hello to all! just an intro :3

[bebop845]

Hi all :3 I am new to this forum. I am the parent of a lovely Fire skink named Potato Chip, three snakes and a gecko.

Until recently I had a bearded dragon, who passed away from live failure. He was found in a friends back yard as an adult, so there was not much that could have been done without more information.

Anyway, I am in the market for a baby Blue tongue. All I can seem to find around for sale are adults. I would not mind an adult either, but I want to make sure he or she is friendly.

Also I want to do as much research as possible! I am going to school to become a Reptile vet. I want to make sure I can see all warning signs of problems, get a good idea of diet and housing.

And a question, what is everyone's preferred methods of lighting? I would like to use UVB of some sort. Thanks!

(I am very new to this particular species. Thanks for putting up with my noobness)

[Noah H.]

Welcome! Unfortunately, most of the for this year have already been born, so you will probably have a hard time finding one from a breeder. You might try posting in the Classifieds section of the forum. If you haven't already read it, this caresheet is a phenomenal source of information on keeping Blueys. You can also check out the Frequently Asked Questions sub-forum. For my lighting, I just use two dome lamps, one incandescent (for basking) and one fluorescent (for lighting), and I substitute UVB for calcium supplement and actual sunlight; however, it is really just a personal preference. I'm sure some with more UVB experience than me will be along soon. If you can, post some pictures of your other reptiles in the Off-Topic section. We'd love to see them!

[Romeyrider]

Welcome!

[splashy07]

Hi, and welcome! Fire skinks are just plain awesome, and sorry about your beardie. I keep beardies too and bred them this year. My one pair gave me over one hundred babies!! Finding a baby BT this time of year can prove difficult, but hang in there come spring breeding season! I currently keep 2 Halys and a Northern. Merauke coming next year when a friend breeds. I prefer the looks of the Indonesian species, but as far as pet quality nothing beats a Northern! Good luck!

[splashy07]

Forgot to add, I use Powersun mercury vapor bulbs for all my reptiles. They are expensive, but I prefer using just one single bulb, and if you add up the cost of multiple bulbs and fixtures, I think you are ahead with the MVB. They also last over a year with regular use. They can be purchased for much less online than at reptile specialty shops.

[timisimaginary]

i use a Reptisun 10.0 tube fluorescent (about 1/2 to 2/3 the length of the cage, so the skink still has some shady spots) for UVB and a normal basking bulb for heat. i'm not a fan of MVBs because i haven't found one that simultaneously puts out enough heat and enough UVB. i use a Mega-Ray MVB for my beardie, but have to use a 2nd basking bulb for heat. i've used PowerSuns and SolarGlo's in the past and found neither of them put out enough UVB to be really useful.

[bebop845]

Hey all! I have the set up and lighting just about ready, but had a set back with one of my ball pythons (found out due to his past neglect and his trouble shedding his eye caps that he is going blind) so just waiting for some more funds. Then I plan to search around for a Blue Tongue. Decided I may get a sub adult. There just arent many babies around. That is ok though, dont mind an adult at all. I have tamed plenty of animals before :p my fire skink though. He just will not even let me. Haha.