BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello!

It's my first time posting here after months of stalking, as I'm finally going to get myself a Bluey!

I've been in touch with a few Reptile stores over here in England and there was one place that said that they had 2 Axanthics there currently. I've asked for photos of each so these are the only ones I have from them but I'd really appreciate it if someone can confirm if they are indeed Axanthics or not?

I did go see them in person yesterday as well and the smaller one does seem to have more of a 'glow' than the 2nd larger darker one but as the shop has fluorescent lights and I'm new to this world, I can't be too sure of course! I didn't get a chance to take photos of them myself as they weren't opened for much longer (had to dash there after I had finished work yesterday!).

This is the first one, smaller Bluey:


This is the second one, darker and larger Bluey:


Thank you in advance guys!

They look more like my Halmaheras I used to keep when in shed. Possibly one of the keepers of true xanthics will chime in?

I second what splashy07 said.

Upon looking at the pics they do look like xanthics, but having a Halmahera myself, I know that they do turn 'black and white' for a day or two when going into shed and look EXACTLY like a xanthic.

I would confirm in person first if you've got your heart set on a xanthic.

Thank you so much for replying guys!

Karbon wrote:I would confirm in person first if you've got your heart set on a xanthic.

@Karbon - I did go in to see them in person last Friday and held the smaller one (first pic) myself which did appear to have a bit more of a 'glow' than the larger darker (second pic) Bluey. The lighting in the shop itself was horrendous though (like those fluorescent light tubes) and being a Bluey newbie myself, not sure I can trust my own judgement quite just yet.

I'll be going back in early next week though to view them again so had wanted some tips beforehand on what to look out for to see if they're true Axanthics or not really as I really am so drawn to them so would ideally love to have one!

Thank you again. ^^

Szereza wrote:Thank you so much for replying guys!

Karbon wrote:I would confirm in person first if you've got your heart set on a xanthic.

@Karbon - I did go in to see them in person last Friday and held the smaller one (first pic) myself which did appear to have a bit more of a 'glow' than the larger darker (second pic) Bluey. The lighting in the shop itself was horrendous though (like those fluorescent light tubes) and being a Bluey newbie myself, not sure I can trust my own judgement quite just yet.

I'll be going back in early next week though to view them again so had wanted some tips beforehand on what to look out for to see if they're true Axanthics or not really as I really am so drawn to them so would ideally love to have one!

Thank you again. ^^

Gotcha!

If they look xanthic in person again, then i'm pretty sure they are.

Good luck on your pickup

Karbon wrote:Gotcha!

If they look xanthic in person again, then i'm pretty sure they are.

Good luck on your pickup

Okay! Thank you very much!

I'm really excited but to be honest, I fell in love with the lil' Bluey when I held him so I think I'll end up putting a deposit on him either way! <3

They look like they are in shed or normal.
What color are they eyes?
If they're orange, red, or brown it is normal.

xxmonitorlizardxx wrote:They look like they are in shed or normal.
What color are they eyes?
If they're orange, red, or brown it is normal.

From what I remember, they were definitely very dark so it wasn't orange or red for sure. I've emailed the guy I've been in contact with for him to confirm though!

Thank you for replying.

xxmonitorlizardxx wrote:They look like they are in shed or normal.
What color are they eyes?
If they're orange, red, or brown it is normal.

I just received the picture I asked for (I think he's beautiful either way!) - here's the lil' Bluey I have my eyes on:

Those eyes look like the eyes of an axanthic to me. It is believed that the axanthic gene is definitely out and about among the halmahera population. I have seen pics of what I’m
convinced are T+ Halmaheras and T+ Axanthic Halmaheras. If you trust the seller, it’s not really far fetched that those are axanthic. I think I saw that you’re in the UK?
I know there are axanthic Halmaheras there for sale and have been for years. I think the shop was Crystal Palace Reptiles or something?
Now it’s just a matter of reproducing them in captivity.
As you can tell, I’m a believer.
We love us some axanthic halms in our house. Here’s our little 2017 boy, Lucky.
In short, my opinion?
If you trust the source, get ‘em.
Worth it!

aaronhouts wrote:Those eyes look like the eyes of an axanthic to me. It is believed that the axanthic gene is definitely out and about among the halmahera population. I have seen pics of what I’m convinced are T+ Halmaheras and T+ Axanthic Halmaheras. If you trust the seller, it’s not really far fetched that those are axanthic. I think I saw that you’re in the UK?
I know there are axanthic Halmaheras there for sale and have been for years. I think the shop was Crystal Palace Reptile’s or something?
Now it’s just a matter of reproducing them in captivity.
As you can tell, I’m a believer.
We love us some axanthic halms in our house. Here’s our little 2017 boy, Lucky.
In short, my opinion?
If you trust the source, get ‘em.
Worth it!

Oh! Crystal Palace Reptile is exactly the place I'm getting my Bluey from actually! Haha. Hearing you mention CPR has definitely put me at ease - thank you for that!

I went back and put a deposit on that lil' guy (latest picture) yesterday after work - he's just too beautiful and I couldn't bare the thought of someone else having him/her (leaning more toward calling him a him as it feels more natural to me)! I will be picking him up early next week, yay! My first Blueeeey!

Oh wooow! Lucky is so handsome! Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures! <3

Was waiting for Aaron to confirm! Congratulations!!!

splashy07 wrote:Was waiting for Aaron to confirm! Congratulations!!!

Sorry about the delay, Splashy!
Work has been keeping me too busy.

Szereza,

Congratulations!

I think Crystal Palace is a pretty solid bet from what I can tell. Truthfully, I'm a little envious as they seem to be able to get stuff that we can't get over here yet. Keep in contact with them. I think they're the ones that have also had T+ Halmaheras and the T+ Axanthic.

Please keep us posted on your new dude.

Keep a close eye on the humidity and look into deworming.

Thank you for the kind words on Lucky!

Here are some pics of Scout, our 2015 girl. The last one is funny because she’s also the skink in the picture frame right in front of her.

aaronhouts wrote:Szereza,

Congratulations!

I think Crystal Palace is a pretty solid bet from what I can tell. Truthfully, I'm a little envious as they seem to be able to get stuff that we can't get over here yet. Keep in contact with them. I think they're the ones that have also had T+ Halmaheras and the T+ Axanthic.

Please keep us posted on your new dude.

Keep a close eye on the humidity and look into deworming.

Thank you for the kind words on Lucky!

Here are some pics of Scout, our 2015 girl. The last one is funny because she’s also the skink in the picture frame right in front of her.

Why are you envious? I would have thought you get a lot more stuff in America than here? ;o

I will! If everything goes well then I should be picking him up on Tuesday! I have been contact with one of the managers at CPR and have asked about deworming, he did say he would have noticed if the lil' guy had it but probably best if I still do it right? I got a vet that's close to me that caters to Exotic pets too so yay! I was going to bring him in for a check up too next weekend (free check up for new pet registrations, woo!).

Just to confirm, the humidity level should be around 70-80%? Or did I get that wrong..?

Ahhhh! Scout is also sooo beautiful! Your Axanthics are to die for! ;o I really love that last picture, got a bit of a chuckle myself, haha.

Here's an update for you guys - my lil' guy is now home with me! Meet Linus:



Had to plop him on my bed for a few minutes as I had to put some finishing touches to his viv!



Linus' home!



Linus in his new home, half hiding, haha.

Gorgeous! And lovely setup - looks like Linus will be happy there

kayla990 wrote:Gorgeous! And lovely setup - looks like Linus will be happy there

Thank you so much! I think he's adjusting well, he's coming out of his hide quite a fair bit already (from what I can see from a distance, haha) although if I walk near the viv, he does slowly go back to his hide so hoping he'll eventually get used to me!

Congratulations on Linus!

Sorry about the delayed response.

To answer your questions:

I think that Europe gets everything before we do in the US.

As far as deworming, I always deworm any new animal. The Axanthic Halmaheras are farmed imports so I definitely would. Plus, you can establish a relationship with the vet.

As far as humidity, we don't actually measure it. Some tells to look for that would indicate that the humidity is too low are bubbles around the eyes, problems with toes and issues on the bottom of their feet like redness or sores if you let it go too long.

We also actually get them out every other day, place them in a separate tub and spray them with water for a few minutes straight.

Thank you for the compliments and good luck with Linus. He looks great!
Keep us posted.

Congratulations! Awesome setup. That is one lucky little skink! All the best! And I'm jealous too...I've only seen these in pictures, like most of us here in the US.

splashy07 wrote:Congratulations! Awesome setup. That is one lucky little skink! All the best! And I'm jealous too...I've only seen these in pictures, like most of us here in the US.

Thank you Splashy! Here's a couple of gifs of Linus munching on a raspberry:





I can't get enough of him - I really wish I wasn't at work right now! T_T