BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hi all,

I'm semi new here...guess I made an account back in 2008 (news to me! haha) and was able to log into it. Anyway, I've never owned any BTS before...been keeping chameleons for about 10 years now so this will be a nice change up. I've reserved a Northern from Zach and Holly that should be arriving within the next few weeks, and had a few questions I wanted to clear up so I have the enclosure good to go when the little guy gets here.

1.) At what age can babies use aspen, carefresh, or any sort of substrate? Should I be keeping him/her on repti-carpet or something else until a few months of age? I wasn't entirely clear on that.
2.) Would I be better off going with a ZooMed Reptisun 5.0, 10.0, or another UV bulb?
3.) My apartment stays at around 73-75 degrees at all times...should I still have a light or some heat-emitting source on the "cool end" to keep it around 80, or can I keep it at the temperature of my apartment without any issues?

Thanks in advance!

1- I switched my baby to repti-bark at about 1 month with no problems. Not sure what the correct age is though, sorry.

2- I used to use a mercury vapor bulb but now I do not use any uvb. I buy calcium supplement with d3 and have no issues.

Sorry I haven't been much help, but I do know the answer to #3...

3- You do not need any heating source on the cool end, 73 would be fine for a cool end.

I'm still a newbie to blueys. I'm sure the more experienced owners will be able to help you out with the other questions.

these are also just my opinions and what i do with my lil guys. my most recent BTS is only a month old
1 - I kept my baby on nothing but newspaper to start with until now, so I'd say a month is fine. my herp vet said anything coarse for a bluey over a month old is fine, even pine bark (was a bit iffy with pine bark) as long as its coarse and just take note that he doesnt eat it obviously

2 - I dont use any uv anymore after speaking with my herp vet. As long as they get at least half hour of sun every few days along with the calcium supplement they wont have any issues. however I take my skinks out every second day because im a paranoid parent haha


3 - with my tank the heating is as follows, will estimate the farenheit due to the fact I use celcius XD
Basking spot - 30-35 degrees ( 90-95 farenheit)
Cool end - 20 degrees ( 70 farenheit)
Night time dont let it go below 18 degrees ( 65 degrees)

however I live in Tasmania (the cooler part of Australia) But these heats are perfect for our blue tongues here.

so with that id suggest not allowing the cool end to get any hotter than it is, it will still get more warmth than the rest of the room due to the spot/basking light as it is. But you will still need some kind of heat source for the night time if the temp drops below 65 there, which will have to be a specific night time light that gives off the red, purple or blue lights etc.

hope that all made sense, wanted to help as much as possible

Thanks for your responses you two. So it seems like the temps on my cool end gradient will be just fine, and I'm okay to use a coarse/textured substrate at about a month of age.

Since it gets well below 0 F here in the winter, I don't really have the luxury of taking my guy out every other day (unless I want a Skinkcicle), so I think I'm gonna' opt for a Reptisun 5.0 unless there's a better recommendation out there? I know the decision to use UV lighting is controversial, but I think I'd feel a tad more comfortable having it then not. Thanks!

Substrate:
I would use cypress mulch or aspen, even as a baby
Heating:
The basking light should keep the cool side a decent temperature.