New baby and looking for advice!

[SpookyLighthouse]

Hi!
I finally took the plunge and bought my first BTS, but due to some miscommunication, I’m now finding out that the little guy is captive born rather than captive born and bred. Is there anything I should know or expect going in? I get to pick them up next weekend and it’s around 2 months old. From what I’ve gathered from the person who has them, they seem to be decently comfortable being handled, but any taming advice would be much appreciated.

[rixusaku]

If you mean captive born by being from a wild caught mother then I would suggest getting a vet appointment when you can to get them tested for mites and whatnot. They're notorious for inheriting any mites or sickness the mother might have since they're live birthed. Keeping them on paper towels for a week instead of substrate will help you see if they have mites and if their bowl movements are normal until you can get a vet appointment scheduled.

Make sure the vet is an exotic vet and one that sees reptiles. There's a really good list of known blue tongue skink vets here, but if there's none in your area from that list, any exotic pet vet should be fine. A normal vet office won't see enough reptiles, let alone blue tongue skinks, to appropriately check if they're sick or not or what to do if they are. They'll mostly know basic reptile anatomy from schooling but that's pretty much it unless they specialize in it.

As for the taming, make sure you're giving the new skink their space for about a week or two before you start trying to do anything with them so they can get acclimated to their new home. Hiding a lot and not eating is normal behavior the first week or two until they start getting more comfortable with where they're at. If they're still not eating (and I mean eating nothing at all) and they're not coming out of hiding after two weeks then it's a good idea to bring them to the vet as they might be sick.

Congrats on your new reptile friend! This forum is always here to give you any advice or tips you need if questions arise later. ^^

[mb606587]

Do you know what kind of BTS you're getting?

[SpookyLighthouse]

Do you know what kind of BTS you're getting?

I’m pretty sure it’s a Halmahera. Definitely Indonesian though.

[SpookyLighthouse]

If you mean captive born by being from a wild caught mother then I would suggest getting a vet appointment when you can to get them tested for mites and whatnot. They're notorious for inheriting any mites or sickness the mother might have since they're live birthed. Keeping them on paper towels for a week instead of substrate will help you see if they have mites and if their bowl movements are normal until you can get a vet appointment scheduled.

Make sure the vet is an exotic vet and one that sees reptiles. There's a really good list of known blue tongue skink vets here, but if there's none in your area from that list, any exotic pet vet should be fine. A normal vet office won't see enough reptiles, let alone blue tongue skinks, to appropriately check if they're sick or not or what to do if they are. They'll mostly know basic reptile anatomy from schooling but that's pretty much it unless they specialize in it.

As for the taming, make sure you're giving the new skink their space for about a week or two before you start trying to do anything with them so they can get acclimated to their new home. Hiding a lot and not eating is normal behavior the first week or two until they start getting more comfortable with where they're at. If they're still not eating (and I mean eating nothing at all) and they're not coming out of hiding after two weeks then it's a good idea to bring them to the vet as they might be sick.

Congrats on your new reptile friend! This forum is always here to give you any advice or tips you need if questions arise later. ^^

Yep, they’re from a wild caught mother. I’ve been in contact with the people who have them and they seem pretty forthcoming about information and have answered any questions that I had honestly. I actually held and looked over the little guy that I’ll be bringing home about a month ago at an expo and I didn’t notice anything particularly off and didn’t see any mites or anything, so fingers crossed it’ll be all good! He’ll be quarantined away from my other reptiles just in case for a bit, so I’ll definitely keep an eye out. We have some pretty good reptile vets around so I’ll see if I can get a checkup for the little guy soon

[mb606587]

Yeah I wish people would be more honest about what exactly they are selling. To be honest, a "CB" farmed baby will likely handle no worse than a CBB baby bred here in the US. As stated above, the potential for health issues increases with any imported animal. Something to be aware of.

[mb606587]

Ok well glad that was cleared up for you. I would ask how long the mother has been in captivity. Good idea to quarantine.

[SpookyLighthouse]

Ok well glad that was cleared up for you. I would ask how long the mother has been in captivity. Good idea to quarantine.

I’ll definitely ask. Based on their Facebook page I think it might have been around November-December

[SpookyLighthouse]

I just wish they’d been more open from the get go because I would have preferred to buy from a reputable breeder, but here we are. The little guy will get great care regardless, but I won’t lie and say I’m not a little disappointed.

[SpookyLighthouse]

Here's a pic of the little guy!

[mb606587]

Definitely a Halmahera. Looks a bit thin. Just make sure this guy is eating regularly. Just for a comparison, this is a CBB baby I produced at approximately the same age.

20210604_175506.jpg

[SpookyLighthouse]

Definitely a Halmahera. Looks a bit thin. Just make sure this guy is eating regularly. Just for a comparison, this is a CBB baby I produced at approximately the same age.20210604_175506.jpg

I was going to ask if it looked a little on the thin side. I've made a list of foods using the food chart here and will have stuff ready for when I can go grab the little one. Waiting to hear back from my reptile vet to snag an appointment, but if the enclosure weren't arriving Friday, I'd go pick the baby up early. I'm already out the money since I paid for him, but I'd rather have the peace of mind knowing that he's getting good care. Two weeks isn't too long I suppose.