BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello, I have about a 3 month Irian Jaya and s/he has been hiding A LOT. He wont eat much at all, and rarely comes out even to bask or for water. He is also very cold whenever I've taken him out.. Is it possible for young skinks to brumate? Or is this merely a result of me having him for around 2 weeks? Thanks for further input~

Have a look at these threads

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=20347

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=20337


Good luck, hope this helps

As far as I can remember Gigas species (Indos, IJs, etc) do not burmate. Leave your new BTS alone for a few weeks so he can adjust. All reptiles can be very shy at first, especially for babies.

I remember someone stated that one of the few people that breed Meraukes in Florida brumate "like normal", on here not to long ago.

if temps arent to there liking,eg way to cold then yes even tropical ones will go into shutdown,if its to cold,eg tropical ones dont at a cool temp a more temperate species is used to,eg blotchies,then if u dont rectify the conditions the tropical species can succumb to illnesses

my suggestion is try and fix enclosure temps,if basking spot is hot enough,u might just need to work on back ground temps

what are your basking spot temps,cool end temp and middle of cage temps,all measured at ground level

Dakota Nivens wrote:I remember someone stated that one of the few people that breed Meraukes in Florida brumate "like normal", on here not to long ago.

You remember someone stating something that might be applicable a while ago? This post isn't useful whatsoever and the OP is asking about an IJ not Merauke. Please think before posting.


This doesn't sound like brumation, more like a new baby settling in. Check temps and husbandry as suggested. Young skinks can brumate same as adults, however it seems like it is more the Northerns that will start to brumate on their own. Meraukes and IJs can be brumated but it usually involved input from the owners, whereas Northerns will often brumate even with no changes to temperatures, photoperiod etc.

I was repling to Coomassie's post.

Please don't argue. Your post was extremely vague and not helpful. Coomassie is right that generally the gigas species don't go into brumation on their own (although they can be brumated - like I explained in my post).

Richard.C wrote:if temps arent to there liking,eg way to cold then yes even tropical ones will go into shutdown,if its to cold,eg tropical ones dont at a cool temp a more temperate species is used to,eg blotchies,then if u dont rectify the conditions the tropical species can succumb to illnesses

my suggestion is try and fix enclosure temps,if basking spot is hot enough,u might just need to work on back ground temps

what are your basking spot temps,cool end temp and middle of cage temps,all measured at ground level

Humidity - Around 60%
Basking temperature - around 95º
Cool side temp - around 70º
Middle - around 80º
Warm side temp - around 85º

She has started to bask more... but how often should they eat? Because she wont take more than a couple teaspoons every 3 days or so. Oh.. and tell me if this is okay dog food to feed her.

http://www.innovapet.com/products/801

those temps sound fine,id say its just settling in like kat mentioned,good to hear its basking and eating abit,a few spoons of food every 3 days isnt bad going,as it warms up more its appetite will pick up more

Alright, thanks.. and is that wet dog food good?

In direct answer to the question some sub-species brumate not long after birth. The highland blotched around this area are typically born mid March to mid April. By mid to late April the overnight temperatures are down to single figures and the day temperatures are not high enough to support basking except for prolonged periods, also most potential live food is very scarce. They don't re-emerge until around September when the March/April born are still the same as their birth size. Some breeders opt to not allow them to brumate in their first year to help prevent losses.