BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello everyone,

I would like to start off by saying I am new to BTS and am in the processes of setting up my bluey's cage. I know he needs a heat lamp and after reading the fantastic Care sheet I know he needs UV. But I am confused as to the total amount of lights I will need. Do I just need a heat lamp and a long UV tube to be all set? I am not sure if this topic was covered in a previous post as this is my first time on the forums, Please respond!

alternatives:

- Heat lamp and a UVB lamp. no UVA needed so dont pay extra.
- Heat lamp and D3 supplement.

the uvb lamp doesnt need to be a long tube, the exo terra one i have is just like a regular lamp, but a bit like a spiral. there are cheaper brands im sure, but pick one that looks decent since you want a healthy pet and the lamp to last you a year. dont forget to change the uvb lamp every year.

make sure you buy a heat bulb that makes the temperature apropriate, you can do this by trying out different kinds.
temps needed are on the caresheet

Awesome! So i just need the two that makes it a lot simpler!
Yea from what it looks like the heat lamp should have the basking spot between 95-100.

But it looks like I have plenty of time to do my homework I chose to get into Blues just as the breeding season was over and their are almost no babies left.

there should be some on this forum that still have babies left! good ones : )
my skink was 1 year old when i got it, so dont exclude half adults at once since the baby will grow very quickly too, though it is a special feeling to watch your pet grow

check classifieds or just wait for the breeders to write more answers here.

but take your time to plan and decide which skink you want n__n and welcome to the forum

Welcome to the forum!!

A UVB light is not necessarily a must. Some use them, some don’t. I like to make sure I’m covered so I use one.
Do you already have a tank/vivarium? Because if you choose to use a UVB lamp, the strength you need is determined by how far it is between the surface of the lamp to the top of the skink.

And how many lamps you “need” would be determined by how you heat your viv. Most (I think...?) UVB lamps put out light and emit heat. Generally the UVB lamp is placed over the basking spot (a BTS tanning salon if you will ). If you can achieve the right temperatures with your UVB lamp, then there would be no need for any more lamps.
If you, however, need more heat-sources to achieve the right temperature gradient, you can either add a regular lamp, a ceramic heating-lamp, a heating mat under the substrate, or anything else you find appropriate that gets your temperatures on both sides of the viv to where they need to be.

Oh, and welcome!

UVB doesn't usually give off much heat (unless you get a mercury vapor bulb) so you will likely need a heat bulb to achieve basking temps as well as a UVB bulb. The UVB doesn't necessarily need to be over the basking spot as well. But yes - only two should be required, and like others said - UVB isn't proven necessary, many just supplement calcium with vitamin D3 instead and have had good results.