BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello, I am considering a blue tongue skink for a long term companion. Ive done a lot of research and I can meet all of its care needs. I was just wanting to know from owners if they are as friendly as they seem on the internet? is it really so easy to care for them? Can you actually bond with them? If I happen to go out of town how easy would it be to bring it along? Thanks for any answers I can get

They can be as friendly as they seem on the internet, but it depends on the individual skink along with other factors such as wild caught vs. captive bred, age, etc. As for care, they're very easy as far as reptiles go, but that doesn't mean that they're a pet you can just forget about. While reptiles don't "bond" like dogs do, you will notice that your skink is probably more comfortable around you than others, and will recognize you. When you go out of town for a few days or weeks, it's easier to just leave your skink at home and have someone take care of it. Reptiles in general are stressed out by being taken to new places.

I had iguanas when I was younger and they seemed to "in their own way" bond with me, follow me thru the house climb up my leg and such. I just want something like that again but I don't have enough room for iguanas anymore. And I was captivated by the beauty and oddness of skinks so I thought I'd look deeper into them.

They probably won't be following you around the house, but my northern does come up to the front of the cage every time I open it.

Haha I didn't mean I want exactly that. Just something that let's me know it don't hate me

X-Iron-Maiden-X wrote:Hello, I am considering a blue tongue skink for a long term companion. Ive done a lot of research and I can meet all of its care needs. I was just wanting to know from owners if they are as friendly as they seem on the internet? is it really so easy to care for them? Can you actually bond with them? If I happen to go out of town how easy would it be to bring it along? Thanks for any answers I can get

I got mine on Sunday and he/she has been the most affectionate thing ever, videos do not give them enough justice, however there can be grumpy ones but you can get that out of them over time. They're really easy to care for, i think that adults are easier because its easier to feed them because they eat a lot more and you can save on wastage. Within the first 10 hours mine crawled into my pocket and stayed there for six i dont know if thats bonding though.

Sounds good enough for me. I just don't want a "display" pet, I want one that will interact with me. I know it wouldn't be right off because it will need time to adjust, but you get the idea.

X-Iron-Maiden-X wrote:Sounds good enough for me. I just don't want a "display" pet, I want one that will interact with me. I know it wouldn't be right off because it will need time to adjust, but you get the idea.

Sounds like a bluey is a good pet for you!

Thanks for the input I will be studying further into the care for them so I'm fully prepared for when the time comes for me to get one

Ive had my one northern Burrito for 17 years. She's been a wonderful companion and I s'ppose you could call it a bond at this point. She won't let many other folk hang out with her, she either runs from them or just poos, but will willingly come up to me and hang for hours, her favorite spot is wrapped around the back of my neck. I think you'll really enjoy a bluey as a pet lizard, just don't get discouraged if it doesn't love you right away, it takes a while to establish a bond with a lizard. Burrito ran, bit and pooped on me for the first year before she calmed down but we've been best buds ever since:)

X-Iron-Maiden-X wrote:Sounds good enough for me. I just don't want a "display" pet, I want one that will interact with me. I know it wouldn't be right off because it will need time to adjust, but you get the idea.

I think a blue tongue is a great choice for you.

I got my Peaches when he was 2 months old. For the first few months, I do admit to being a bit worried by how shy and flighty he was. I had read all the stories about how interactive these skinks can be and was hoping to see that quickly. A reminder to be patient and keep handling sessions short, and now I have a skink who is happy on his own but will occasionally come to the front of his tank to be let out. He loves to explore and handles really well. He doesn't 'snuggle' like my beardie used to since he is always on the go but he is really a delightful little thing.