BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello I'm new to skinks. I literally only learned they existed 4 days ago.

Was at a pet shop and got to hold one. Fell in love with them.

But just a few questions. As Google isn't always the best.

Where they live.. What kind of viv is really good for a skink? I know they can get big and like to dig. But some suggestions on viv would be helpful.

Northern BTS need less humidity?
That's the one thing I would worrie about is the humidity.

And food. Do they need bugs?

Also I hear people say to feed them greens. But which type.

And they love fruit like bananas. But which others do they like?

And how much would you u give them?

Thanks for the help.

Skullblits wrote:Hello I'm new to skinks. I literally only learned they existed 4 days ago.

Was at a pet shop and got to hold one. Fell in love with them.

But just a few questions. As Google isn't always the best.

Where they live.. What kind of viv is really good for a skink? I know they can get big and like to dig. But some suggestions on viv would be helpful.

Northern BTS need less humidity?
That's the one thing I would worrie about is the humidity.

And food. Do they need bugs?

Also I hear people say to feed them greens. But which type.

And they love fruit like bananas. But which others do they like?

And how much would you u give them?

Thanks for the help.

A lot of good questions and good that you are trying to find out BEFORE buying a skink.

There are care sheets for the different species of bluetongue skink that spell out most of the answers to your questions.

The diet of the skink is very largely dependent on how old it is , a baby or a juvenile will require more frequent feeding and a different diet to a mature adult skink. Are you are thinking of buying a small very young skink or a fully grown adult ?
Very important to establish this from the getgo.

A baby or smaller juvenile ( under 9 months to 12 months old will be happy in a smaller viv , an adult will need a large viv as they can be quite large lizards ( I'd go for a 4ft L x 2ft W tank minimum , and likely at least 12 inches tall ( my two old eastern bluetongues are in tanks 16 inches tall ).

UV , I'd get a good linear T5 12%UVB tube for a northern bluetongue, as they come from the northern tropical areas of Australia in mostly dry woodland and savannah areas , high UV year round and only humid for 6 months of the year ( they get only two seasons , very hot and very humid (monsoon in summer) and hot dry season (winter).

There is guide for bluetongue diet on this site.
Bananas are A TREAT ONLY .

Word of warning, careful what the pet shop tell you, they usually don't know squat and want to push junk you will regret buying. Often that don't know a Northern from an Indo and will take advantage of a noob buy trying pass off a common and easy to get Indo BTS as a northern BTS (for a lot more money). Take photos of the skink you are interested in buying and post the photos here , so we can see it and tell you what it REALLY is.
My advise to every (in your situation) is find a local breeder and visit them and ask to see the mom and dad skinks . You'll get a healthier skink 99% of the time from a breeder and are less likely to encourage wildlife poaching from the wild and international wildlife trafficking .

Correct, pet shops will often sell you unhealthy, mainly wild caught skinks. Finding a local breeder or even one who can ship to you is best when seeking a pet. This will help ensure you're getting the species you desire. To answer your questions:

BTS can be found on both Australia and Papua New Guinea along with the smaller surrounding islands. Obviously the climates tend to differ in some of these areas so it's important to know the species of skink you are getting. The Northern Blue Tongue Skinks from Australia are generally recommended for ease of care (they do well at humidity levels of 40%-60%, which is normal household levels) and due to the fact that they are always captive bred.

Northerns will also due well in your standard glass tank. The higher humidity requiring skinks found outside Australia tend to do better in more specialized enclosures with minimal ventilation designed to maintain humidity. The minimum size enclosure recommended is usually 36" by 18." I'm going to go a step further and say go bigger. Seek to get a 4 ft. by 2 ft. enclosure.

As for diet, check out the feeding chart on the index page. Dark leafy greens such as mustard greens, dandelion greens, collard greens, bok choy are preferred although many skinks will not readily eat those unless blended into something else like wet dog food. BTS will readily eat insects. They are omnivores and insects comprise a large part of the diet in the wild. However canned dog food has been substituted in captivity with no proven negative effects. I myself do not feed insects to my skinks, never have, and I have individuals thriving at over 20 years of age. The diet I feed is simply a spoonful of wet dog food and either green beans or squash sprinkled on top once a week. I also sprinkle a bit of calcium powder with vitamin d3 on each meal. They do enjoy fruit, but as was mentioned, feed it sparingly. Perhaps once a month as a treat and just a bit, not to be substituted for a full meal.

Also read up on the different species descriptions and caresheets that can be found on the index page.

Thanks for the replys.

I won't be getting for a few months as I've never owned a reptile and want to study as much as I can and try and track down a breeder in Northen Ireland.

So I won't be jumping straight into this then asking all the questions later lol

I would like a juvenile or a baby or even a rescue one if anywhere has them.

If I 100% got a northen one. Which Beeding would be good for them.

I'm going to read up on the caresheets when I get chance.

Thanks again

Thanks.

Studying time

OK I didn't realise there was soo much to read.

Is there a section that just deals with northen skinks?

Keeping Blue Tongue Lizards By Grant Turner covers most the BASICS.

Blue-Tongued Skinks by David C. Wareham a good book to get hold of and work through if it's as detailed as the book by the same publisher about bearded dragons.

A Guide To Australian Skinks In Captivity Book by Dr.Danny Brown is very thorough and the bible down here in Australia for skink keepers , this is good too
http://nswfmpa.org/Husbandry%20Manuals/Published%20Manuals/Reptilia/Blue%20Tongue%20Lizard%20(Johnson).pdf

I'm just wondering. Seeing how I have littery no experience with keeping reptiles.

Should I start out with something more beginner friendly?

As it is now. I can't even find anyone breeding skinks here.

But there is plenty of bearded dragons for sell. And some people have said I should perhaps start out with one of them

Bearded dragons are great pets. I used to breed them before I started breeding blue tongues. I find blue tongues much easier to keep, they live much longer with proper care and are way easier to feed.