Which BTS subspecies makes the best pet in Australia?

[Scotts1au]

You only need to lurk on this site and go through old posts.

People might have some fun with polls but it is well established that people just vote for what they have. Most people have good reason for having what they have, so you aren't going to learn much from that. Of course comparison between various types of animals and blueys is probably something for the Off Topic discussion board.

Breeding - whooa horsey - one step at a time

[BlackTea13]

Thanks Scott, sorry if I overstepped in my questions guys.
How long would it take to own and care for a bluetongue to then go onto breeding, I'm a quick learner so how long do you think it would take for me to be ready, also is there much money to be made from breeding any type of bluetongue hate to mention beardies again but there is no money in breeding them. Please reply and from now on I will use the off topic for anything even remotely related to beardie comparisons , thanks

[alichamp]

BlackTea13, I think the point may be that blue tongues in general are not typically a "good handling pet" and people who keep them do not have them to try to fill this expectation. They are happy to be alone, do not rely on you for or crave your attention and can generally hide and come out by their own needs. They will not be there to entertain you when you want them to but rather by their own schedule. It is not unusual for some keepers to only handle their bluetongue pet when necessary (eg for a check over or for enclosure maintenance) or, probably more commonly, only a few times a week so not to stress them out. Some more than this, but this is probably a reasonable expectation.

I have answered what I can about beardies vs blueys in your original thread over here. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=28215
Note that this is not based on any experience but relaying the advice given to me by my local reptile store when we were originally deciding on a reptile pet. Re food maintenance, beardies require a substantial diet of live insects but blueys enjoy more variety of primarily meat (such as dog food) and veg with occasional added insects.

Regarding the different types of blueys, the posts in this thread have given you plenty of info specefic to your area. Only you can read through the forum posts and other info and make a decision yourself. We can't tell you specifically what will be right for you.

[NickBrahz]

Well it all depends on if you get it as a baby or young it might be a year or 2 until its mature and ready to breed, it takes roughly a year to reach maturity but it might be a small one so have to wait for it to get bigger or it might mature to late in the breeding season to do it that year.
There can be lots of money made yes but it all depends on the quality (by that i mean colours) of the skink, local supply/demand, depends on the species aswell Easterns you can get for $20 and a Blotchie can be $100-250+ each, if you get really into it and start to invest in breeding morphs then that could be $400-1500+ per baby or something crazy like that.
Best comparison would be to snakes, theres a million of them they can be really cheap but the more exotic coloured ones can fetch a high price.

And i have to agree with Scott again, we are all going to vote that our species is the best one because we own that species as it's our favourite.

[alichamp]

I don't think anyone who ethically breeds blueys would say that's any reason to get into breeding. It is a huge commitment and can be difficult to do. It requires the output of lots of money to get the right enclosures, equipment and lizards and ongoing care for all of them. There is a lot of technical knowledge that goes into breeding blueys, regarding sexing, pairing, timing, brumation, feeding and conditions, not to mention caring for gravid females and any babies that result. It is not as simple as chucking a couple of blueys together and ending up with babies you can sell.

It doesn't matter how quick a learner a person is, people who successfully and consistently breed blueys put out an awful lot of time, knowledge and money into doing it and have spent many years doing so.

At this stage you haven't even decided whether a bluey is the right animal for you!

[BlackTea13]

BlackTea13, I think the point may be that blue tongues in general are not typically a "good handling pet" and people who keep them do not have them to try to fill this expectation. They are happy to be alone, do not rely on you for or crave your attention and can generally hide and come out by their own needs. They will not be there to entertain you when you want them to but rather by their own schedule. It is not unusual for some keepers to only handle their bluetongue pet when necessary (eg for a check over or for enclosure maintenance) or, probably more commonly, only a few times a week so not to stress them out. Some more than this, but this is probably a reasonable expectation.

I have answered what I can about beardies vs blueys in your original thread over here. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=28215
Note that this is not based on any experience but relaying the advice given to me by my local reptile store when we were originally deciding on a reptile pet. Re food maintenance, beardies require a substantial diet of live insects but blueys enjoy more variety of primarily meat (such as dog food) and veg with occasional added insects.

Regarding the different types of blueys, the posts in this thread have given you plenty of info specefic to your area. Only you can read through the forum posts and other info and make a decision yourself. We can't tell you specifically what will be right for you.

Wow I must really be starting to get annoying sorry folks I'm good at that, I try and do more research and ask less questions, but if anyone can answer my question in the off topic beardies vs blueys it's good to get different views, and thanks alichamp I will check that out now, thanks everyone for all your excellent help and kind patience.

[BlackTea13]

I don't think anyone who ethically breeds blueys would say that's any reason to get into breeding. It is a huge commitment and can be difficult to do. It requires the output of lots of money to get the right enclosures, equipment and lizards and ongoing care for all of them. There is a lot of technical knowledge that goes into breeding blueys, regarding sexing, pairing, timing, brumation, feeding and conditions, not to mention caring for gravid females and any babies that result. It is not as simple as chucking a couple of blueys together and ending up with babies you can sell.

It doesn't matter how quick a learner a person is, people who successfully and consistently breed blueys put out an awful lot of time, knowledge and money into doing it and have spent many years doing so.

At this stage you haven't even decided whether a bluey is the right animal for you!

Your right I'm jumping the gun a bit, sorry about that my bad.

[wermy]

I don't think there's much money to be made. Blueys only give birth once a year, and even the best breeders frequently get something like 10 infertile ovums and 3 live babies out of a female. Even if you get lucky and find 10 live babies, selling them at $150 each gives you grand total income of $1500 for a whole year's worth of effort, food, electricity and general upkeep, not to mention the cost of tanks, lights, heating, etc. Like Nick said rare ones such as Goldfield Shingles can bring in thousands, but you'd need something like 15 grand to get yourself a pair, and there are no guarantees they will breed well for you.

I remember browsing Reptiles Down Under before the site went down, it was noted that blue tongue prices have dropped from $400+ to $100 in 5 years due to many more people getting into them as easy pets. Not a good investment money-wise, I'd think. I just keep mine for his cutey wutey face and wittle feets.

[alichamp]

Your right I'm jumping the gun a bit, sorry about that my bad.

Hey, it's good to think ahead. And blueys can get very addictive, anyone on this forum will tell you But I do think we newbies should be respectful of the dedicated and knowledgable breeders out there and on this forum.

Wow I must really be starting to get annoying sorry folks I'm good at that, I try and do more research and ask less questions, but if anyone can answer my question in the off topic beardies vs blueys it's good to get different views, and thanks alichamp I will check that out now, thanks everyone for all your excellent help and kind patience.

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across this way. It's not about asking less questions, questions are always good - I have asked heaps! I was more trying to make the point that forum members won't be able to answer everything and this forum is a huge resource for reading up.

BTW welcome to the forum

[BlackTea13]

Your right I'm jumping the gun a bit, sorry about that my bad.

Hey, it's good to think ahead. And blueys can get very addictive, anyone on this forum will tell you But I do think we newbies should be respectful of the dedicated and knowledgable breeders out there and on this

BTW welcome to the forum

Hey thanks and your right maybe I was being disrespectful I didn't think so but this may be because I suffer with Aspergers and not the best socially so sorry for offending anyone as it's not what I meant to do at all, I just meant I'm not after taking business of any of you as you all are much better than me and probably always will be when it comes to bluetongues.

[Scotts1au]

mmm I've sold baby blueys to many people who signaled their intentions to breed them - to date I haven't seen any babies from them on the market. mmmm Not sure what happened there, dreams bigger than the reality.

[BlackTea13]

mmm I've sold baby blueys to many people who signaled their intentions to breed them - to date I haven't seen any babies from them on the market. mmmm Not sure what happened there, dreams bigger than the reality.

your right I don't think I will be breeding like you guys said lots of work, time consuming rather have a pet to handle and care for.
I was silly even to dream of breeding sorry for wasting time on that one, I'm doing all my questions in the off topic viewtopic.php?f=18&t=28224

Comparison between bearded dragons and bluetongues.
Mainly worried about handling and ability to interact with lizard and bond if possible.