MTS; PTS. anyone keep them?

[ohh_kristina]

Does anyone keep Monkey/Prehensile Tailed Skinks? I am thinking about getting a pair. I know that they are not commonly captive bred, but I am looking for a breeder anyway. Does anyone know of any? I am willing to wait a while to get them. If I have to, I will take in a WC pair and take all the correct precautions. I have read numerous care sheets, but I am always willing to read new ones..so if I have any to recommend, let me know. Thanks!

[bob_thesnowman]

hey,i do keep them,and i was thinking of breeding them eventually myself,you are right it is uncommon to breed them as they usually only have one baby at a time,and they take about 8 month to have it,but this species is truly remarkable and one i am very passionate about,although i have no real advice,lol,and of no help in helping you aquire a pair,i just wanted to applaude you on your decision!

[NewLineReptile]

I use to have one but they just did nothing for me. But they are a nice skink to have if your into them.

Brandon

[icequeen]

I have one PTS. Mostly probably a female. I have never seen another for sale near me...unfortunately.
They are rather difficult to breed...are known to suffer miscarriages (more frequently with the further North you go apparently). They have a very long gestation period (7 or 8 months), and give birth to large singletons or slightly smaller twins. Apparently PTS only give birth at night!
They are best kept in a colony or "circulus" of three or more. The babies can safely be kept with mom for extended periods of time.
I don't know where you can get a pair of PTS, as I live in Canada...but if you are going to do it, you'd best do it soon!!!
Rumour has it that the days of importing PTS, legally OR ilegally have come to an end. I have heard of a sharp increase in prices for PTS again, after a real decline in prices earlier this past summer due to a large number of illegal imports.
Again, based on word of mouth, I have heard that due to the political instability in the Solomon Islands, the Australians (at least I THINK it's the Australians) have been called in to help stabilize the situation there, and have pretty much shut down ANY exportation of the species. PTS are now strictly a food source for the people of the Solomon Islands...no longer a "pay cheque"
Also, apparently the U.S. Fish and wildlife Service has stated that they will stop any and all shipments of PTS. Makes you wonder what they will DO with the stopped shipments...and it also makes me shudder at the fate of those animals.

If you do decide to get a pair, or even better...three (2 females, 1 male) of PTS, good luck, and successful breeding wishes!!!

[NiagaraReptiles]

Just a few corrections there......

I am aware of two shipments that came into Canada a few months ago and I assure you, they did not arrive here illegally. The red tape you need to go through when importing CITES listed animals is rather extensive, I assure you.

Regarding the US, they have a trade ban with the Solomon Islands as far as I'm aware which would be the reason why they don't allow Monkey Tails into the US. They will accept captive bred, however. (I should mention that I haven't confirmed this info however I was informed of this when I was applying for re-export papers for something from the Solomon Islands, so I didn't bother going through with the application for CITES.)

Stopped shipments are merely refused and put on the next available plane back to the sender.



All of that being said, Monkey Tailed Skinks are a really neat lizard and I have found them truely a joy to keep. I have my fingers crossed for babies this spring, but time will tell :)

[icequeen]

Not to bicker or anything like that, but I was referring to recent shipments into the U.S. I don't know anything about shipments into Canada, with the exception of one, this past summer, which was reported to be legal, but just because it is SAID to be legal, and CITES has strict laws...doesn't mean people can't, won't and haven't skirted those laws. Once again though, I can not say for certain that ANY shipment was legal, or not, as I don't have any proof...as I stated I was going on word of mouth.
I am aware that the CITES paperwork is extensive, as the skink that I have was originally intended to go from me, to a "corucian" in South Carolina.
As the pet shop that Dill came from could not, or would not prove that she was a legal import, or a CB skink, the CITES paperwork, and approval was impossible. No exceptions...no matter what. Even if she would of been going to someone who has many PTS and is trying to maintain a varied gene pool of captive, breeding PTS.

Yes the states will accept captive bred, as will Canada...but it must be proven, and given the fact of the excruciatingly slow reproductive rate of PTS, the availability of CB skinks is almost non-existant, with most breeders keeping the offspring.

Stopped shipments are merely refused and put on the next available plane back to the sender

This is my concern exactly. How can that be good for the species? Cargo holds, cold temperatures, pressure changes, no food or water, fighting amongst each other...and that's assuming that the PTS are sent over by PLANE. What about those that are sent over by ship? Simply sending them back to the originating country doesn't mean they will survive. In fact, it almost guarantees that they won't.