BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello
I feel a bit guilty posting on a skink forum that I am looking into skinks and other things too but I want to make sure I make the best decision for our family.

I really want a personable pet.I have cresties and tortoises and a snake for reptiles. I would like something that isn't stressed about human interaction.I love my tortoises dearly but they really don't care to be handled unnecessarily-they put up with it -for routine jobs etc but i'd rather not upset them by having them out for my enjoyment if you know what I mean.

I have been looking into uros too and also beardies.I don't have a consistent supply of crickets in my area so that really rules out the beardie youngsters.

I like the look of the uros but feel unsure of the handling side and their intense need for such high temps-as in the fact they will cool rapidly upon handling and therefore possibly stressed out through being too cold.

I don't yet see any disadvantages to the skinks unless I am expecting too much from their personality in terms of enjoying coming out and sitting on some laps and chilling out or taken outdoors in Summer for some real sun and a walk around. Just looked at the leashes that someone recommended on here too -hand made in the US.

Does anyone have any suggestions, comments or opinions for me?

I appreciate it thank you!!

so you are looking into getting a blue tongue skink maybe? Got to tell you, majority aren't exactly lap pets or enjoy being handled. but you do get the odd one that does enjoy human interaction which maybe also depends on how you bring them up. For instance, my baby bluey will scratch at his enclosure until i let him out, just so he can sleep on me. But from what i've heard from other skink owners, they are not the cuddly type. i have had a fair few skinks in my life and have a few now and they are all ok with handling, so to a degree i think its how you bring them up. but this is only what i THINK. And i suggest only getting a baby if you want attachment.

Hi Rani -May

Thanks for the response.That is good to hear as I had been getting a different expression of their behaviour from reading various articles on the internet thus far. I had been under the impression they were mostly friendly and the odd one is not so.
I have older children too who are good with repiles and other animals being brought up with them.
We don't want something that is aggressive, or skittish (unless its a baby that will likely tame over time)
Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
I believe in researching extensively before purchasing anything so we hopefully are ready for all possibilities
Maybe there isn't an ideal option for us aside from the beardies but the crickets are a problem here.

Hope you don't mind if I reply here to both this and your e-mail I'm at work, so I'll write some, and update as I get a chance.

To start with, all 3 species are pretty great. Beardies are a hands-on species, very mellow, but have a higher diet requirement. Uros are less hands-on, very mellow, pretty easy diet. Blueys are hands-on, lots of energy, easy diet requirements.

If you want a species to stick on your shoulder and walk around, you want a beardie. They're super friendly, they just need bugs. If you're able to get into Winnipeg regularly it wouldn't be a problem, Winnipeg Reptiles can keep you supplied. Or consider starting a roach colony instead of crickets.

I love Uros because of their personalities and veggie-diet, but I honestly haven't done tons of research. I think they need more specific care than beardies or blueys, so not many people are interested. But you already have torts, so you could probably do fine. I don't have all the answers regarding these guys, I'm a newbie to learning about them.

Now blueys are obviously my addiction. They're intelligent, full of personality, and super easy to care for. Every bluey is unique, but most love coming out of the tank and exploring or cuddling (depends on the skink, some will do either, some prefer one or the other). It's easy to feed them, and they can be left for a while without feeding if needed (holidays, weekends, etc) like a snake. No bugs required, but usually willingly taken if offered. Same with mice. They're just so easy to look after.

In regards to bluey temperment, almost all my BTS love to come out. I walk into the room and they run up to the front of the tank and scratch at the door. I do have a few who prefer to be left alone, or who would love to bite me, but they're the exception, and usually it's because they're WC or weren't treated as pets in a previous home. A CBB skink, or a rescue that's already used to people, is the way to go if you want a friend.

Back to work now. Write more next break

I bought my skink as a baby and tried to handle him at least daily. He too scratches on the glass to gain attention and when we are eating he comes close to the glass to watch (his cage is in the great room). Some nights I am able to watch t.v. with him sleeping on me and other nights he doesn't want to be bothered. My grandson is able to carry him about the house as long as he is held securely and he will eat out of my hand. I guess like any animal (dog, cat, reptile...) their comfort zone is directly proportional to the amount of time you put into them although I am sure some are the exception. Ard is also very at ease with the dogs and cats sniffing his face, which they do in the hope that one day he will "smell" like something.

Dustypaws- they are incredible adorable when they decide to be attention seeking. Mine will sleep on me any given chance, thats why i think some love to socialise.

Kinixys - i definitely did not mean to say that blueys are aggressive because generally they are not. some just do not like being handled and some do. They each have different personalities and i think thats why they are so loved by their owners. They are only usually aggressive when feeling threatened, like any other animal. But with some love and attention they get use to you more. I do suggest either getting baby and working with the baby to get it attached or an adult that is already hand tamed. A lot of people do not think blue tongue skinks are capable of being attached, but i beg to differ. I've had blueys for over 10 years, but im definitely no expert especially on this site, but ive seen what to me is pretty good proof from my own skinks that they recognise certain people and feel more comfortable with them etc.

For instance, one of my partners blueys always asks to come out and when my partner gets him out and sits him on himself, he will ALWAYS come over to me and sleep on me or up my sleeve. Every time. My partner will even take him back a few times but he continues to come back to me. Everyone thinks they are capable of different things. thats just my view on it

Thanks to everyone who posted their opinions on the bts and other lizards too.
We now have a lot more real life experiences to work with thankfully.
There are so many great species we are interested in but we are almost to our limit for space so we will determine which one to go with hopefully soon.
Thanks again!

I noticed you didn't say anything about leopard geckos. My BTS is the light of my life but he has his grumpy moments. I have 8 leos right now and the vast majority of leos I've met are highly personable. All but two of mine demand attention on a daily basis, love to come out, and are pretty cuddley. They are also bug eaters but they really are great pets. Also, they are pretty small. Just some food for thought.

Lol, Coomassie, you and I are on opposite sides of the leo spectrum. The vast majority of leos I've met are grumps, willing to bite, who dislike being held and really dislike coming out during the day. I've never understood why they're so popular as pets. I consider them fragile little freckle-beasts (I do love the freckles). That's why I went for the fatties instead - they may not have the colours, but there's no grump, just pure sweetness. I'm not saying leos aren't great, obviously lots of people like them, I just find it amusing how differently you and I see them.

Back on-topic. Now obviously I'm extremely biased, but I'd choose BTS anyday. My skinks are my buddies. They know me, they're individuals, and we hang out together. Most reptiles 'tolerate' handling; my blueys beg to come out and play. Most reptiles stress at changes; my blueys love new things to explore. And most reptiles require specific care and careful handling; my blueys tolerate so much and I can just hand them off to random children at expos. They're definitely the species for me

Now given that the OP keeps torts and lots of other animals, I think she could ace the care requirements for any species. Personality has been covered. So I'll mention breeding.

Beardies are obviously easy to breed, because it seems like just about every other person has done it. Thing is, there's not really a market left for babies, so most people have either stopped breeding, are freezing any eggs they get, or are breeding for specific traits to hold some value. Honestly, I see absolutely no point to breeding normal beardies - the babies are ravenous eating machines, they'll be hard to find homes for in an already saturated market, and it seems like a huge money pit. If you wanted to try breeding beardies, I'd suggest starting with a genetically awesome pair/group so your babies are at least worth something more than normal. There is the potential for beardies as a food source for other animals, but most people probably can't stomach that.

Blueys are a bit of a pain to breed (hard to sex) but there's still a market for them here in Canada. Right now all we have up here is Northern breeders. I've got some other species, and Katrina's working with Meraukes, but there's only 3-4 known people producing babies a year. Downside is, the species isn't known about, so there's also not extreme demand for the babies. I still have a dozen babies here looking for great homes. But as more people get them, the market expands, so it's an exciting group to be part of

Uros, while again I don't know much about them, don't seem to be being produced here in Canada. I've only ever seen imports. I'd think there could definitely be a market for some CBB Uros up here, but again there isn't tons of demand. So it's kind of a make-your-own-market situation, same with blueys. I plan to get into some Uros because I think they're adorable and awesome and very unique. They could definitely be a great breeding project for a capable person. You would need to make sure to sell to qualified owners though, since Uros need some extra TLC.

Off again. Note that this has all been my opinion, from my viewpoint into the Canadian herp hobby.

I just got my skink yesterday. He made a great pet and I am really enjoying his company! If you do decide to get one (I suggest one very much) make sure you get it from private breeder (for example Zach at bluetoungeskinks.net that is where I got mine) I suggest a BTS because I already love mine and so does my family. Also they are GREAT pets and VERY tame!

I've had my bts for about 3 weeks now and he wasn't held much in the last couple years by his previous owner. I've been slowly getting him used to being held again by letting him out for about 20 min a day to start. I just sit next to him and let him come to me (as Fatal said, they are extremely curious and love to explore) and crawl on me when he feels comfortable with it. He lets me pet him and isn't aggressive whatsoever (at most he hisses a bit in the morning when woken up, but don't we all haha). If you end up getting a bts, just small amounts of time per day getting him/her used to you will do the trick. Hand feeding treats works great! They are wonderful reptiles and, like you, I did extensive research on bts' before I got him. I was also interested in uro's but their care is more demanding than bts' with humidity requirements and the length they get (some can get over 3 feet), but easy and convenient to feed because of their veggie diet. Beardie's eat a TON when they are babies and should stray away from crickets when older just because of the low nutritional value crickets contain. The trick is if you're already having trouble getting crickets where you are, getting other bugs that have more nutritional value (silk and butter worms) will be even more difficult. You could also try ordering them offline, although I don't have experience doing that. Just my point of view of things. Good luck in your research!

Fatal_S wrote:Lol, Coomassie, you and I are on opposite sides of the leo spectrum. The vast majority of leos I've met are grumps, willing to bite, who dislike being held and really dislike coming out during the day. I've never understood why they're so popular as pets. I consider them fragile little freckle-beasts (I do love the freckles). That's why I went for the fatties instead - they may not have the colours, but there's no grump, just pure sweetness. I'm not saying leos aren't great, obviously lots of people like them, I just find it amusing how differently you and I see them.

Really? Apparently you guys have really different genes up in the Great White North. I will say a lot of the "designer" morphs have better personalities than the normals. My giant tremper albinos have exceptional personalities.

Coomassie wrote:

Fatal_S wrote:Lol, Coomassie, you and I are on opposite sides of the leo spectrum. The vast majority of leos I've met are grumps, willing to bite, who dislike being held and really dislike coming out during the day. I've never understood why they're so popular as pets. I consider them fragile little freckle-beasts (I do love the freckles). That's why I went for the fatties instead - they may not have the colours, but there's no grump, just pure sweetness. I'm not saying leos aren't great, obviously lots of people like them, I just find it amusing how differently you and I see them.

Really? Apparently you guys have really different genes up in the Great White North. I will say a lot of the "designer" morphs have better personalities than the normals. My giant tremper albinos have exceptional personalities.

I agree! I have met one aggressive Leo who ended up drawing blood when he bit me, however that seems to be the exception rather than the rule from my experience.