Brand new BTS owner with questions :)

[Margeryblue]

Hello BTS community. I'm a lover of all things lizards. I bought my very first bluey two days ago and I'm loving her (she's just a baby and I have no way of knowing gender but I gotta feeling she's a lady). I'm almost afraid to admit that I bought her at a petco. I have several lizards and have purchased all of mine at local expos. My boyfriend bought a bearded dragon from petco and has had a good experience. He's had his dragon for about two years now without any health problems. I was planning on waiting to get a skink until the next expo but I found out a lot of local vendors aren't going. Then I happened to come across my girl at a petco and couldn't resist. I saw a post on here saying most blue tongues at petco are wild caught and this makes me nervous. Is there any way to tell? She acted normal the first day I had her and even ate a little. Today she's been in her hide all day and when I went to check on her she was skittish with me. Should I be nervous? Or could she just be adjusting to her new home? She's also really young so she might not be used to humans. Has anyone had experience with wild caught blueys? I'm already attached to her I'd hate to return her I was also wondering if you could help me identify her. She was labeled as a blue tongue skink and the associate helping me didn't know anything beyond that.

Just a few more questions - substrate? I purchased reptibark and she seems content so far. Also...cat food? I'm not sure how I feel about it but if anyone has had positive experiences with a certain brand I'd be open to try.

Thanks again for the advise. Any help I can get is appreciated.

[Fbailey]

Looks like an Irian Jaya blue tongue. My Northern blue tongue is coming tomorrow. Can't wait! I will be new to BTS as well. I was looking at the Irian's and decided on a Northern. I read both make great pets! She looks absolutely beautiful and did not realize that Petco carried them. You did good!

[Fbailey]

Also, I was told not to worry about feeding them right away. They need to get adjusted to their new home and may hide for a day or two (I had read somewhere that it could take a week). Mine will be on crickets (I also have a HUGE Beardie!) and I will be using Aspen for bedding. Since mine is small, I am going to put a couple of live plants. I had heard premium cat food is ok as well as fruit. Also told to feed collards (u can get a bag of them at store already cut up) and mix up the food so they won't get bored. I feed my beardie collards and crickets as well. Get on Ytube about cage set up because they have different kinds of lighting available and if you use the one that has the heat/UVB together then u should only need one. If anyone else has suggestions let me know. Always looking for feedback!

[Margeryblue]

You must be so excited to get your BTS! I'm enjoying it a ton. I actually have three beardies in my apartment so it's really fun switching it up. I plan on getting her on crickets when she warms up to the place. I was thinking about using cat food as a protein source so I can see how much she's eating while I'm at work. I'm really hoping it works out with her because she seems like a real love bug. I wish I knew her exact age I was kind of hoping someone would be able to tell by her size. Thank you for your info on her being an Irian jaya too! I might have to change her tank it seems like they need a little bit more humidity. I'm actually a manager of a produce department so my lizards get plenty of variety in their diet that's partially why I'm so interested in BTS's - especially when she's older I'll get to bring home all kinds of fruits and veggies for her. I was surprised to find a blue tongue at a petco as well... I'm just hoping I made the right decision getting her there. She seemed in perfect condition and healthy - I'm just really hoping she's not wild caught. You should make a post when you get yours we'll have to keep each other updated on our babies!

[lucasrusinak]

I'd advise as crickets and worms and other insects as only treats and not the main food source. people on here use wet dog food very successfully, i currently have 2 and thats what ive used for the past 2 years. they need more protein and some veggies and wet dog food is perfect for that.

as far as it being wild caught, it is very likely that it was wild caught as younger ones like that wouldnt be available here in the states for another few months at least. thats not necessarily a bad thing as long as its healthy. Sometimes wild caught imports cary parasites and that could be an issue. They are known to be moody, but there are some wild caughts that when brought in young tame down the same as captives and in some cases even more so. get it used to handling after it settles into its home (i'd give it a week or 2) and I'm sure itll be a great pet

[Fbailey]

Don't let the imports scare you. I also read on website that alot Irian's may be imported but as it gets older it should do fine. It should not matter either way as long as she looks healthy and adjusting and you love her. She looks very young as I know they can get quite big and I guarantee from other pics that I have seen, she is not but a few months old and is a 2014 baby. Mine is about the same size from pics they sent me and mine even has a little scar under his chin that I am not worried about. She will do just fine even if she may be imported. She is still very young!

[Margeryblue]

Thanks for the advise! Is there any particular brand of dog food you use? Do you have any idea how old she is? I can measure her next time I take her out if that helps. She seems healthy and the associate at petco said they had the two skinks for about two months. The other one was much more moody and hissed when she stuck her hand in the tank. Mine was much more handleable and hasn't given me problems besides when I lifted up her rock to see how she was doing. I'll give her time in her tank before trying to play with her again. I'm definitely willing to work with her to make her more tame. All my beardies are snuggle bugs so hopefully with enough attention she'll be just as friendly.

[Margeryblue]

I feel so much better that you guys are supportive of a potentially imported bluey I'm sure yours will be adorable with the scar gives personality! One of my beardies has a slightly kinked tail from his siblings and it just makes him my special boy. One thing I'm worries about now is the humidity level. I might change mine from repti bark to Eco earth so it's not too dry for her. I might make a post about her tank eventually too. I'm sort of a crazy lizard owner I want to make sure her living environment is perfect

[lucasrusinak]

I use blue buffalo because its pretty high quality but its also a bit more expensive than other dog foods. cant tell exact age, but judging solely on size id say the petstore might not be off by much. a couple of months seems about right

[Dood]

Welcome to the forum

The single thick black line down the back of its neck makes me believe your skink is a Merauke and you can bring a fresh stool sample to veterinarian to check for internal parasites.

Please review the "Diet Chart" ( http://bluetongueskinks.net/foodchart.html ) to give you an idea of how to offer a varied but balanced diet to your baby skink.

BTS also should get a multi- vitamin and a calcium & Vitamin D supplement added to their food to avoid MBD (metsabic bone disease)

[Margeryblue]

Thanks for the advise I've been trying to see if there's a difference in care at all. I've seen pictures of both the irian jaya and meraukes on repti bark so hopefully she's fine. There's a local vet get who deals with exotic pets so as soon as she defecates I'll have it checked for parasites. How often should supplements be given? Also - anyone's thoughts on mercury vapor bulbs? I'm having some issues with the tempts. It's 95-100 on her basking spot and I can't make her cool side lower than low 80s. She's hiding in the hole under her basking spot so I'm assuming she's fine but I was wonder if the mercury vapor bulb would help it cool down the other side.

[Fbailey]

Just put one of the pics up that they had sent me of my BTS! Can't wait to get him!

[Susann]

You have a baby Merauke. Their care is the same as Irian Jayas, which means higher humidity, so reptibark should be just fine.
Most people put a dash of calcium powder on the food every other feeding or so, and I personally do a multivitamin every 3-4 feedings, so a little less often.
I believe Mercury vapor bulbs are the ones that heat up very hot, so that would not help you at all if it's the case. I personally do CHE (ceramic heat emitter) on a dimmer so I can dial the heat down when necessary.

[jesswebb93]

When it comes to substrate, I prefer to use forest moss since it retains moisture well, aids in keeping humidity up and is safe to burrow in. I also make my BTS "skink chow" for his/her meals. I make a large batch of greens (mustard/bok choy/turnip or collard), shredded carrot, different types of squash such as butternut and yellow squash, green beans and other veggies, raw egg, cracked egg shells, ground lean turkey and liquid calcium all mixed together. Then I freeze half of it and put the other half in the fridge to use throughout the next week or two (depending on when I run out). When that is all gone, I'll take the frozen one out and thaw it and keep it in the fridge until time to feed. I also like to vary the ingredients each time I make the "skink chow." I'll change up the different veggies, greens etc for variety and sometimes I'll add a little bit of fruit such as cactus pear. I prefer to feed fresh ingredients, and my Halmahera BTS absolutely loves the mixtures I make! Just thought I'd share my feeding methods

[Margeryblue]

Thanks for all the advise guys little Maggie is doing well. She is still skittish in the tank but I took her out for a bit last night and she's fine when she's being held. She are a bit last night and im waiting for lizard poops!

One thing that concerned me - she peed on the rug and there appeared to be white specs in it? I tried researching it and some sites said it was urates without explaining what they are or of it's harmful to the lizard. Does anyone have experience with this or could explain it better?

I've learned to live with the fact that she's wild caught. I've wanted a lizard project for a while now so I'm willing to work with her so she's as tame and sweet as my beards. I'm already aware of a vet who deals with exotics in my area and I'll have her feces tested for parasites when I find one. I've read several positive and negative stories if wild caught BTS's so if anyone has any wisdom or advise I'd love to hear it

[Susann]

Here is a thread from the FAQ section that explains urates well:
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=23702
You should read through all the threads in there, as well as the Caresheet if you haven't already:
http://bluetongueskinks.net/care.htm
There's a wealth of knowledge there to set a new owner at ease.

[Fbailey]

Ok, I am learning from reading posts! Did not know about the white specs! Keep me posted on what you find out! I learned from Facebook that mine is at the most a couple of mos old if that! Kind of scary because it is that young with this being my first! Not sure how because I thought they give birth in the summer or early fall! Mine has hidden most of the day in the Aspen and ate very little today.

[sacs4010]

Susann knows her stuff. I like the Forest Floor substrate myself since it is better for digging like Meraukes seem to really enjoy doing then the Reptibark. I wish that the Forest Floor was less... I am not sure how to say it. Basically I rather it come in flakes. Less chance of something getting into my BTS's eyes. So far he has had zero issues. I live in Arizona too and the reptile bark with a very large water bowl has been perfect for me and my BTS.