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New to BTS, not reptiles
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2019 5:34 pm
by MotherHaveMercy
Heya! I'll hopefully be getting my first blue tongue here next Friday, I'll be visiting them again soon to identify the local but they are either a Halm or a Merauke(fingers crossd for Merauke), they've got all their toes, their tongues look so good and their eyes are nice and bright. I'm going to double check if they are wc or captive bred/born when I visit. I currently have 11 reptiles, with different needs and diets, and of all things, I have yet to get my hands on a bt despite being on my wishlist for a good year and a half.
They appear to be a few months old, maybe 3-4 months max, I have an open 40G reptile intended with more floor space than verical space, and have plans to move them into my 75G when I get the $4k for my boa's 6x4x7(lxdxh) custom encosure. If it is a Merauke, it will get a custom enclosure rather than just a 75G. plan on feeding Blue Buffalo as a staple brand for dog food, but what are other good brands, also, should I go for grain free or does it matter? I have a bearded dragon, so I regularly have plenty of greens, veggies, an odd cactus leaf and fruits to mix in.
Also, do blue tongues genuinely require UV, I'd love to take it outside when it warms up like I do with my beardie, or can it be replaced with vitamin D3, I have a jar of the stuff lol.
I''ve seen and heard that you can house break blue tongues, how would one go about that?
I regularly weigh all my reptiles, for both keeping track of their health and for breeding, what is a good weight for juvenile blues, and adult blues? I know you can't really sex them without attempting to breed them so I'm not really concerned at all with sexing them unless they are Meraukes and/or big enough to breed.
Also anything incredibly specific when it comes to the halmehara and merauke locales that I may need to know?
Thank you for any responses!
Re: New to BTS, not reptiles
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2019 11:47 pm
by kingofnobbys
MotherHaveMercy wrote:Heya! I'll hopefully be getting my first blue tongue here next Friday, I'll be visiting them again soon to identify the local but they are either a Halm or a Merauke(fingers crossd for Merauke), they've got all their toes, their tongues look so good and their eyes are nice and bright. I'm going to double check if they are wc or captive bred/born when I visit. I currently have 11 reptiles, with different needs and diets, and of all things, I have yet to get my hands on a bt despite being on my wishlist for a good year and a half.
They appear to be a few months old, maybe 3-4 months max, I have an open 40G reptile intended with more floor space than verical space, and have plans to move them into my 75G when I get the $4k for my boa's 6x4x7(lxdxh) custom encosure. If it is a Merauke, it will get a custom enclosure rather than just a 75G. plan on feeding Blue Buffalo as a staple brand for dog food, but what are other good brands, also, should I go for grain free or does it matter? I have a bearded dragon, so I regularly have plenty of greens, veggies, an odd cactus leaf and fruits to mix in.
Also, do blue tongues genuinely require UV, I'd love to take it outside when it warms up like I do with my beardie, or can it be replaced with vitamin D3, I have a jar of the stuff lol.
<<< YES , UVA & UVB are necessary , I'd recommend a t5ho 12% UVB tube for ANY BLUETONGUE.
I''ve seen and heard that you can house break blue tongues, how would one go about that?
I regularly weigh all my reptiles, for both keeping track of their health and for breeding, what is a good weight for juvenile blues, and adult blues? I know you can't really sex them without attempting to breed them so I'm not really concerned at all with sexing them unless they are Meraukes and/or big enough to breed.
Also anything incredibly specific when it comes to the halmehara and merauke locales that I may need to know?
<<< I can't help you with specifics for indo BTs , not legally available here in Australia so never had any interest in keeping them. Look up the climatics ( temperatures day max and night min, UV levels ( likely only available in terms of UV-index ( will be extreme ), and humidity levels .
Your indo BTs live in tropical grasslands.
A bonefide breeder will have all the husbandry requires down pat and will be your best guide.
Thank you for any responses!
Re: New to BTS, not reptiles
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 9:09 am
by MotherHaveMercy
I got a picture of the skink and I believe it is a Merauke, I'm not too sure how to add pictures though. I'll definitely pick up a UV bulb when I go get it next weekend
They're on a bit of an improper diet now when I asked, going by the dietary chart here and what I've been able to research from breeders and care guides online. Once I figure out pictures I'll be sure to post a ton of pics of it, but they look super healthy, they have all their toes and claws, eyes look bright and focused.
Since it's a Merauke, any tips for care that hasn't already been covered, any tips for insulating the screen top to keep the humidity up like damp towels, or actually taping off the top of the screen, or using tin foil? What works best as far as the screen goes?
Re: New to BTS, not reptiles
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 9:18 am
by splashy07
Some years back I kept Indonesian species and used glass tanks at the time. I'd cover the screen top with foil with just a hole cut for the lamp. Never had any issues. Kept Halmaheras and Merauke.
Re: New to BTS, not reptiles
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 5:16 pm
by kingofnobbys
If it's a flyscreen type mesh in the lid , it'll block in excess of 50% if the UV , so good idea to mount the UV tube and hood either over a hole in the mesh or under the mesh lid.
Even bird mesh type lids will block 40% of the UV, see above.
What's wrong with getting some plywood cut to size with a few air vents in it and using that instead of the silly mesh lid , is a perfect mount for a basking globe or MVB and a CHE if it gets cold in the house overnight and for the reflector hood for the UVB tube. Will also a good job at keeping the microclimate humid for the skink too.
Re: New to BTS, not reptiles
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 9:05 pm
by mb606587
The necessity of UVB lighting is a fun topic.
The people who use it tend to recommend that it is necessary. And then there are plenty of people who claim UVB isn't necessary so you tend to get a mixed bag of answers, which can be confusing. My honest opinion, which is derived from my personal experience with my skinks, is they do not require UVB. Currently, none of my 7 skinks are receiving UVB (3 of my skinks have a UVB light, but the bulb hasn't been changed in over a year and is only used as the sole form of light in the enclosure). I have a skink who hasn't had UVB in over 22 years. With that said, is there anything wrong with providing a UVB light? Absolutely not. Many keepers take a "better safe than sorry" approach and use it.
As for tips with maintaining humidity, use a proper moisture retaining substrate (I use plain old garden soil and sphagnum moss, but there are plenty of others to choose from), provide deep layers, and humid hides make life easier, especially in the winter. Many also recommend drainage layers under the substrate. Meraukes tend to be pretty forgiving with the humidity. As long as you keep it over 50%, you shouldn't have any issues.
Re: New to BTS, not reptiles
Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2019 6:19 am
by MotherHaveMercy
Ooh okay, thank you for all the responses.
I may try not using UV, but I'll probably end up buying it anyways here in a few weeks when I get new bulbs. I'll definitely though give that substrate mix a try. Thank you, I wanted to get as many opinions on what I wasn't sure about as I could prior to finishing the quarantine set up lol