1. I would recommend lamps with incandescent bulbs. I would not recommend heat mats as your only source of heat and definitely do not recommend heat rocks. What I do recommend highly is a flat rock directly under your heat lamp, which should be on the end of either side of your enclosure. You can pick these up for a few bucks from your garden section at most hardware stores. Use an infrared heat gun (which you can pick up reasonably priced at Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) and make sure the temperature on your rock is between 100 and 110 degrees. Adjust your light bulbs accordingly to ensure this. Just make sure that the temperatures on the other side of the enclosure stay in the 70-80 degree range.
2. There is no age that sexing a BTS is easy at. If you don't intend to breed your skink, then you shouldn't really worry about it. Despite what people may tell you, there is no method to determine complete accuracy by merely visually examining it.
3.
app.php/page/food-chartSprinkle your skink's food with calcium w/ d3 powder and reptile multivitamin once a week, especially if you are not providing uvb light, which has not been proven to be necessary but many still utilize it.
4. Your species of Blue Tongue will dictate which substrate is appropriate. Indonesian species need a higher humidity so DO NOT use an aspen bedding for these guys. You can't go wrong with good old fashioned ORGANIC potting soil or garden soil for pretty much any BTS. Make sure it does not have any of the additives, color dyes, or insecticides that some tend to have. Spaghnum moss is great to throw in there also as it holds humidity well and they love to burrow into it. Cypress mulch, eco earth, and zoo med forest floor are also excellent choice for any BTS. If you have an Indonesian species, mist your enclosure and keep the humidity over 60% as a good baseline. If you have an Australian Northern, they don't need it quite that high. I'd say a good baseline is 40%-50%. They can handle a higher humidity but avoid overspraying and sending the humidity super high like you can do with an Indonesian. Do not use a walnut or cedar bedding for any BTS. Make sure your substrate is deep enough that they can burrow into it completely.
5. Many skinks will not eat the first week or so that you have them. Some will on the first day. Its not a big deal if they will not eat right away but if your skink is not eating for a few weeks, a vet visit might be necessary to rule out common parasites and illnesses. Most Indonesian skinks are imports. If you buy your skink from a pet store, pay less than $350, or buy him from a vendor at an expo, who is not reputable or is unsure what kind of skink it is, its almost certainly an import. Become familiar with the visual differences in various types of BTS. Imported skinks commonly have parasites and all types of nasty diseases. It would be a good idea to have it checked out by a good reptile vet to rule these out or get the antibiotics it will require. Avoid overhandling your skink the first few days so as not to stress it out. Especially important for the imported skinks who may already be in fragile health. Lastly read these forums religiously. All of this information and more can be found here. Never stop reading and researching.