Blue Tongue Skinks

Weather1 · 02-03-03, 11:57 AM

Does anyone here keep BTS.

Are there any breeder out there?

Thanks

Katatonic · 02-03-03, 11:56 PM

I keep a Blue Tongue... I don't exactly have the largest amount of space to work, so that's a "no", with regards to breeding.
What's up??

Weather1 · 02-04-03, 07:03 AM

All I am looking for is to find some info on keeping them, housing requirements, lighting, food etc....

Katatonic is yours male or female?

Doug Wyatt · 02-04-03, 10:22 AM

I used to have a BTS, they're awesome herps. There are a bunch of good BTS sites out there, check out Craig Loose's page sometime.

For housing, what you'll need is a tank with a lot of surface area. These are not small creatures.. you should aim for 6 square feet for a single BTS. Your best bet would be to make your own cage. Provide your BTS with UVB lighting and a basking light. They'd also appreciate a variety of things to hide under or go over, so try to put some bark and rocks on the cage (if you use rocks, make sure they're resting on the bottom of the tank, it's possible for them to burrow under and get crushed).

They'll eat pretty much anything.. BTS are the pinnacle of opportunitists! What I did for the most part was feed him low protein cat food (cat food for older cats pretty much) and juv. iguana food mashed together. They do enjoy the odd earthworm or snail though.. even slugs! If you decide to do this, make sure the arthropod is pesticide free! The ambient temp should be around 80, with a hot basking spot going from 90-100.

Anyways that should give you a rough idea of what they need.. They're a really rewarding herp to keep, getting the proper cage is the most expensive part to keeping it, after that it's no problem!

Hope this helps,
-Doug

Weather1 · 02-04-03, 10:26 AM

Thanks Doug all t he info was very helpful

Katatonic · 02-04-03, 11:51 PM

Sorry for the late reply.
My skink is a female, from what I can tell... No seminal plugs have ever been shed. She also has the smaller head typical of females.
There are a number of articles published that make fantastic references, and I know of a back issue of REPTILES> have to get you the exact issue, but that does a beautiful job at giving information of the care and maintenance.
I'd have to say that I agree with Doug in regards to cage sizing.
These are very versatile animals and can live in a variety of enclosure set-ups. They can be as elaborate or as basic as you like, given you provide atleast two secure hiding spots for the big tank of an animal. I find that the Flukers Repti-carpet makes a decent substrate, though not entirely natural, and is easier to clean than the conventional substrate, seeing as these animals can and will be messy, defecating every other day. Some of the mulches and the like substrates can work well to.
They tend to reach anywhere from 18 to 24 inches depending on the subspecies of blue tongue you obtain.
In regards to diet, these skinks feed on a vast variety of foods. The key to success would be diversity. Offer them various types of fruits (banana, apple, mango etc), I'm skeptical about the dog and cat foods unless they are of utmost high quality and only fed periodically and do not remain the stable. Insects make up a large portion of the diet as well, snails (both domestic and wild caught and purged, live snails) make fabulous additives to their diet, comprising a large portion of their natural diet, and the basic feeder insects are lavished, such as superworms... I've never reallly had success w/ silkworms however, but no problem with waxworms, butterworms, and the occassional pinky mouse or rat (live or frozen) are enjoyed to spice up their wide spectrum diet.Vegetables, I've never really had successes with, unless you count that ZuPreem canned Iguana food and the Monitor food as well for protein yadda yadda yadda.
I'll try and get you the issue number to that reptiles magazine.
These are fabulous animals to keep, have awesome "personalities" and are tame as the dogs I've owned... Perhaps better, seeing as they don't bark. If you have the time to enjoy, they are probably the most rewarding animal to keep, herpwise.
LATER.

Weather1 · 02-05-03, 06:42 PM

Thanks for all the great info.

Katatonic · 02-05-03, 10:07 PM

You're welcome *still workin on that reptiles issue for you*.
LATER.

lynsey_togofire · 02-13-03, 01:25 PM

i have a togo fire skink. i was just wondering how big blue tongues get...my togo is only gonna reach about a foot in length...and someone suggested a minimum of a 6 ft. space for the blue tongue. that's a lot of room! i was just curious. LOL!:jawdrop: :monkey:

Katatonic · 02-14-03, 05:36 PM

As with ANY reptile, the larger the enclosure, the better. From anything I've read, a minimum of four square feet is recommended. They are extremely active animals. Blue Tongue Skinks range from 18" all the way up to a wopping 24", depending on which subspecies you're looking at. Northern Blue Tongues, being one of the more popular and more frequently bred in captivity would be the largest.
Fantastic animals though, I can't say enough great things about them. Just beautiful animals to work with, all around.
LATER.