BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hi there,

I am the proud new owner of a baby Merauke BTS (8 weeks old). He's absolutely amazing but I do have a couple of niggling concerns. I have read the excellent FAQ and these have allayed most of them but I would be grateful for some expert reassurance on a couple pf issues.

Firstly, he burrows. I mean, he burrows all the time. He has a couple of good hides in the enclosure but prefers to completely immerse himself in the substrate. He buries himself at night and stays buries all through the day. The reptile specialist who sold him to me explained that I could handle him after four days as he had been handled from birth by the breeder. He huffs a little when I gently pick him up (once I find him under the substrate!) but calms almost immediately in my hand and he will take food from his dish while I'm holding him. As soon as I put him back into his vivarium, however, he burrows under again. I know from what I've read that hiding is normal for a new bluey, but there's not much mention about burrowing. The tank is 4ft x 2ft x 2ft, the hot side of the tank is around 96/97F (36C) dropping to 82F (28C) in the middle and 77/78F (25C) in the cool end with humidity of around 75%. Is this normal behaviour?

Secondly, the guy who sold him to me gave me a box of locusts as he said that they are important for both his diet and mental stimulation. I was told just to put the whole box of them (all 10) into his enclosure and he would lap them up. He doesn't and now, due to gut-loading, the locusts are flipping huge! Should I remove them?

Sorry for the amateur questions and apologies if this has been covered already elsewhere, I just want the best for my little guy

Thanks in advance

C

How long have you had him? Burrowing is normal behavior. You mentioned he's eating so that's a good sign. If he's not showing interest in live food, I'd remove the locusts and offer a variety of options. Many rear babies on solely a diet of canned dog food, so the mental stimulation of hunting live prey, while a nice idea, is not completely necessary.

mb606587 wrote:How long have you had him? Burrowing is normal behavior. You mentioned he's eating so that's a good sign. If he's not showing interest in live food, I'd remove the locusts and offer a variety of options. Many rear babies on solely a diet of canned dog food, so the mental stimulation of hunting live prey, while a nice idea, is not completely necessary.

Thanks for the reply. I’ve had him less than two weeks so I’m sure he’s still very nervous. Should I even be handling him now? I’m wondering maybe I should just leave him be for a bit?

Yeah some can be handled without issue on day 1, others do better being left alone for some time. As long as he's eating consistently, handling by now shouldn't be detrimental. Start with brief sessions, and as your skink becomes more comfortable, handling will become better tolerated.