Getting a new baby!

[KarenSoCal]

Hello, lizard lovers!

Since my sweet DT Chug died, I have pretty much decided not to get another tortoise. Because of my black thumb, I had to rely almost completely on grocery store food along with Mazuri. I never felt like I was providing the best for him. Plus, it's getting harder for me to care for an outdoor pet in the horrendous heat of summer.

So, I've decided to go in a new direction...this summer I will be mama to a baby Northern blue tongue skink! I have never kept a lizard before, so this will be an adventure.

A few weeks ago I found some cages for sale a mile or two from my house. Since you never know what might come along, I bought 3 of them. 2 are 4x2x2. They both have 4 ceramic bulb fixtures, and 1 has a tube light fixture. The 3rd cage is 2x2x2, and has 2 bulb and 1 tube fixtures. They all have sliding glass doors. Turns out he used to breed beardies, but now into snakes. Hey, I paid $10. each...I think I did pretty good! Here's 1 of the big ones.



So I'm going to have a zillion questions. I went to Lowe's today and they did not have orchid bark that I trusted...I could not see any of the product in the bag, and the picture of the contents showed white specks like maybe vermiculite? It was called orchid potting mix...I didn't trust the "mix". So I'll go to Home Depot next week. About how much do I need for 4x2 4 in deep?

Do they like their cage in a busy room, or in a quiet room away from activity? It's only me here, but I have to figure out where to put him/her.

I'll stop here for now. I'll take it a step at a time.

Oh, I discovered that a man at my CTTC club meetings breeds his 2 female NBTS each year. I'll be getting mine from him. He's only charging me $150, which I think is reasonable.

 

[Tom]

OMG! Is this post even real??? Everything you've just said is positively dreamy! I think they are the best reptile pet there is. You are going to be so happy.

Point by point:

• Those cages look excellent. For a baby, I'd start with the smaller one. 2x2 you said?
• All you need is one basking lamp. No UV and no night heat needed. So simple. You can use a florescent tube or LED bulb for more light if you want. LEDs will screw into the ceramic fixtures and you can run it on the same timer as the basking bulb.
• I wouldn't use o bark for this species. I like coco "chips" the best. They are soft, inert, bacteria and fungus resistant, not dusty when dry, and easy to burrow into. These guys love to nuzzle into the substrate and root around and o bark is a little too hard and rough on their snout scales. Get the chips here: https://prococo.com If you have any trouble, I have a bunch of it sitting here new in the bag. Happy to give you a block.
• Keep your substrate dry (Well... dry-ish) but offer a humid hide. I use a rectanglar Tupperware container of some sort and put dampened substrate in it. Make a door hole just a little bigger than the lizard. They will use this whenever it is time to molt, and they may just sleep in there anyway. When you buy the coco chips, you'll have to wet it to reconstitute it. This is no problem. Just let it dry out over time. You might want to increase ventilation until it dries out some. It doesn't have to be bone dry all the time, just not overly wet. I periodically dump the lizard's water bowl into the substrate to maintain a little bit of dampness. In a closed chamber you won't need to do this very often at all.
• These lizards are very curious, interactive and seek out attention. The busiest room in the house would be ideal. You will be handing the baby a lot, and you will both enjoy this time. I let mine ride around on my shoulder like a tame pet rat. They will sit and watch TV with you, and their curious little actions are fascinating to observe.
• $150 is practically free. That is about a third of what they are worth nowadays. This guy either doesn't know their value, or he just loves his babies and is happy to see one going to a great home. I'm guessing the latter is the case. I want one too!
• I learned about feeding them from a breeder that has dozens of these and other similar species too, and decades of experience. You can go as fancy as you want with the food, and they will eat just about anything, but you can't do better than beef flavored Mighty Dog canned dog food with some thawed, mixed veggies mixed in. I know this sounds crazy and the opposite of every thing we all know, but its true. Many generations have been raised and fed this way by my friend and so many other breeders that he works with. The fillers that make people think this food isn't great for dogs, is actually part of what makes it so good for a BTS. It gives them balanced nutrition, all the vitamins and trace elements, D3, and protein. Question this! Look into it yourself. I'm not kidding. I've raised all of mine this way, and I don't know how it could be easier or better. I fed mine roaches on the side too, but that wasn't necessary. Just fun.

I'm so excited for you. I KNOW what is in store for you and what you are about to experience. You have no idea how awesome these lizards are. So much to talk about! When do you get the baby? Congrats to you!!! Very wise choice, and amazing luck finding those enclosures so cheap!

 

[Ink]

Yay! How exciting. I love tortoises and lizards. This is going to be exciting to read while the new baby comes to his (or hers) new home. Lots of pictures and posts. Please

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Congrats! And wow 150 is a great deal! I have one right now and for sure my fav pet reptile ive ever owned. So curious and interactive and so easy to care for which is a plus! Tom pretty much nailed it as usual lol i wish u luck and cant wait to see ur lil guy ??

 

[MichaelL]

Wow!!! That is so exciting!!!! I love lizards of all types, haven't kept a blue tongue skink but have heard how awesome they are!! I have kept some of the huge broadhead skinks in my backyard, and they are very cool, active, and eat whatever they're given so maybe that's what blue tongues are like. Good luck, and keep posting!!! Always awesome to get a new pet!

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

Blue tongues are a very rewarding experience. They have wonderful personalities. You'll find them addicting however.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Thank you everyone for your comments and encouragement!

Tom and Chubbs, reading your posts about these was what initiated my further research. You were both very convincing! ?

 

[KarenSoCal]

@Tom , thank you for the detailed post.

I ordered the coco chips. Prococo only sells in bulk, but I found their product on Ebay.

Is there an advantage to starting in the 2x2 cage? I've read they grow so fast that it is better to start big, rather than upgrade in a couple months. Isn't it hard to get a temp gradient in only 2 ft?

Since incandescent floods are no longer, should I just get a pet store basking bulb? Since it will be ~20" above the substrate, give me your best guess on wattage because I have no experience to go by. I was thinking 150 watt? I can make the basking rock a bit higher if I need to.

Do you really want one? I can call him...
And I'm sure he knows what they're worth. I think his bread and butter is breeding pet birds. I've never been to his place, but he has a large building for birds. He mentioned parrots, but I think he has macaws and cockatoos as well. He also has a collection of several species of torts...hard to remember but I know he has pancakes, a sully, I think Russians, and some kind of star, not sure which. I have an invitation to visit, just haven't done it yet with COVID restrictions.

He's in Borrego Springs. When we go for our babies, we'll meet, grab some lunch, then go to get our blueys. (assuming stuff is open again) ?

 

[Tom]

@Tom , thank you for the detailed post.

I ordered the coco chips. Prococo only sells in bulk, but I found their product on Ebay.

Is there an advantage to starting in the 2x2 cage? I've read they grow so fast that it is better to start big, rather than upgrade in a couple months. Isn't it hard to get a temp gradient in only 2 ft?

Since incandescent floods are no longer, should I just get a pet store basking bulb? Since it will be ~20" above the substrate, give me your best guess on wattage because I have no experience to go by. I was thinking 150 watt? I can make the basking rock a bit higher if I need to.

Do you really want one? I can call him...
And I'm sure he knows what they're worth. I think his bread and butter is breeding pet birds. I've never been to his place, but he has a large building for birds. He mentioned parrots, but I think he has macaws and cockatoos as well. He also has a collection of several species of torts...hard to remember but I know he has pancakes, a sully, I think Russians, and some kind of star, not sure which. I have an invitation to visit, just haven't done it yet with COVID restrictions.

He's in Borrego Springs. When we go for our babies, we'll meet, grab some lunch, then go to get our blueys. (assuming stuff is open again) ?

Glad you found the coco chips. I thought they would direct you to a seller that dealt in smaller quantities near you. Hmmm....

The advantage of the smaller cage is that you won't have to chase him when you go to pick him up. Sometimes a larger cage makes them feel a little wilder. I started all of mine in a 24x24x12 inch tank.

You can use spot bulbs for these guys. No carapace to desiccate. Probably 50 or 75 watts, but your thermometer will have to guide you.

Yeah. I do want one. I also have a friend looking for hand raised parakeets. She wants a loving pet and doesn't want one of the mass produced pet store chain ones. I wonder if he has those? There isn't much market for a hand fed baby parakeet. Everyone just goes and buys one at a pet shop for cheap.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Glad you found the coco chips. I thought they would direct you to a seller that dealt in smaller quantities near you. Hmmm....

The advantage of the smaller cage is that you won't have to chase him when you go to pick him up. Sometimes a larger cage makes them feel a little wilder. I started all of mine in a 24x24x12 inch tank.

You can use spot bulbs for these guys. No carapace to desiccate. Probably 50 or 75 watts, but your thermometer will have to guide you.

Yeah. I do want one. I also have a friend looking for hand raised parakeets. She wants a loving pet and doesn't want one of the mass produced pet store chain ones. I wonder if he has those? There isn't much market for a hand fed baby parakeet. Everyone just goes and buys one at a pet shop for cheap.

They did map resellers, but the closest is in Riverside.

I'll use the small cage. Nice to have choices! And to think I bought these just because I couldn't pass them up. He had around 10 of them.

Good on the bulb!

I'll call him and ask about the parakeet, and reserve another BTS. And all he told me about when is "June or July". I don't know if he will be able to narrow it down more.