My first BTS

[sarabellum]

Hi everyone,
I purchased a baby Northern BTS from Bonita Galas and received it on November 14th. Its hatch date is 9/10/2012 and I am unsure of its gender. Any ideas on how to tell? When it arrived it was in shed and it is now shedding again. I have been feeding based on the breeder's care sheet which suggests Natural Balance canned venison and sweet potatoes along with mostly mustard greens, collard greens, yellow squash, and mango every other day. I was specifically instructed to not feed insects and I was wondering what everyone else's opinion is on that matter. As of right now it is in a 20 gallon long tank. At what point should I upgrade to an adult enclosure? It is eating great (maybe too good.) It hisses quite a bit at me when I come near its enclosure or try to pick it up and it will run from me and puff out. However, after I get it out of the cage it acts completely fine and will sit on my shoulder while I clean tanks. I suppose just working with it and getting it out of its tank several times a week will eventually cure that. I attached a picture of the skink and its current enclosure. It's pretty bland, but I was told not to use shredded aspen bedding until approximately 6 months and I figure once I can use that and upgrade its tank, I'll be able to make something more naturalistic. Either way, I'm SO happy about my purchase and I recommend Bonita to anyone also looking for a nice pet!

Picture of it taken by the breeder

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Recent pictures - Out of tank (with flash)

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Recent pictures - In tank under tank lighting

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Tank

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[Bird_Brain]

Welcome. Beautiful skink! I see no harm in feeding insects. As far as when to upgrade to adult tank, you can do so anytime. There have been several other members who recently purchased from Bonita and have said nothing but great things about her.

[Kbell31]

Your skink is so beautiful! Every skink I have seen come from Bonita has been gorgeous. Its nice to know you had a good experience with her too. I dont see the harm in feeding insects, though I dont choose to feed them to mine. Maybe it has something to do with possible parasite transfer? I know crickets atleast can harbor parasites, roaches and others Im not sure. Lots of members feed their skinks bugs wout problems so maybe it was just her preference.

[Kbell31]

Oh and I really like your tree stump hide. Very cool.

[Rani-May]

^ im loving the tree stump hide too, i want one! Gorgeous skink

[Linnea]

beautiful skink!

although thats not a hatch date they are live born.

they can be fed insects of course, but many feed crickets with poor nutrients to their growing skinks, and only insects, resulting in some nutrient issues if its not properly done. Dubia roaches are GREAT insects to feed as a staple (if gut loaded), whereas most others are a bit poor in nutrients. i would say you should stick to the dog food until its grown a little more at least, the protein and extra calcium is well needed.
feeding insects as treats is a great idea as they get to chase them around a little bit. as a staple, stick to the diet you have been given

you can update to an adult enclosure at any time. skinks really use the floor space when theyre in the mood, and they will hide in both smaller and larger enclosures since its normal for them to do so.

about the huffing, hissing and such - your skink is still very young, and it will mellow down in time. juveniles are always more prone to be frightened and uneasy around a huge predator human.

it is really not recommended to have your bts on your shoulder! it is very dangerous, they have absolutely no grip and sense of height. they can nose dive right down on the floor and hurt themselves, and they slip and fall really easy when they start gaining just a little more weight. Beardies and the like are climbing lizards, but bts are not (they can climb over objects and on top of things, getting down again is the problem)

the gender cannot be guessed until its older your bts is very young, and still has the baby body shape.
there are some ways to tell the gender. if it happens to drop sperm plugs its male, but not dropping them is not a sign of it being female. sometimes the body shape can help guessing gender, but then it must be fully grown first, and it is not always accurate.

[Kurt]

one of the best looking skinks i've seen

[BigGeigs]

you have one of Sumo's (my skinks) brothers or sisters! I also purchased from Bonita. born 9/10!

[Cathy20]

it is really not recommended to have your bts on your shoulder! it is very dangerous, they have absolutely no grip and sense of height. they can nose dive right down on the floor and hurt themselves, and they slip and fall really easy when they start gaining just a little more weight. Beardies and the like are climbing lizards, but bts are not (they can climb over objects and on top of things, getting down again is the problem)

AGREED!! I remember earlier this year my BTS Wyatt fell off my shoulder while I was walking around with him! Thank the LORD that he wasn't hurt, but that doesn't mean that he'll get that lucky if it happens again! (which it WON"T). I posted about it and i got lots of comments referring to skinks with broken bones, etc. caused by falls.

Beautiful Skink! ABSOLUTELY ADORE THE ORANGE COLORING!!!

[bella3]

Ohhh my gosh your skink is gorgeous!

[sarabellum]

Thanks for the info and help, guys. I feel dumb for posting hatch date, I keep accidentally saying it because I breed bearded dragons.

[Dan]

Very nice colors.