burrowing is VERY important. At least 1 hide on each end. A basking area of 95-100 and rest of tank 80-85. UVB light as well, which need to be changed every six months.

They eat about 60% dark greens such as collard greens, arugula, mustard greens, watercress, romaine (never iceburg!) lettuce, etc. And some meat or high quality dog food. Things like squash, apple, etc are healthy as well. They need multivitamin supplements and calcium (without d-3) each meal and then calcium with d-3 2 times per week to prevent metabolic bone disease.