Getting a Halmahera Soon Tips and Name Help

[MischievousFox]

Hi I'm new here! I'm getting my first BTS Monday. I'm getting it from a Craigslist ad. I've spent lots of time researching and watching videos (especially reptile mountain) but I want you guys advice on a few things.

1) At this age can he be safely placed in a 40g breeder?

2) He was on home brew. How hard is it to switch to high quality grain free dog food?

3) They were told he was wild caught but he's seen a vet by their hands and been tested and treated not long back. Should I go ahead and schedule a fecal at least?

4) Any good name ideas?

He's on adorn sadly right now but I'm moving him to peat moss/sphangum moss, organic top soul, and cypress mulch mixed as well as providing a humid hide since I know he needs high humidity.

[splashy07]

When I kept Halys I had them in a 40 breeder their whole life.
Yes, scrap the bedding and right away.
I would schedule a vet visit, I do not trust anyone's word, much less a Craigslist ad.
The will eat anything, mine did anyway. From day one.
They are a little more challenging than their Aussie cousins but Halys are, IMO, one of the
most beautiful. Adorable little one, all the best.

[kayla990]

Aww cute!

1) Yep, I would say it's fine to be in a 40g, our guy went straight into a large tank at only a few weeks old (the online calculator recons ~140g US gal..?) You can use multiple food or water areas to make sure they can find it easily. Try to add multiple hides, so they can feel more secure. If you have any high areas/climbable sections - expect they'll find a way to get up. We created soft patches of moss to act as natural pillows to catch him.

2) At that age, you'll likely want high quality cat food instead of dog (due to the protein level - I believe in the care sheet here it says to use up to 1year old). There are lots of ways to feed Blueys, but I would always advise not just to rely on cat/dog food as (imo) it misses too many minerals/vitamins for an Omnivore.

3) Same advice as Splashy!

4) Haha hard to say.. we went for quite a girly name then found out he was a boy - so maybe a more neutral name

Seen you've already mentioned the high humidity requirements - perhaps a few useful tips/methods:

- Get a large water dish and place it close to a heat source for evaporation (but keep it very shallow, as he's so tiny!)
- Where possible get a large garden spray (we use the type with a pump, makes spray downs so much easier!)
- Depending on your tank, if you have a lot of air holes - you can cover most of them up with a blanket or towel (to keep the humidity in, but make sure to allow some of them open for healthy gas exchange)
- Oddly enough - we installed a little fan inside the tank (only do so if you think the tank is high enough that (s)he can't reach it), as it circulates humid air with the more dry areas to make it more consistent
- Additional equipment: if you find that the humidity reading is still not reaching ~85-90% range frequently; there are some equipment such as foggers or room humidifiers that can help out. We have a large fogger on a timer to turn on off throughout the day.

Goodluck with your little bluey!

[MischievousFox]

Thank you both for the great advice. My hubs wants to go with a girl name so I'm calling "her" Hera (original I know). I have a digital thermostat/hydrometer that will turn stuff on and off. I just need a fogger but will manually spray til then. I found a huge table I hope to turn into a later enclosure. Its gorgeous. I'm using cypress, coco earth, peat moss, and organic topsoil too for humidity. I already bought grain free cat food and dog food as well as baby food in squash. Gonna get eggs and greens day before I get him (2/4/19).

[MischievousFox]

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[mb606587]

Very, very cool idea for an enclosure. I'm sure it will look amazing when finished. I for one would love to see a photo of the finished product with the new skink. I believe I saw you post this on Facebook and you probably already have this covered but make sure you properly seal the wood several times over. I think DryLok was recommended, which I don't have experience with, but I know a lot of people use it. I have used a product called Agralife Non Toxic Kennel Seal with excellent results. Or you could use a water based polyurethane and give it time to air out. Anything oil based usually will have more harmful VOC's and will take much longer to safely air out.

Also, again I'm sure you have this addressed by now as well, but ensure you have proper ventilation, especially with a damp and humid environment which will be the perfect conditions to cultivate mold and bacteria growth if a proper air flow isn't established. Good luck and post pictures!

[MischievousFox]

Thank you so much! I did post on facebook group. Got official pics of the table! I'm excited to build it and will be dealing times with Drylok probably. I'm adding half inch holes for ventilation and gonna "run it" a while before adding him

[MischievousFox]

Sealing many times*

[gunkle]

Thank you so much! I did post on facebook group. Got official pics of the table! I'm excited to build it and will be dealing times with Drylok probably. I'm adding half inch holes for ventilation and gonna "run it" a while before adding him

Hows the conversion coming along? Another option for sealing is to use Pond Shield. I recently used it to seal 2 ball python cages and will be using it in my own BTS enclosure I just started building.