Purchasing a BTS

[raf16]

Hello everyone, I've had many other reptiles in the past but now I'm a college student with a fairly low budget. I have recently fell in love with BTS and my biggest worry is that I'm noticing that they are a bit pricey. From your guys' experience, what is the best way to buy a healthy BTS without breaking the bank? Would a reptile convention be the best for this? Thanks!

[kingofnobbys]

If I were you, I'd find a breeder ( almost always a better option than buying from a petshop) and ask if they have any sub 3 month old BTS .

This way you get a skink who is small enough to easily house initially in a small enclosure ( even a large plastic tub with sides you can see through ) , and you'll be less likely to get a BTS who has been fed a rubbish diet all it's life because it's cheap , and may as a result have underlying health issues that are not yet symptomatic or obvious visually.

Little baby and juvenile BTS are really cute too and very easy to fall in love with and very entertaining to watch as they hunt down their bugs and explore their world.

[raf16]

Would the breeder typically be selling them for less money at a convention than in their store? Or would it be around the same?

[splashy07]

Check out the breeders on this site, baby season is a few short months away. See if you can get yourself on a waiting list. It is well worth a few extra bucks to buy from a reputable breeder, and you'll have a few months to save up! I breed Northerns, but mine are all spoken for at the moment of conception!
The ones you find in petshops and about 90 percent of what you will find at an expo will be imported.

[starscream3232]

Very very few breeders actually sell at expos. I could count on one hand how many do it. Most skinks sold at shows are imports and the sellers know very little about them. They'll basically tell you what you want to hear. Getting one from a reputable breeder is the best way. Probably cost around $300 to get a baby from a breeder. But for an animal that can easily live 25+ years it's a solid investment. Going the cheaper way by getting an import you have to factor in vet and medication costs. That usually costs more than getting a baby from a breeder.

[starscream3232]

And if you're on any of the blue tongue groups on Facebook check out their breeder lists. The list on this page is outdated.

[raf16]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

[BD99]

Wow. America is such a different market.

In Australia, lots of breeders sell them for $80 - $200 a pop
My eastern bluetongue cost me $120. She's a little banged up as an old breeder lizard with feisty males, but she is the sweetest girl I've ever met.

Regardless, if you have the chance I advise going physically to see the lizards. Also, spend a few hours watching them. Even go visit a few different times to get a true feel for them.

I actually bought my girl from a Petstore. I was rookie as heck, still am, but one thing I felt I did right was spend time and effort trying to learn her and plan for her. I would go spend hours watching her and my bearded dragon every day for 2 - 4 months before I actually bought them. The owners were happy to have me around and interacting, getting to know the individual animal as well as the breed.

Going at vastly different times allowed me to actually get a sense of their overall behaviour, and see exactly what and how they were eating. It also let me pick out hides and such that were similar. I know Gidge was happy as larry to find the same style hide, she even rejected multiple other hides I offered her in favour of the similar one.

realistically, you probably won't have that level of chance for time. I kind of fell for the grizzled ones. But don't be afraid to ask to see an animal multiple times. I cannot stress enough how easy it made it for me to make the transition to their new home as stress free as possible as well as give me some confidence in noting any unusual behaviours off the bat.