BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hey guys im getting some skinks very soon because a family member mates has them at work and now is getting a different job so needs them to go to a good home , this is where i come in hopefully ,,, i have the space and its a massive viv ,, but i need to know a few things before they come please

1) i heard there are two inside is this ok ? should i go out and buy a divider ?
2) they are adults what should i feel them ? (hopefully they will come with some food to start me off)
3) when moved what is the safest way of doing so ?
4) i have a little corn snake will have be able to smell eachother will they be ok in the same room ?
5) when they are moved how long do i wait until i can start holding them and how to i go about hold them ?
6) is there anything i should know before hand ?


if you can answer any of these it would help sosososososo much thanks

P.S pics will come up when i get them

Welcome!

Tommy wrote:
1) i heard there are two inside is this ok ? should i go out and buy a divider ?
2) they are adults what should i feel them ? (hopefully they will come with some food to start me off)
3) when moved what is the safest way of doing so ?
4) i have a little corn snake will have be able to smell eachother will they be ok in the same room ?
5) when they are moved how long do i wait until i can start holding them and how to i go about hold them ?
6) is there anything i should know before hand ?


if you can answer any of these it would help sosososososo much thanks

P.S pics will come up when i get them

1-it is generally not recommended to house multiple skinks together.
2-feed them a 50/50 mix of lean meat and green/leafy veggies. canned cat and dog food are the preferred type of meat. here's a link for a detailed diet: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=20345
3-sorry, i'm not sure? but i usually just put mine in a plastic bin for a short term move
4- not sure...
5-this depends. for babies, it is generally about a week to allow them to settle. since they are adults it may take less time.
6- probably a lot, but this forum is GREAT so use it! any questions you have will be answered by experts here.

Sorry I couldn't answer everything, I'm sure that the more knowledgable member of this forum will provide you with better info than I.

thanks you cleared some things up and im gonna read that topic now (y)

some do ok together,but always the risk they will attack one another,even a pr thats been together for years can suddenly do it,hence recomended housing alone

diet varies between keepers,blueys being oppatunistic makes feeding easy,a good mix of dogfood and varios vegies is a good place to start,ask owner what they fed them to,could make for an easier settle in period

transporting is easy,bag them up ,maybe a pillow case,then in a box for protection,main thing is be wary if weathers hot

mine share a room with carpet pythons,lace monitors,a sandy,mertens water monitors and lots of other skinks,no issues there

some settle straight in,if already tame,especially adults,but varies,could be straigjt away to months,depending on many factors,especially current temprement,if its stressed wirh transport,and adjusting to new surrounds,patience is usually the best medicine,especially first week or 2

only other advice is set them up right,give them options and let them tell you what they want,enjoy them,and know theres plenty of advice here so never be shy in asking

welcome to the forum

I can't answer your skink questions for the most part, as I am so new... And haven't even got my baby as of yet!

But I can tell you this. I was primarily a snake keeper mostly, before getting leopard geckos. The geckos and snakes are quite close and don't react negatively in any way, and do not show signs of stress. In fact, I actually have a MOUSE on the other side of the room, and the snakes show no interest in him, no notice at all. No change in behavior when he came in and even when out of their cage they don't react to him. I don't recommend keeping rodents in the same room as your snake, but the mouse was kind of a fluke thing that I hadn't really intended (I have a baby boa, he wasn't eating and I brought in a live mouse as a last resort. He took his first one but weeks later, he wouldn't have anything to do with the second, so I reared it up. He's happily eating frozen/thawed now!), but it just goes to show!

I don't think it would be cause for concern. Corn snakes are from the continental United States, and skinks from Indonesia and Australia. They are not predators OR prey of each other, so there would be no reason for them to react to each other's scent, especially if captive bred.

tylociraptor wrote:I
I don't think it would be cause for concern. Corn snakes are from the continental United States, and skinks from Indonesia and Australia. They are not predators OR prey of each other, so there would be no reason for them to react to each other's scent, especially if captive bred.

Wild corn snakes would not have the opportunity to prey on BTS but there are several species of Australian snakes which will prey on BTS.

cleared up anything for me thanks alot , they will come has a pair so i do i go about this ? give one away? divider in the middle?
if they have been living to together all there lives then taking away one might make it stressful ?

also this will be every cheeky but would anyone know by size what skink it is they said its 2foot plus and a adult ....?

cheers

also how long ish should i let them settle in for ?

i know this can be different for any skink but just a all round time?

cheers

Tommy wrote:1) i heard there are two inside is this ok ? should i go out and buy a divider ?
2) they are adults what should i feel them ? (hopefully they will come with some food to start me off)
3) when moved what is the safest way of doing so ?
4) i have a little corn snake will have be able to smell eachother will they be ok in the same room ?
5) when they are moved how long do i wait until i can start holding them and how to i go about hold them ?
6) is there anything i should know before hand ?

1. Just separate them. Many reptiles can live together for years and suddenly turn on each other for seemingly no reason. BTS can do serious damage to each other which can result in costly vet bills and/or death. In my opinion, it isn't wort the risk.

2. Read the caresheet on feeding. I find mixing dogfood and chopped veggies together and then freezing is the best way to go for me. If you search the forums, you will find a lot on different recipes and ways to feed your new friends.

3. Put them in a small box. Make sure they have enough room to be comfortable but not too much space so they could potentially cause the box to shift or fall. Reptiles are often comforted by small dark places. You can line the box with papertowels or a towel. Just make sure they are secure in the car.

4. I keep my BTS in my bedroom with all of my reptiles (including a corn snake who is not so little). Coomassie rarely takes notice of them. Please don't take your corn snake out at the same time as your BTS but keeping them in the same room is ok (after the quarantine period to ensure there are no mites, parasites, illnesses, etc).

5. Give them at least one week to settle in. Your house will be new sights, smells, etc. and they will be overwhelmed. As adults, they will probably come around much faster than babies but a week is a good start.

6. Read the caresheet. Just read it. It tells you everything you could ever want to know. Something not in there? Search the forum. There is a wealth of information here if you just look for it.

Best of luck and we expect pictures!

thanks mate i would search but when i do it doesnt come up with much (im crap with computers so its probs me lol)

and can i put a bit of pvc down the middle ? because the viv is MASSIVE ...LOL

and just reading it now

thanks again

Tommy wrote:thanks mate i would search but when i do it doesnt come up with much (im crap with computers so its probs me lol)

and can i put a bit of pvc down the middle ? because the viv is MASSIVE ...LOL

and just reading it now

thanks again

What are the size specs? You should make sure they have around 2' deep, 3-4' wide at LEAST. If splitting it down the middle won't allow for that, look into getting something that is stackable. There are lots of pre-fab vivs and cages you can get, either a large glass tank / aquarium, a hand made cage (like what I have), or a pre-fab plastic tank from a place like vision cages, boaphile, reptile plastics, monster cages, or cornel's world. Keep in mind the pre-fabs may need to be modified for heating/lighting, but many companies will do this for you.

@ El-Lobo: Yep, I'm aware of that. But I don't think that a skink would be terribly bothered by a corn, there's no reason for one to be intimidated by one! And even my geckos don't have issues. But yes, definately don't let them out together!