my new blue tongue :)

[kenny]

Hi all, this is my new baby Indonesian blue tongue skink.
His name is Randall... (Assuming it's a he lol).
It's my first ever reptile and he is still settling in atm, will post pics

[Rani-May]

We to the site and to skinks Look forward to the pictures

[Niels D]

You've managed to choose a BTS as your first reptile!? That's the best choice you could make if you ask me.

[Rani-May]

You've managed to choose a BTS as your first reptile!? That's the best choice you could make if you ask me.

definitely agree with you, they are the easiest and best reptile for a beginner.

[Niels D]

And simply my favourite!

[Rani-May]

And simply my favourite!

Mine too

[kenny]

[kenny]

He is still very shy, so I'm hoping in a couple of weeks I can start
To get him used to hand feeding and being held.
Any useful tricks will be appreciated. Blue tongues are so cool
And so glad I got one

[Rani-May]

Whatever you do, dont pull your hand away quickly if it looks as though he is going to bite you, might be difficult but that will teach him to do it more. Maybe just start by sitting him on your lap for a while each day and if/when he seems comfortable with that, move to hand feeding and petting.

He is gorgeous. And from what i can see the set up looks pretty nice, got a shot of the entire thing by any chance?

[kenny]

Well at the minute it's 2.5 foot square, until he is about 6 months old.
Currently constructing a 4 foot by 2.5 foot viv for when he is growing..
At the minute he is easy to care for in the tank he is in and he is only
Approx 3 months old.. il see what pics I have if not il put some up later.
Thanks for advice , I just going to leave him to settle, just feeding and watering
At the minute as he has been in a breeders tank, pet shop... And now home!
Just taking my time with him, he will come out of his shell sooner or later. He
Sheds well and eats ( when noone is watching) hehe. I photograph what I
Feed him and compare later so I can see what he is eating.

[kenny]

[kenny]

By the way that was his first day at home, and he had never had calci
Supplements until now, but slowly little by little I have made it so he
Now has zoo med calcium and vitamins powder, I did really want him to eat when
I got him home and didn't know if he would be put off eating if
From day one I used it. Now he doesn't mind it at all

[Rani-May]

You are doing such a good job so far only thing, i might cut the food pieces a tad smaller than that, unless its maybe just the angle of the photograph.
The calcium with D3 is a really good thing to have, I have a 3 month old bluey as well and he actually enjoys the supplement lol. And a lot of people use the vitamins as well, i personally dont because i use a really varied diet, but good on you, you are going to be a really good skink owner.

[kenny]

Thanks a lot yea he does have meat aswell as veg, fruit and insects.
It would appear cooked chicken being one of the favourites.. which
I don't at all mind as I know the protein is good in that. Fruit favourite
Is mushed banana and strawberries, I hear raspberries ar a common
Favourite to, so will try that. May keep them for when I start hand feeding only
So he relates those to being held at first.. not so Much he expects them
Everytime he is handled though lol. From your previous message about
Not pulling away, he hisses only when he sees me in his tank
So I'm only putting food and water in when he is hiding. And as for bites
.. I am expecting to get bitten once or twice for sure, but my real agenda
With Randall is for him to be a family pet for when my daughter gets older,
Because they are very intelligent, and the perfect example for teaching her
To respect animals of all sizes, not just dogs and cats. Also as a bonus
I can show my wife that not all reptiles are ( icky ) lol. It's working
A treat as already when I'm at work she is detailing every
Appearance he makes . Fantastic, and very intelligent animals.
So curious... Equally of me as I am of him. By the way, the care sheet of this
Site is fantastic . Hoping that with enough knowledge to start
Breeding in UK... As... There are very few breeders equaling very few blue
Tongues.

[Susann]

Welcome! Congratulations on getting the best pet in the world!
And thank you on behalf of Randall for reading the caresheet
In the FAQ section there is a food chart that is absolutely marvelous and super easy to use. That way you make sure that you are feeding only the BEST foods to keep you skinker happy and healthy You may want to use a food processor to cop up the harder vegetables like carrots into much smaller pieces. I second Rani-May that those pieces look awful big. You could use a grater as well. Personally I just throw everything into the processor, the veggies and the greens.

We hope to see many more pictures of Randall when he is no longer so shy.
Good luck and have fun!

[Rani-May]

Randall will be a fantastic pet for your daughter, they are the most wonderful pets and very fascinating little things.
And i must agree, the care sheet is great, best ive come across and ive learnt so much from it.
Your wife will definitely come around, it seems these guys are so hard to resist the cuteness of. And just wait until you slowly find out his personality.

[El Lobo]

As has been suggested make the food pieces smaller. I prefer to use a grater for vegetables rather than a food processor to have the food more as a solid than a paste. I am only feeding three so it is actually quicker to grate.

While he is still young and small try ensuring the protein portion of each meal is approximately 50-60% as protein is necessary for healthy growth. Although fruit contains a lot of vitamins it also contains a lot of sugars so keeping it at around 10% will give a better balance. Chicken meat usually is well accepted but of the meats it has amongst the worst Ca:P ratio. Using more red meat or canned dog food will help with the Ca:P. Make sure the calcium supplement is phosphorous free and has vitamin D3 added.

BTW, I don't believe getting bitten is a rite of passage. I have had mine for over four years and have picked up a lot of wild ones and have yet to get a bite. Their body language will tell you when a bite is imminent.

[Rani-May]

I agree with el lobo, i've had skinks for around 14 years and only been bitten once and that was from an injured and stressed out skink. Like el lobo said, jut read their body language and you should be able to avoid it

[Spindown]

Grats on your first reptile, and WOW that you picked a Bluey for your first! Pretty awesome.
I personally puree all my skink food, as they get all the bits they dont necessarily want to eat seperately that way.

I had an Irian Jaya bluey that was mouthy. She had to bite everything that was new, just to see what it was. She grew out of it (mostly) as she hit her one year mark though.

[kenny]

Hey guys thanks for all the help. He now gets five different veg, one or two
different meats all in one! Puree for the win I think. Iv had him nearly two months
now but he is still so very shy.. I get him out twice a day for about ten mins a time..
But he still is very uncomfortable I think. He burrows all day and when I get
him out he is very cold.. I put him on his rock to bask before I handle him.. He just
doesn't do everything very naturally unfortunately.. When he started burrowing I was very
happy.. Sadly now he doesn't come out. Only to eat. Iv checked his temps over and over
and even got another thermometer just in case it was that. I know I have a long time
to settle him and if he basked I wouldn't worry. Any ideas how I can make him feel more at
home. My family love him very much. My wife sings to him everyday and we always talk
to him. iv tried it all. I don't believe him to be ill nor do I believe he is brumating because if we
are out he is out when we get back but then hides when he sees us. I don't know what to
bdo