Hello new to the forum with my new NBTS

[discojaguar]

Hello,

I have kept snakes for a while now (one ball python, and one dwarf retic) and decided to take the plunge on a blue tongue skink! I was originally directed towards bearded dragons, but the versatility and heartiness of BTS appealed to me. I am expecting my new baby from Bonita Galas (Came with good reviews from fauna classifieds) next Tuesday and just wanted to make sure I am doing everything right before he/she gets here!
The skink I believe to be about 2 months old at this point, and was born on 9/14/2012

So far my enclosure is:
34x16x12 inches with 3 inches deep of care fresh colored bedding

A large piece of drift wood for basking with a 100w repti basking spot lamp on a dimmer switch (Fiddling with it to keep it from getting too hot, testing it out with a temp gun that I use for my snakes)

Food and water bowls ofcorce, and some home made hides scattered around.

I also have repti-cal with D3 and plan on supplementing the diet. As far as diet goes based on looking through this forum I think I am going the dog food-mixed veggi route with occasional treats of fruit/different vegetables to mix it up.

On that last note, has anyone ever used tubs to keep their skinks in? I'm not talking about a rack system but like a "Display" tub for viewing. The reason being is I tend to move around alot and large glass enclosures make me nervous!

Thankyou for reading this wall o' text and here have the picture from the breeder as a reward! (Also he needs a name if ya'll have any ideas!)

[Richard.C]

Welcome to the forum,i know a few people who use tub enclosures quite successfully

[AnnaMonroe]

Aw, he's cute!! I'm loving the colors on his back.
Reptar should be a good name!! (the large green dinosaur from Rugrats) lol(:

[discojaguar]

Thanks to both of you! I showed my friend a picture of it and she mentioned that he should be "Mr. King Burrito". I'm glad to hear about the tubs, as my set up is actually just a re-purposed tub that Artimus (dwarf tiger retic) used to inhabit before he grew out of it, it's painted on three sides with the front left "clear" to act as a window out and in with vent holes poked here and there. The lid is a custom hack-and -glue job with tight wire mesh to provide a place for the heat lamp to sit on as well as more ventilation.

[Rani-May]

Lovely picture, he is very beautiful

[Cathy20]

He is very colorful...maybe Fiesta Fred/Fionaor Guacamole Greg/Gwen instead of "Mr. King Burrito"?

Gorgeous baby, by the way! Love how bright he is!

[discojaguar]

Thanks for the wonderful compliments! I was given a choice out of 4 different babies and it seems I chose a good one! (although all of her babies were super stunning, I'm hoping he's in as good health as the picture in person.)

[Linnea]

thats a very cute looking bluey, his proportions look great and so does his pattern. his eyes seem to be very much awake and curious.

welcome to the forum!

[tiliqua38]

He is very cute! I house my BTS in the largest tub made by rubbermaid. I'm able to do that because I have a dedicated reptile room. A tub is not something you would want sitting in your living room! The tub works great for me. It holds the heat in wonderfully and I believe it makes some animals feel more secure.

[discojaguar]

I'm just curious how come? I'll admit my knowledge is mostly in keeping snakes, but is there some reason that you would not want to keep a tub in a living room? (Other than appearance) I Mentioned earlier that the tub was slightly modified to be more of a "viewing" cage (best I can do till I'm somewhere permanent). I just want to make sure I'm giving my little guy the best care I can.

He is very cute! I house my BTS in the largest tub made by rubbermaid. I'm able to do that because I have a dedicated reptile room. A tub is not something you would want sitting in your living room! .

[tiliqua38]

I just said that for the purposes of how it looks. Mine is not modified in any way. It is a big gray rubbermaid tub with his lighting on top. I don't want that in my living room. Other than that there is no reason if you don't mind how it looks.

I can't visualize how you modified it to make it a display tub. Are you able to post a pic? I'd love to see it.

[discojaguar]

Ofcorce! I apologize in advance for the possible blindness that might occur due to the bright yellow care-fresh bedding.(also I know it's pretty deep, but I thought deeper might be better for burrowing?) It is definitely not the prettiest thing, but it works for my apartment at the moment. (Oh the day when I can have wall to wall animal plastics!) It is also a couple inches short in length/width and will have some more hides soon.

I can't visualize how you modified it to make it a display tub. Are you able to post a pic? I'd love to see it.

[tiliqua38]

Ok, that's the difference. Mine is not see through. Mine is a 55 gallon rubbermaid tote from Walmart. It is grey in color. It is tall enough that I can leave the top off, but the tote itself is not see through.

If I can get a pic taken of my setup I will post it on here. My tote is bigger than that one and might be an option for you. You can certainly set it up in your living room if you want. If I had an apartment by myself I would!! But I don't think my husband would be too happy about my herps being in our tiny living room...lol.

[discojaguar]

That would be great honestly!

The only reason bigger tubs weren't even on my mind is because it was discouraged to keep them in tubs they couldn't see out of (by the guild on this site). I was wondering if that could be combated with lots of exercise time outside of the tub? Also, do you have any problems with them crawling out or does the smooth sides keep that from happening?

[tiliqua38]

My BTS actually seems very happy in a tub that's not see through. I have the tub stacked on top of another exact tub that has it's lid on. The bottom tub acts as a stand to keep it off the floor. But it's low enough that when I'm in the reptile room I can look run down into it, and he can see me. It has worked out great. When I get a chance I'll get pics.

The tub is about 1.5 feet tall, or close to it. So I have had no problem with him being able to crawl out of it.

[tiliqua38]

Here are some pics of the way I set up my rubbermaid tub for my BTS:

this is an example of using one tub as a stand under the actual enclosure.


Here is how I set up the lights.


Inside the enclosure.


Another pic inside the enclosure.

[Rani-May]

how long and wide are those tubs?

[tiliqua38]

It depends on where you measure. The bottom (floor) of the tub is about 18 inches by 36 inches. Near the top it is about 21 inches by 42 inches.

[Rani-May]

oh ok, thank you just looked tiny from the picture. here where i live the reptile club wouldnt let you take home a BTS unless you had a 4x1.5" preferably 4x2 at least. but they are fussy here with everything. i tend to skink proof an entire room for mine to stroll in though lol

[tiliqua38]

Honestly, if I had to do it over I would get something closer to 2 feet x 4 feet as well. But I've had my BTS for 13 years now and the whole time he's been living in an enclosure the size of 1.5 feet by 3 feet. He used to live in a 40 breeder tank, which is also 1.5 x 3.