New skink owner. Need some tips

[Sami_96]

I just got a irian yesterday from a reptile expo. It's a year old and I have it in a 75 gallon tank. It explored and walked around when I put it in there and since last night it's burrowed itself in the substrate under a log in the warm side. It's been sleeping since that time also. Is this normal for a new skink? I tried giving it food but it won't eat. Also how humid do you guys recommend I keep the tank? I have never had a skink before so any tips would be helpful.

[kayla990]

Hey Sami! It could be worth posting a few pictures of your skink to confirm it's subspecies (as for example meraukes need a minimum of 60% humidity vs. a Halmahera of closer to 80% to keep healthy).

While a 75 gallon tank sounds good, the floor space is the most important for Bluey's - so could be worth mentioning dimensions if you need opinions of tank size

Seems quite normal behaviour when picking up a new Blue Tongue. They do love to burrow. It can take time for them to get used to their new home and surroundings (on average 1-2 weeks to acclimatize).

If you don't know the history (if it was captive bred or imported), keep a watch on their weight - as wild imports carry a risk of internal parasites. Over 1 year old it's likely they won't accept food daily.

Have a check around on the forum for more details. There are good care sheets for heating/lighting requirements too

[Sami_96]

Hey Sami! It could be worth posting a few pictures of your skink to confirm it's subspecies (as for example meraukes need a minimum of 60% humidity vs. a Halmahera of closer to 80% to keep healthy).

While a 75 gallon tank sounds good, the floor space is the most important for Bluey's - so could be worth mentioning dimensions if you need opinions of tank size

Seems quite normal behaviour when picking up a new Blue Tongue. They do love to burrow. It can take time for them to get used to their new home and surroundings (on average 1-2 weeks to acclimatize).

If you don't know the history (if it was captive bred or imported), keep a watch on their weight - as wild imports carry a risk of internal parasites. Over 1 year old it's likely they won't accept food daily.

Have a check around on the forum for more details. There are good care sheets for heating/lighting requirements too

Thank you so much! I've been nervous since it's burrowed and hasn't eaten. The skink I got was from a breeder. Also since I have a 75 gallon tank it's kind of high. How high should the basking area be to the light?

[splashy07]

Many IJs are imports. Especially at a year old. For the most part, breeders sell babies. Send a pic so we can confirm species. For any Gigas (Indonesian) I'd go 60 plus on humidity, 80 plus if Halmahera. Use a substrate that holds humidity well, (no aspen or similar) and check humidity levels frequently, as that's a large area to keep humid. (I believe a 75g is 48 x 18 x 21.) When I used to have glass tanks I'd cover one side of screen top with foil to keep heat/humidity in.

[ReptiFiles]

Can you tell us more about your current setup?
- What substrate are you using?
- Current temps and humidity?
- What food have you offered?
- What accessories do you have inside the enclosure?

Posting pictures of both your skink and your enclosure will help us be more helpful to you.

Meanwhile, don't be too worried if she's not exploring or eating much yet — coming to a new home is stressful for many reptiles, and it often takes them a week or so to start eating regularly. As long as your husbandry is correct, she'll come around.

I would also recommend reading the care guide in my signature. It's really comprehensive and can answer many of your questions as a new BTS owner.

[Sami_96]

Many IJs are imports. Especially at a year old. For the most part, breeders sell babies. Send a pic so we can confirm species. For any Gigas (Indonesian) I'd go 60 plus on humidity, 80 plus if Halmahera. Use a substrate that holds humidity well, (no aspen or similar) and check humidity levels frequently, as that's a large area to keep humid. (I believe a 75g is 48 x 18 x 21.) When I used to have glass tanks I'd cover one side of screen top with foil to keep heat/humidity in.

I've only had it for 2 days now. It's burrowed itself. Is it okay for me to just pick it up to take pictures of it?

[Sami_96]

Can you tell us more about your current setup?
- What substrate are you using?
- Current temps and humidity?
- What food have you offered?
- What accessories do you have inside the enclosure?

Posting pictures of both your skink and your enclosure will help us be more helpful to you.

Meanwhile, don't be too worried if she's not exploring or eating much yet — coming to a new home is stressful for many reptiles, and it often takes them a week or so to start eating regularly. As long as your husbandry is correct, she'll come around.

I would also recommend reading the care guide in my signature. It's really comprehensive and can answer many of your questions as a new BTS owner.

-The people at the convention gave me the zoo med coconut fiber so that's what I'm using. It's been burrowed under since Sunday night. But it's changing spots so I know it's moving around.
-I offered it a egg and some greens but it didn't eat any. I left it in the tank for a few hours and it still didn't eat it so I threw it out.
-I just have the food bowl, water bowl, and 2 cork barks. I ordered some plants to put in there, it'll be here Wednesday.
-As for temperature and humidity I have no idea about because I don't have a thermometer yet. That'll also be here Wednesday. I wasn't sure how to keep the tank humid so I'm still confused about that. I did order a humidifier but it won't be here for a couple days. What's a good way to keep it humid until then?

[kayla990]

-The people at the convention gave me the zoo med coconut fiber so that's what I'm using. It's been burrowed under since Sunday night. But it's changing spots so I know it's moving around.
-I offered it a egg and some greens but it didn't eat any. I left it in the tank for a few hours and it still didn't eat it so I threw it out.
-I just have the food bowl, water bowl, and 2 cork barks. I ordered some plants to put in there, it'll be here Wednesday.
-As for temperature and humidity I have no idea about because I don't have a thermometer yet. That'll also be here Wednesday. I wasn't sure how to keep the tank humid so I'm still confused about that.

I tend to find our skink grazes through the day; eating bite size pieces then returning for more later through the day. It shouldn't be a problem leaving food out for longer (although depends on whats being offered - if it's something like raw egg that would be better for a shorter time frame compared to freshly cooked meats). How often are you able to see the tank during the day? It's possible they may be snacking while not being watched.

Just a few notes that could be useful: We find activity varies - some days from 10am-3pm or more recently 12pm-8pm. When they start to shed, they will hide a lot more and be active for maybe half an hour to an hour at max (and unlikely to accept food).

Quick question with the plants - are they live? We've currently got live plants with our juvenile that she loves, but must stress that as they are omnivores; so any live plants need to be carefully chosen (as a lot can be toxic, usually the commonly recommended plants for say - a crested gecko - would not be good for something like a Blue Tongue Skink).

The coconut fiber shouldn't be a problem. To increase humidity, you can also mix in a few different substrate types such as sphagnum moss (definitely recommended if you don't have any - as good for making humid hides too). Cypress mulch or specific reptile 'forest bark' can be mixed with the coconut fiber (make sure it's not pine, as that can be toxic). Along with articles on here (and ReptiFiles ) there are some good youtube videos by ReptileMountain.TV for tips on humidity.

Good you'll be getting a thermometer soon. Presumably you'll be able to check the basking spot, cool side and warm side with it? And make sure you have a way to measure humidity, it's very important for Indonesian types (as too low humidity can cause respiratory infections, along with bad shedding). Just to summarize what's been said about humidity that can help:
- Spray the substrate daily. If you live in a dry area, this could be 3-4x a day, if more humid should be fine with 1-2x (which is why we need to measure the humidity to know!).
- Use sphagnum moss and a humid hide (there's a good dedicated video on youtube to describe how)
- Air holes or mesh lids can be partially covered to increase humidity (using a towel, kitchen paper etc).

Difficult to comment on the light and height. That will depend on the bulb type on how effective it is. Once you've got the thermometer, it will be easier to say

[Sami_96]

-The people at the convention gave me the zoo med coconut fiber so that's what I'm using. It's been burrowed under since Sunday night. But it's changing spots so I know it's moving around.
-I offered it a egg and some greens but it didn't eat any. I left it in the tank for a few hours and it still didn't eat it so I threw it out.
-I just have the food bowl, water bowl, and 2 cork barks. I ordered some plants to put in there, it'll be here Wednesday.
-As for temperature and humidity I have no idea about because I don't have a thermometer yet. That'll also be here Wednesday. I wasn't sure how to keep the tank humid so I'm still confused about that.

I tend to find our skink grazes through the day; eating bite size pieces then returning for more later through the day. It shouldn't be a problem leaving food out for longer (although depends on whats being offered - if it's something like raw egg that would be better for a shorter time frame compared to freshly cooked meats). How often are you able to see the tank during the day? It's possible they may be snacking while not being watched.

Just a few notes that could be useful: We find activity varies - some days from 10am-3pm or more recently 12pm-8pm. When they start to shed, they will hide a lot more and be active for maybe half an hour to an hour at max (and unlikely to accept food).

Quick question with the plants - are they live? We've currently got live plants with our juvenile that she loves, but must stress that as they are omnivores; so any live plants need to be carefully chosen (as a lot can be toxic, usually the commonly recommended plants for say - a crested gecko - would not be good for something like a Blue Tongue Skink).

The coconut fiber shouldn't be a problem. To increase humidity, you can also mix in a few different substrate types such as sphagnum moss (definitely recommended if you don't have any - as good for making humid hides too). Cypress mulch or specific reptile 'forest bark' can be mixed with the coconut fiber (make sure it's not pine, as that can be toxic). Along with articles on here (and ReptiFiles ) there are some good youtube videos by ReptileMountain.TV for tips on humidity.

Good you'll be getting a thermometer soon. Presumably you'll be able to check the basking spot, cool side and warm side with it? And make sure you have a way to measure humidity, it's very important for Indonesian types (as too low humidity can cause respiratory infections, along with bad shedding). Just to summarize what's been said about humidity that can help:
- Spray the substrate daily. If you live in a dry area, this could be 3-4x a day, if more humid should be fine with 1-2x (which is why we need to measure the humidity to know!).
- Use sphagnum moss and a humid hide (there's a good dedicated video on youtube to describe how)
- Air holes or mesh lids can be partially covered to increase humidity (using a towel, kitchen paper etc).

Difficult to comment on the light and height. That will depend on the bulb type on how effective it is. Once you've got the thermometer, it will be easier to say

Thank you so much! I've been worried because I've only had it for 2 days and I haven't seen it. It's been burrowed under and didn't eat any food. Now I ordered a humidifier, do I still need a humid hide with a humidifier? Also the plant I ordered are fake plants

[kayla990]

Aha that makes it easier with fake plants! Personally, I'd say a humid hide is always great - if the humidifier gets low during the day then they can choose themselves to go into the hide if needed Great for when they shed too. Even though we use a fogger machine - we find basking bulbs can make the humidity drop down again (compared to night time when it's more stable).

Just another thought.. if the skink is too cool, they are less likely to eat. I believe they need the heat to digest well (but I wouldn't worry about that until you've got the thermometer, just something to be aware of). But so far, still sounds like settling in.

Did they seem quite relaxed on the first day? If you are still concerned by tomorrow, an option could be to use something soft (maybe a rubber spatula) to gently move the substrate around to check on them. In general it's advised to wait until they come out themselves.. However I know the worry of the first few days - so I can't see any major harm of a gentle check!

[Sami_96]

Aha that makes it easier with fake plants! Personally, I'd say a humid hide is always great - if the humidifier gets low during the day then they can choose themselves to go into the hide if needed Great for when they shed too. Even though we use a fogger machine - we find basking bulbs can make the humidity drop down again (compared to night time when it's more stable).

Just another thought.. if the skink is too cool, they are less likely to eat. I believe they need the heat to digest well (but I wouldn't worry about that until you've got the thermometer, just something to be aware of). But so far, still sounds like settling in.

Did they seem quite relaxed on the first day? If you are still concerned by tomorrow, an option could be to use something soft (maybe a rubber spatula) to gently move the substrate around to check on them. In general it's advised to wait until they come out themselves.. However I know the worry of the first few days - so I can't see any major harm of a gentle check!

It was moving around a exploring the first day I brought it home but just for a little. I don't have any sphagnum moss but I saw that you can use paper towels in the humid hide. Can I use that till my humidifier comes in?

[kayla990]

Ahh, glad you got to see them a little before hiding. While we've not tried the paper towel method, it should be fine as a temporary solution - as know others have used it for quarantine or temporary setups.

For long term, the moss is a better option if you're able to get some - less chance of mold compared to paper towel and sphagnum moss is thought to have antibacterial/anti-fungal properties. It's possible to get the moss pre-packaged in a store or in dried out 'bricks' that expand when adding water (if you find some, the 'bricks' are arguably better, as they have very little chance of carrying unwanted pests). It's a bit of a pain that our local pet stores don't have it, so we have to order them online - but getting the moss is worth it

[Sami_96]

Ahh, glad you got to see them a little before hiding. While we've not tried the paper towel method, it should be fine as a temporary solution - as know others have used it for quarantine or temporary setups.

For long term, the moss is a better option if you're able to get some - less chance of mold compared to paper towel and sphagnum moss is thought to have antibacterial/anti-fungal properties. It's possible to get the moss pre-packaged in a store or in dried out 'bricks' that expand when adding water (if you find some, the 'bricks' are arguably better, as they have very little chance of carrying unwanted pests). It's a bit of a pain that our local pet stores don't have it, so we have to order them online - but getting the moss is worth it

Thank you! ☺️ I'll definitely get some moss. I'll have to order mine also. How long does it normally take for them to get adjusted?

[Sami_96]

Which side of the tank should I place the humid hide?

[kayla990]

Awesome, glad to hear about the moss

It depends a lot on personality and background for them to become adjusted. For example If it's a captive bred and been socialized from a young age, there's more chance of becoming confident sooner than say one that has been taken from the wild with limited hands on time. If a Bluey has grown up in a quiet environment - there's a good chance it will be spooked more easily from background noises (like the TV etc). On average it's thought anywhere between 1-2 weeks.

With the humid hide, I believe it's better on the warm side (as heat will make the water evaporate/ maintain humidity easier). Goodluck!