What makes a Bluey better than other pet lizard candidates?

[Reteos]

Hi everyone I am new here, I don't have a Bluey yet but I am thinking of getting a lizard in the coming months. I had a pair of bearded dragons for about 5 years untill they both eventually passed away. I am kind of against having another beardie because I want to try something new.

I really like the look of the Uromastyx lizards and I know they can be quite tame and friendly.
I've always loved Blue tongue skinks but they are so hard to get hold of in the UK and they cost so much.

So now I am in Canada and I am just waiting another month or so to get my perminent residency. which means I can start working and then I can get a pet lizard.

so my question is, Why choose a Bluey? and if some of you have Uro's and beardies aswell, why do you prefere your bluey?

may I also add I am in Calgary, Alberta and it would be great if any near by members could say where they got their skink and if they don't mind roughly how much they paid

Thanks verymuch everyone!
Reteos

[Nae]

Welcome

Other then the fact that I am under 18, therefore legally I cannot actually own many reptiles, a big deciding factor for me is how easily fed they are!

Also, compared to many reptiles, they are fairly slow and easy to handle - I dont like holding animals which I am paranoid they might suddenly jump, I might accidentally squish them, they might suddenly shoot up my arm - Hence the reason I dont handle mys spider at all.

Also, where I live in Western Aus, means that the species that are available here require no difficult, specific care requires, like strict humidity levels. They are just incredibly easy to care for.

One breeder I can think of in Canada is Fatal_S. Shes a member here so you should definitely talk to her!

[Reteos]

Thanks for the reply, I know what you mean I had that problem with my beardies when they were young, as adults they were mild mannered and sat around.

More than anything I'm worried that if I find any around the city they will be wild caughts and not captive bred. does a young wild caught ever become an adult that is as tame as a captive bred adult?

so many questions I know but I am new to this

[Jeff]

Where are you? It makes a lot of difference in what is available to you. BTS are awesome, but, there definitely is a difference between species, and CBB vs. WC. Some types of WC skinks are almost always great pets. Meraukes are a good example. Other types are not nearly as docile. CBB are pretty much always awesome pets. If you tell us where you are, we can probably point you in the right direction.

[Reteos]

Thanks very much Jeff, I am in SW Calgary and have seen some nice pets for sale in the local places but only one Skink and I believe he was quite a lot of money.

The way I see it, I'll have this reptile (whichever I choose) for around 10 years at minimum, meaning I might as well go for the one that is most appealing to me. Although it would be nice if I could afford a young skink so I could raise him and get a good relationship between pet and owner.

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Fatal is in canada and she breeds. Katrina may also have babies and she too is in Canada.

[Katrina]

Welcome to the forum! I'm in Edmonton and like MonitorLizard mentioned, both Fatal_S (in Winnipeg) and I should have babies in 2012. I don't know of any babies available right now but if you wait until next summer there will be captive bred babies for sale.

As far as why choose a bluey - for me it is because of their personality and intelligence. They are more interactive than many other reptiles I've seen. If you want to see for yourself, send me a message if you are ever coming to the Edmonton area - you could stop by and meet ours and see for yourself if they are right for you.

For cost - you are probably look around $200 for the bluey, depending on where you get it.

[Linnea]

Theyre inexpensive to keep and you learn a lot about food while keeping them. their salads, without the dogfood, are great xD

theyre not too messy, its okay if you forget to feed one day as long as they have water......they dont need more than a good hide and a basking spot w good temps to be happy. all other decorations are just for you to pick.

hmmmm....i love the intelligence they show that other lizards dont. for example problem solving abilities - they may not always choose the best solutions though you can see they take some time to think about it.
they choose - not always the best option, but the option they like.
they look at things with a lot of focus, sometimes straight at you in a way not many reptiles do.
some may learn how to recognize you, eat from your hands, learn monitor tricks.

they are also very pretty display animals.

if your parents hate snakes and regular lizards because of their diets, this skink is great! (it was what made me able to get one<3)

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

They have blue tongues

[Karen]

they look at things with a lot of focus, sometimes straight at you in a way not many reptiles do.

I've had my BTS for about a month or so and this is definitely the thing that has surprised both me and my family the most. My parents are not reptile people at all, but they have both found themselves liking Sylvia, mostly because she actually seems to show interest in people. She'll often look at me when I'm talking to her or watch me to see what I'm doing.

Reptiles can often be considered just display animals or extremely limited interactive pets, but I think from what I've seen and what I've heard others on this forum with more experience than myself say, BTS seem to buck this perception.

Of course it always comes down to personality. You might get a BTS that is more or less interactive, but generally that is just a matter of making sure to get a CBB, like Jeff said.

[Reteos]

Wow thanks for all the responding, this seems like a really friendly community, like it doesnt matter what you are like or where you are from because you all have skinks and that brings you together.
its really good to see

I'm just wondering if anyone here DOES have a wild caught baby, and if they with regular handling become just as tame and friendly?

I also read on another site that blue tongues defecate more frequently but on here I read that they do it less. which is true?

[phaemas]

I have a captive Born from a wild caught mother. They're basicly just as tame but born outside of the normal birthing season for most but not all. They can be normal tame pets as long as they're handled but if they're born in captivity they're no diffrent than a Captive born and bred baby.

[Susann]

I'm just wondering if anyone here DOES have a wild caught baby, and if they with regular handling become just as tame and friendly?

I don't know of anyone with a wild caught baby, most often it's a question of a wild BTS being caught after becoming gravid, and giving birth once they reach their destination. I suspect there are quite a few of those, but whether the owner knows it or not is another matter.
I believe that with consistent handling from a young age, most of the BTS that are generally considered "mild mannered" will make excellent pets whether they were bred in the wild or in captivity.

I also read on another site that blue tongues defecate more frequently but on here I read that they do it less. which is true?

That would depend on how often you feed it. Which, most often, depends on the age and health of the BTS.
The general "rule" is that about 24 hrs. after a eating they tend to "go". But this would be greatly dependent on what they eat, what their temperature is, how active they are, and so forth. You can fairly quickly figure out the functions and habits of your BTS with a little observation.

[Reteos]

wow you guys are so informative its amazing!

I do plan on handling my pet a lot, and also buying them young, so its good to hear that they will become just as tame as a captive bred baby, that is a load off my mind!

Good to hear about the poo thing too because my beardies I would always be paranoid they would go at just the worst moment.

and let me just repeat this so I understand, Most of the skinks in the pet stores were born in captivity but may have wild parents? or most are born in the wild and shipped?

[Susann]

its good to hear that they will become just as tame as a captive bred baby, that is a load off my mind!

Well, they CAN. There are no guarantees. The safest bet would be to get a BTS that is Captive Bred and Born (CBB) from a reputable breeder. That way you will tend to get much straighter answers, and hopefully even a breeder with a good feel for the baby's disposition, who can match you up with the "just right" BTS.

OR. Buy an adult skink who's disposition is good. Now and then you can luck out getting someone's pet that they don't want, or can't care for, anymore. They can live 20-30 years, so you really don't gain a ton by getting it young. Especially if you can handle it before buying. But there's always Skype. Have the seller handle it in front of the camera so you can see.
There can be lots of options if you're willing to entertain them.

Good to hear about the poo thing too because my beardies I would always be paranoid they would go at just the worst moment.

If I'm going anywhere with my BTS, I feed him no less than 3-4 days prior (--depending on age of course), and the day after feeding I make sure he moves a lot. If he hasn't poo'd by the next day, I stick him in a bathtub with some warm water. "Skinky Enema"!
Still, no guarantees, but I can feel fairly safe.

and let me just repeat this so I understand, Most of the skinks in the pet stores were born in captivity but may have wild parents? or most are born in the wild and shipped?

...yes?
SO hard to say. To be safe, I would expect a young skink to be born to a wild caught mother. I don't think they catch many babies to ship off for money, because A LOT of them die on the ship, and I imagine with losses like that, they would want to catch and ship adults. Higher chance of actually getting money for it when you dock if the animal is alive!
Unless they can give you a name and a number to the breeder, I would expect the animal to be wild caught (WC) if it's an adult, or born to a WC if it's young.
But, you know what, those animals can make excellent pets too! It can just be a bit of a risk if the seller can't give you the name of the person they got the animal from. If it's a reputable breeder, ...first off, not many of them would sell their babies to pet shops... they would want the buyer to be able to get a hold of them if they had any questions.

But there are always exceptions to every rule.

IF you end up buying a BTS and aren't sure of it's origins, you should have a fecal test run for parasites. They aren't terribly expensive, but ReptileKing on this forums does them for free. You just send him some poop and he'll tell you if anything is moving in it!

[Reteos]

You do make very good points I think I fully understand now.
it is still possible for babies to be shipped from the wild right?

because I have a 1" electric catfish growing in a 10 gallon and apparently they onyl come from the wild, because breeding them in captivity is impossible, meaning this 1" fish was caught in the river nile and somehow made it to Canada. if that is possible then a young skink COULD still be wild?

As long as the enclosure is warm enough, would handling the baby be a good indicator of its temperament? as I read on the care sheet that keeping them cool makes them more docile so people buy them.

[Katrina]

If you are looking at Indonesian species (Tiliqua gigas), then yes - most likely wild caught or captive born to a wild caught mother. For Australian species, such as Northerns, they are all captive born and bred because we can't import reptiles from Australia. So it really depends on the species.

I have several either captive born to WC mother or else wild caught skinks. I have been lucky, and all mine are wonderful. I think I have different standards than most, as I don't want to take them to shows or anything and I don't handle a ton. But they are all curious, easy going and ok with gentle handling. All will eat from my hand too. Meraukes are generally calm and good natured, so even wild caught ones, in my experience, are ok as pets. Not ideal but not all that difficult to tame. This does vary by individual skink a lot.

[Crazy76]

Hi!! Blue tongues are awesome, they are friendly, interesting, easy to care for, and all have such different personalities, even if you get a shy one, like my Oz, they are usually perfectly ok to be handled and enjoy a good roam around on the couch and on your lap. I have some really outgoing shinglebacks that are hilarious to watch explore, but I have a soft spot for my super shy eastern bts cuz we have quality time together on the couch, his such a shy cutie, his definitely a lap lizard. My shingles never stay still enough to be lap lizards, but fun to watch exploring the world!

[Reteos]

Hi Crazy76, thanks for the info glad to hear how friendly your skinks are, and more importantly just how great a relationship you have with them, this is why I want a skink in the first place!

and Katrina would you say that the Skinks in Alberta are better than elsewhere? or is the wild caught problem all over north america?

I plan tomorrow to ring around some local reptile selling stores and enquire as to how much their blueys cost and wether they are WC or captive born.

after receiving the information I will ring back the "captive born" ones and ask if I could get a number for the breeder they aquired them from, and if I can't get a captive bred skink for a good price I guess I will either have to save up for an overpriced one or just wait until the babies are born from members on here

[Coomassie]

Hi Reteos! I've kept a number of animals and have quite a reptile collection at the moment. I cannot address your question about the Uro as I have never had one but my understanding is they aren't the easiest beginner reptiles. They require very low humidity and very high heat and my understanding is they can be a little unforgiving of husbandry errors. BTS, however, are some of the most forgiving of husbandry errors. It sounds like you aren't quite a beginner but having something really hardy like a BTS is a really good thing right now. I will also say that my BTS, Coomassie, is the love of my life (just don't tell my husband!) so maybe I am a little bias. Best of luck with whatever you decide and feel free to keep asking questions!