Is it possible to stop....

[phaemas]

....skinks from breeding if they're not brumbated? Or gone through the ''winter'' stage?

[Linnea]

keep them separate.

[phaemas]

Hahaha-_- I mean if there kept together.

[Linnea]

i dont really understand? do you mean, how to not make blueys in the same tank mate if theyre introduced during mating season?

if kept together, they will either not mate or show signs. mate. or become aggressive towards eachother to the point where they might be injured.

so separation is the only safe solution. uuh....i think so at least? its not like you can give them anti-hormone shots <.<

[Jeff]

There are too many variables to answer your question. What kind of skinks are you talking about? Would you know they are a male/female pair? Some species may breed without any cooling, but others don't seem to. Most species should not be kept together in most cases, so it is really irrelevant, but if you are just curious it, you need to give a little more information.

[phaemas]

I was just curious as my mom was doing that thing where she questions my nollage on reptiles and that usally means in this case I have a good chance of getting another one as I was falling in love at Mel's exotics's lilttle northerns today at the expo.

[Jeff]

Well then, you should definitely NOT consider keeping two of them together in the same enclosure. Breeding would be the least of your worries. The two skinks would likely fight until at least one of them is dead. Trust me, from someone who has seen what skinks can do to each other first hand, you do NOT want to keep two of them together.

If you keep them separate, you will not have to worry about them breeding! You also won't have to worry about severed tails, legs, or dead skinks. Keeping them separate is definitely the way to go! If you can't provide separate enclosures, PLEASE don't get a second bts!

[phaemas]

Don't worry! I don't plan on getting another untill marvins cage is free and he gets a custom made cage. Then the cage Marvin is in will be set up for the new bluey and THEN I get to bring home a new skink and beg my dad to build it a new cage once it's to big for marvins old cage:D

[Fatal_S]

You definitely don't want to keep a Northern with another skink, they're known for being jerks.

It was nice meeting you today!

[phaemas]

Ya! And the baby northern looked goo on my pink sweat shirt! So good I came back a second timeXD

Looking into an Indo now. should be intresting

[Lauriek]

Phaemas, if you keep two skinks of the same species together, they will either mate or they won't, but it does depend on a number of factors. I've told this story a couple of times on this forum.

I have 2 southern blotched bluetongues which I was given by someone whose kids didn't want them any more. Formerly called Killer and Liz, I was told Liz was the girl and Killer the boy. But my friends had never seen any signs of mating; nor sperm plugs. So I deduced possibly two females or two males, or, a male and a female but the conditions were not right for mating.
Killer was quite agressive, Liz very timid. I renamed them Barnum & Bailey. I had had them for over a nearly 18 months. Last November my daughter ran outside to find me and said Barnum & Bailey are mating. Barnum (Killer) was female and Bailey (Liz) male. That Barnum (Killer) was female did not surprise me.
I did not let them brumate the first winter I had them. They had been kept on newspaper - I keep them on Oz Pet substrate (Australian equivalent of Woody Pet). I fed them better. The second winter I let them brumate. Turned off heating & lighting. I did not specifically want to breed, as I didn't believe I had the knowledge and not only that, I personally don't believe in the indiscriminate breeding of animals.
I obviously have the right conditions for breeding. Barnum produced 5 babies in March this year. Unfortunately I think she is pregnant again. I have separated them.
ADVICE: Keep blue tongues separate. Shinglebacks and blotched can tolerate each other, but it is best to keep other species separate. They can cause horrific injuries to each other if they become aggressive which may happen over food. They are generally a solitary species. I've now separated Barnum from her March babies as she bit one of them and Bailey is also in a separate viv.