BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello all:) Ive recently adopted a possibly Irian Jaya or Merauke, I'm fairly new to reptiles in general and have primarily owned birds and a leopard gecko and while picking up food for my gecko at petco came across a skink with possible MBD or has a spinal deformity Im not sure which. I of course had to adopt the little guy and try to give him the best life I can provide, his condition appears purely cosmetic and does not effect his mobility eating or deification however if there is a way to correct or lessen the sunken back appearance Im sure his organs would appreciate it:,) I will be getting X-rays on this guy within the week because I work at a vet clinic. Also any knowledge on what breed this guy id would be much appreciated as he was sold as a Tiliqua occipitalis. Thanks:)

Hi there and thanks for rescuing/saving this little guy. Can you post pictures so we can help identify the species and also see what is going on with the back? Thanks

Janella Poch

First misinformation: A Tiliqua Occipitalis would have set you back five grand. One appearing at Petco would be as odd as a snowball in hell. As much as I despise Petco selling reptiles, I am very happy you happened to be there to rescue the little guy.
As Jan said, please, let's see so we can try and help.

Hello everyone! I’m sorry I havent replied to this thread in about a year Ive been pretty busy. Here are some pictures of Uma when I first got him vs now hes grown to about 20 inches and seems to be a pretty happy little guy:) I have him on a spin to aprils bluey chow every other day with added calcium in the food and he will occasionally get snails, scrambled eggs and on rare occasions a very small pinkie. I’m still not 100% sure what kind of bts he is but im certain hes an Indonesian and had issues with retained shed until investing in a misting system, not a single toe shed has been stuck since. Im visiting again because Id like to upgrade his tank (the current set up is a 65 gallon with heat uvb and a ceramic heat emitter thats on 247) however Id like to build something for him that gives him more space then a 4’x2’x2’. I feel like he should have more of an appt over a bedroom lol I hope everyone has been doing well since my initial post:)

Wow, you weren't kidding when you said there was a dent in your skinks back. Do they have any idea what it was from??? I am glad he can function and doing so well. The minimum cage size for these guys is the 4 by 2 by 2. I have both my Northern and Merauke each in this size and they do well. However, they always love more floor space. The more the better. Your skink looks like a Merauke from first glance, but better pictures from the side and over top would be better for identifying it. Thanks for rescuing it.