Sold to me as an indo but ive been told he is an eastern??

[Q.Ilyan]

Hi!

According to the labels and what ive been told by the seller that my skink is of the indonesian species. I went to reddit to get advice on what subspecies he is and have been told what i have is an eastern instead.

From a quick search i found out that easterns are of the australian variety, which from what i see require lower humidity. I have had mine for a month on 60% plus humidity. Id like to correct this immediately if he is in fact an eastern.

If more pictures are needed i will add more.


Thank you!

[mb606587]

Definitely not an Eastern. Stay off reddit for skink advice lol. Easterns cost in excess of $700 in the US and are extremely difficult to find outside Australia. That is a Halmahera Indonesian. Keep the humidity between 80%-100%.

[Q.Ilyan]

Phew, thanks so much! And on another note, there is little chance he is cb, right?

[mb606587]

If by CB you mean Captive Born and Bred (CBB) by a breeder, then slim to no chance. Often times importers will sell CB (Captive Born) skinks which in most cases means farmed outdoors in Indonesia. So technically yeah it was born in captivity I guess, but it was still imported. Or a pregnant wild caught skink was collected during the breeding season, gave birth in captivity, and the babies were quickly sold.

[kingofnobbys]

I concur , doesn't appear to be an Eastern . Doesn't have a broad dark band behind the eyes.

My pet eastern George in backyard .

If it were , 60% RH is fine .

[splashy07]

Not all Easterns have eye bands, and some Irian Jayas do. The way to differentiate if you are unsure visually is the price you paid for it. Easterns are extremely rare at expos and pet shops, and will command high prices if found as such. Majority here in the US are from breeders. No one will mistakenly sell a true Eastern as an Indonesian. Do your research, preferably not on the internet unless it is truly a reliable source. There are also many hybridized species out there that make it even more confusing. Again an argument for researching before buying.

[mb606587]

Absolutely, the eyeband, while the most famous feature of the Eastern BTS, is not universal to all. The ones which do not have the eyeband oftentimes bare a striking resemblance to the Irian Jaya skinks. Although in this case, there is no question in my mind that this skink is neither Irian Jaya nor Eastern. For instance, my Irian Jaya which probably shares more of a likeness to kingofnobbys Eastern then the OP's Halmahera.

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[splashy07]

Definitely, Halmahera as mb advised. Halmaheras, Meraukes and Irian Jayas are the most common BTS in pet shops and at expos in the US. I have seen (way more often than I can tolerate) all of the above, most often the IJs advertised as Northerns. Completely different husbandry requirements, really ticks me off. It is SO IMPORTANT to know what you are buying, as I have said a thousand times.

[splashy07]

Forgot to mention, your IJ certainly bears a resemblance to many Queensland form Easterns. I have also seen Northern/Eastern crosses that look exactly like some IJs!!