Meraukes?

[Jacqueline]

I had posted up an example picture of this guy next to my other blue tongue skink in my last post, but I wanted to ask a separate question about him. I just purchased him yesterday from a petstore up in Nashville. He had been there a while, and they even took him out in the past to little get togethers to meet with kids and people, sort of educate them and such. They got the biggest kick out of him due to his love of peeing. All the time. I have never had a lizard pee on me so much. But, other than that, his personality is wonderful. He's very observant, curious, and friendly, doesn't mind being handled, and is quite relaxed. I'm not 100% sure he's a male yet, but I'll find out soon enough. I'm watching him like a hawk.

With how long his tail is (nearly as long as his body itself) I believe he's a Merauke, but, I can't seem to find ANY pictures of a Merauke that looks remotely like him pattern wise. His markings are quite crisp, clean, and clear. Does anyone have any examples of Meraukes, or any blue tongues in general, that have markings like this? Is he a Merauke, a mix, or are there any other types I should know about with long tails? I believe he's nearing a year old, but I'm not quite sure yet. I'll be speaking with someone who knows more about him next week.

He also has a red belly, and I'm unsure if this is some sort of burning, or if it's actually part of his coloration. I've delt with rot on a belly on a rescue blue tongue skink in the past, but never had one with anything like this before. I'm sorry if I sound stupid asking these questions, but I really am trying to learn more and better my knowledge of my absolute favorite reptile.

Here are some pictures of my Chevalier, or Chevy, for short.

Full body, with as little shine as I could get.


Full body, with shine.


Head shot, with some leg action there.


Closer head shot.


Butt shot.


Nice neck shot.


Belly shot.


I hope these are all clear enough.

I appreciate any advice!

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Yup, he's a Merauke! One of the prettier ones at that
Alot of Meraukes look like him, check these out:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20339&hilit=Nevada
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18606&hilit=Meraukes

[Bluish]

"He"? Is it a definite male? Looks girly from here.
Nice Merauke.

[Jacqueline]

Well, like I said in my post, I'm not for sure on the gender, but I saw odd things in his tank at the shop that looked a little like dried up sperm balls with his poo.

Just going to wait, and keep watching!

Is there anything specific that defines a male from female in Meraukes? I know I've read the general 'signs' but nothing is for sure other than watching them when they relieve themselves, or watching for sperm balls. He's young, and a bit thin in my opinion. He had a very different diet than what I normally feed my blues, and when I offered him food today, he devoured it like he hadn't eaten in forever.

[Fatal_S]

Definitely a Merauke. A beautiful example of a Merauke. Love the long tail.

I will add that you should never, ever put a new skink near one you already have. Especially one from a pet store. Please do some research on quarantine. Meraukes are WC, and thus come with a whole host of possible issues - respiratory infections (often contagious), mites (contagious), and internal parasites (contagious through fecal matter) are common in WC/petstore skinks and can be devastating.

[Jacqueline]

Thank you for that information. They didn't touch, nor are their tanks anywhere near each other, but I know I definitely should not have been so impatient and held him next to my girl to get a picture that once. That is the only time they have been close to eachother at all, and it didn't last longer than a minute. I do always clean my hands between handlings, for all my reptiles, but I will be on the watch for any RI signs now. I know he had been in that store for quite a long time, and although his tank was away from all the other reptiles, goodness knows what he's been exposed to over that period of time. I have a lot of reptile friends, so if anything does turn up, I'm prepared, at least.

[Jacqueline]

Although, I was told that he was not wild caught, and came from a breeder. Are ALL Meraukes wild caught?

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Although, I was told that he was not wild caught, and came from a breeder. Are ALL Meraukes wild caught?

About 97% are.
Only 4 people(that I know of) have bred them successfully.
But for the most part they're wild-caught.

[Jacqueline]

Are they difficult to breed? And is there any information posted anywhere on breeding them?

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Are they difficult to breed? And is there any information posted anywhere on breeding them?

Yes they are difficult to breed. And there is no information about breeding them.

[Jacqueline]

Alright. Thank you for that information! I'm really glad I came to this site. It's been extremely helpful. It, and the people on it. It's not an easy task finding people knowledgeable about blues. Especially where I live.

[Spindown]

Lovely merauke! Very gorgeous

[Niels D]

Very beautiful!