Hard time finding a large hide

[Vindication10]

Hi, I have one large hide for my full-grown northern blue tongue. I've looked everywhere for another one of this size. I can't for the life of me find one. It's 16 inches across, 4 inches from top to bottom, and from the entrance to the back is 13 inches long. This is a perfect size since she can turn around in it. Can anyone send me any recommendations? I can't find a large enough one for her.

[Coolcar91]

Hi! It was definitely hard to find good hides for my Northern, too. One thing that worked for me is using a 4 inch pipe(I’ll put the link at the end of the post) and burying it in his enclosure in a half circle to make a tunnel for him. He hides in it all the time now-it’s very cheap too! The only downside is that I think it would be pretty hard to get him out of there in an emergency, but that’s a worst-case scenario. This idea was on another post on this forum, which is where I got it. I’ll attach the link and a picture, hope this helps!
Link: https://www.google.com/shopping/product ... KrJLlV9HqV

[Vindication10]

Hi! It was definitely hard to find good hides for my Northern, too. One thing that worked for me is using a 4 inch pipe(I’ll put the link at the end of the post) and burying it in his enclosure in a half circle to make a tunnel for him. He hides in it all the time now-it’s very cheap too! The only downside is that I think it would be pretty hard to get him out of there in an emergency, but that’s a worst-case scenario. This idea was on another post on this forum, which is where I got it. I’ll attach the link and a picture, hope this helps!
Link: https://www.google.com/shopping/product ... KrJLlV9HqV

Holy crap that is a great idea! She loves to bury herself! Thank you so much for the idea! Would this be ok under her heat bulb?

[Janella]

Hello there, you can find all kinds of hides online. I also had some success with cave like hides from petco. The piping works really well also.

[Vindication10]

Hello there, you can find all kinds of hides online. I also had some success with cave like hides from petco. The piping works really well also.

I've looked everywhere online. Amazon, Petco, Petsmart, Pet Supply Plus and others. No one had one big enough for her. I've also looked on Etsy and they have some for her size, but they are quite expensive so I'll have to keep looking. She seems to be a little more active with her getting a hotter heat bulb, so I'll keep looking around.

[ThatOneReptileNoob]

You can always use a homemade hide. They also sell large plastic bowls at dollar stores; you can find loads of stuff at dollar stores to make into hides, actually.

[Coolcar91]

In answer to your heat bulb question, I’m not sure about the pipe under the heat. Mine is on the cool side of the enclosure, since it is plastic, so that feels safer. I have another hide that my Northern loves, it’s a basking rock and a hide together. I’ll give a link to that at the bottom, it’s not super big but my Northern does fit! Hopefully that helps!

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Herp-Hotel ... ock&sr=8-5

[Vindication10]

In answer to your heat bulb question, I’m not sure about the pipe under the heat. Mine is on the cool side of the enclosure, since it is plastic, so that feels safer. I have another hide that my Northern loves, it’s a basking rock and a hide together. I’ll give a link to that at the bottom, it’s not super big but my Northern does fit! Hopefully that helps!

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Herp-Hotel ... ock&sr=8-5

I literally almost just bought that today! I was scared it wouldn't be too big and she would get stuck.

[Vindication10]

You can always use a homemade hide. They also sell large plastic bowls at dollar stores; you can find loads of stuff at dollar stores to make into hides, actually.

Mmmm, good idea. Would that be ok under a heat bulb?

[Vindication10]

In answer to your heat bulb question, I’m not sure about the pipe under the heat. Mine is on the cool side of the enclosure, since it is plastic, so that feels safer. I have another hide that my Northern loves, it’s a basking rock and a hide together. I’ll give a link to that at the bottom, it’s not super big but my Northern does fit! Hopefully that helps!

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Herp-Hotel ... ock&sr=8-5

I'm scared to put any type of basking spot under her light, she just buries herself under the substrate in the basking spot. I'm afraid if I get a basking rock, it's gonna get too hot and she will burn herself.

[Coolcar91]

Yes, that hide should be big enough for her, I think. As for the basking spot, how hot of a bulb do you have? Mine is 100 watts and a little over a foot above the top of that hide, and it doesn’t get that hot. He does tend to bask in front of the hide instead of on top of it though, so I don’t know if the top is too close to the light or if he just prefers to be closer to a place to hide, since I haven’t had him for that long and he’s still a little skittish. Anyway, I think a basking spot of some kind is probably a good idea, and I know this forum has a lot of ideas for different ways to make one if you search it.

[Vindication10]

Yes, that hide should be big enough for her, I think. As for the basking spot, how hot of a bulb do you have? Mine is 100 watts and a little over a foot above the top of that hide, and it doesn’t get that hot. He does tend to bask in front of the hide instead of on top of it though, so I don’t know if the top is too close to the light or if he just prefers to be closer to a place to hide, since I haven’t had him for that long and he’s still a little skittish. Anyway, I think a basking spot of some kind is probably a good idea, and I know this forum has a lot of ideas for different ways to make one if you search it.

The bulb is 125 watt since I had a hard time with temps. It's about 15 inches from the ground.

[Desertdoggo]

Hello! I used to work in the outdoor section at Lowes and we sold that exact plastic piping. I'm sure home depot or other hardware stores have them too. They are supposed to be for drainage, so I think they would be okay on the hot side, since people will have them in their yard during the summer. Maybe have it half buried like in the picture just to be safe.

[ThisName]

Have you ever considered making a hide yourself? You can easily make one out of clay. Though it may not be as aesthetically pleasing... Malleable cement clay could look more aesthetically pleasing but I am not sure if it's suitable for skinks.

[mb606587]

I also use that tubing. A very simple hide that can function as a basking spot also is a cut piece of plywood placed onto wooden blocks.

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[IvanDanko]

Second those above, making one is the best way. Can be done with plywood. I use a shelf type as MB suggested - maximises floor space and doubles as a basking spot:

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