Tanimbar question

[BigHomieOshea]

I am planning on getting a Tanny later this month. I've done a lot of research and I only have a few questions:
1)I've read that Tannies are among the smallest of the Blue Tongues. So what would be an appropriately sized cage for a single Tanny?
2)Are they a higher humidity species? Like would they be fine on aspen or do I need a more soil-type of substrate?

Any help is greatly appreciated. -Big Homie

[jesswebb93]

A 40 gallon tank should be fine, I would've thought. Also, make sure you DON'T use any soil based substrate such as eco earth since they can clog their noses, get stuck in their ears etc. I use forest moss on my Halmahera BTS, it seems to work well in terms of humidity and safe burrowing.

[Dakota]

1. Tanimbars definitely are not the smallest.. have a look at Tiliqua adelaidensis. They are the smallest, length wise, of the T. scincoides, maybe even challenging classic Indonesians. But they are stocky built as typical with T. scincoides. When you compare a 16" Tanimbar with a 16" classic Indonesian, the Tanimbar will be larger looking. As with all Tiliqua, it is a 40 gallon minimum.

2. Tanimbars come from Tanimbar and Babar Island, in Indonesia. So yeah, high humidity. Especially if you want them to retain their natural "glass" look. If humidity is too low, the scales will start to appear wrinkled. Soil type substrate is just fine to use. I personally use top soil, cypress mulch, sphagnum moss, and leaf litter.