Help a beginner out?

[Daniel S.]

Hi i'm daniel i've just recently got a blue tongue skink, i have had her for a month now and i'm completly in love with her, i was just wondering if you could give me any advice with what to feed her to vary her diet. Also in the near future i was hoping to purchase a male blue tongue in hopes to casually breed them, i was wondering if i could house a male and a female in a large tank or if i should just keep them seperated until breeding them, thanks - daniel

[Fatal_S]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have a lot of research ahead of you.

To start with, read the caresheet on this site, and the diet sections. That should give you a great idea of a good BTS diet.

Second, also on the caresheet, BTS should not be housed together. A few species might be okay in large areas/outdoor pits, but those are species that are very expensive in the USA, so I don't think yours falls into that catagory. Individual tanks, together only for breeding.

Lastly, do you know the species of your skink? And what makes you think it's a girl? BTS have 11 species that can be found in captivity, some of those types have subspecies, and BTS are nearly impossible to sex.

So read the caresheet, diet section, and post some photos of your skink. We can tell you species, but no promises on gender (if you want a best-guess, post a birds-eye shot and see what BTS experts think).

Care/Diet Links:
http://bluetongueskinks.net/care.htm
http://bluetongueskinks.net/care.htm#diet
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=20387

[Daniel S.]

I've already read the caresheet and have been giving her different meals everyday i was just wondering if there was any type of fruit or vegetables that skinks preffered. I'm not sure if she's a girl or not but i think she might be, and thanks for telling me !

[Daniel S.]

I'll upload some photos later, it won't let me upload on my phone, i already know shes a northern and I was thinking about making a pit inside with enough room, but i guess not

[Fatal_S]

Every skink is different. Offer mostly healthy foods, and then if they're eating well offer other foods as treats. The most beloved foods for most skinks are eggs, bananas, and snails. The first two are sometimes foods (and often result in really smelly poops), the third is great anytime. But each skink is an individual, with likes and dislikes. I sometimes give every one of mine the same mix of fruits (say a piece of banana, strawberry, blueberry, grape, orange, & apple) just to see who eats what. Some eat everything, some eat most, some only eat one or two things. I think it's really cool that they're all unique.

Northerns are very territorial, and can cause a lot of damage. Definitely not a species to keep together.

[Daniel S.]

Thanks she does seem to like bananas more than anything always cleans them out of her plate

[Richard.C]

Northerns can be aggressive even in large outdoor pits

Housing seperate is the best bet,even with breeding them,offers more control,and of coursr,piece of mind,in saying that,i keep some northerns together,but most wont allow me to do that,and with the ones that do,theres always the chance they can turn