Got my new baby BTS!

KarenSoCal

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Feed her outside the cage, hold her and carry her around more, sit and watch TV with her, and you might want to try the paper towel method. I'm considering going that way too. Mine never tries to bite, but it does move away when I first reach in to get it out.
I am using paper towels. The coco chip you see is about 1/4 of the space, and very thin, but she can get under it. The rest of the space is paper towels. She's getting better about biting, unless she's backed into a corner.

She will not yet eat while on my hand, but getting closer to it.
 

Chubbs the tegu

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What do you use for treats? I tried a blueberry, but she ignored it.
As Tom said.. feed her out of her enclosure. As for treats.. pick up urself up a container of super worms ( they love em) strawberries, a lil bit of banana, Worms from ur yard, raspberries etc might have to experiment and find her favs. Good luck
 

Maggie3fan

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She's doing much better! She's still hissy and tries to bite while I'm getting her on my hand, but as soon as I get her she settles down.

At first, I was holding her right in front of her cage. I'm nervous about her darting off me and onto the floor. But she just wanted back in the cage. Well, 3 days ago I took her away from the cage, and what a difference! She looks around and is interested, and doesn't try to get away!

She's eating, though not while on my hand.

Oh...her name is Thistle! :)
I really don't know squat about lizards. What species is yours? I do want a Bearded dragon, and the pet store I sold all my parakeets babies to, has Beardies for $40. I believe I have all the necessary equipment, my problem is, they seem to be so personable and friendly, so I'm getting sorta sucked in by their eyes. The shop owner breeds them, so his kids handle them a lot so the are kinda tame and curious.
 
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KarenSoCal

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I really don't know squat about lizards. What species is yours? I do want a Bearded dragon, and the pet store I sold all my parakeets babies to, has Beardies for $40. I believe I have all the necessary equipment, my problem is, they seem to be so personable and friendly, so I'm getting sorta sucked in by their eyes. The shop owner breeds them, so his kids handle them a lot so the are kinda tame and curious.
I've never kept a lizard before, so didn't know what to get either. I've always avoided them because I believed I would have to feed bugs and mice to any lizard.

That's not happening.

So I asked here on this forum and a couple members suggested a blue tongue skink, particularly the Northern variety. So after more research, that's what Thistle is...a Northern Blue Tongue Skink.

She's (or he's) personable, at least once I get her to stop biting me. She stays reasonably small, is easy to feed, and forgiving of husbandry mistakes made by a newby like me.
 

Maggie3fan

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I've never kept a lizard before, so didn't know what to get either. I've always avoided them because I believed I would have to feed bugs and mice to any lizard.

That's not happening.

So I asked here on this forum and a couple members suggested a blue tongue skink, particularly the Northern variety. So after more research, that's what Thistle is...a Northern Blue Tongue Skink.

She's (or he's) personable, at least once I get her to stop biting me. She stays reasonably small, is easy to feed, and forgiving of husbandry mistakes made by a newby like me.
She's biting on purpose?
 

Tom

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@KarenSoCal Took some pics for you today:

I was by myself, so I couldn't get a pic of the pick up. Takes two hands. I lay one hand flat on the substrate, palm up, in front of the baby, and use the other hand to gently herd the baby onto my hand. If the baby were to turn around and offer to bite, I would just lower the herding hand under the baby and scoop it up slowly and gently. I'd let any substrate I picked up fall back into the enclosure as I let the baby walk from hand to hand. Once the baby seems settled and comfortable, I walk around with it on me taking care to not let it fall. They usually do a good job of hanging on to their warm arm "branch" or hand as I walk around watering plants or doing other one handed chores.
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I try to do this several times each day. I do this until I need both hands. Sometimes its five minutes and sometimes 30-40.

When I'm done with the handling, I take the baby back inside to a tub that I already have set up with the food and gently set my hand down and let the baby walk off toward the food. I prefer it if the baby goes straight off my hand and right into eating, so that it forms a positive association with me handling it ending in a food bonanza.
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I walk away for 10-15 minutes and let the baby eat in peace. Sometimes I'll let the baby eat while still sitting on my hand. Today the baby left me a present when it finished eating.
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Tom

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She's biting on purpose?
Some of them can be a little defensive in the first few weeks or months after being born. Everything in the wild wants to eat them. They settle down pretty quickly with minimal handling and become amazing, inquisitive, interactive pets.

You would do fantastic with one Maggie.

Beared dragons are also great, but they tend to be a lot less active or inquisitive. Beardies tend to just sort of perch on you or near you, while BTS like to explore and check things out. One of the neatest things about BTS is the way they look back at you when you look at them. No blank stares here. They really look at you and study your face. Also, beardie need mostly insects as babies, even though they become more omnivorous with size and age. You are still going to need crickets or roaches for a beardie. BTS eat canned dog food and thawed mixed veggies. No bugs needed, unless you just want to. I hand feed mine a roach once in a while just for fun.
 

Maggie3fan

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Some of them can be a little defensive in the first few weeks or months after being born. Everything in the wild wants to eat them. They settle down pretty quickly with minimal handling and become amazing, inquisitive, interactive pets.

You would do fantastic with one Maggie.

Beared dragons are also great, but they tend to be a lot less active or inquisitive. Beardies tend to just sort of perch on you or near you, while BTS like to explore and check things out. One of the neatest things about BTS is the way they look back at you when you look at them. No blank stares here. They really look at you and study your face. Also, beardie need mostly insects as babies, even though they become more omnivorous with size and age. You are still going to need crickets or roaches for a beardie. BTS eat canned dog food and thawed mixed veggies. No bugs needed, unless you just want to. I hand feed mine a roach once in a while just for fun.
Thanks, I'm still thinking on it. They seem so alert and friendly thru the glass in the pet store
 

KarenSoCal

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@maggie3fan
@Tom

I love the pictures! I'm going to have to try to get some.

Thsitle is doing better, and we had a great time this morning. While getting her on my hand, she hisses and bites at me sometimes. She is usually in her hide, so I have to remove it off her to reach for her. I also usually cannot get 2 arms in the cage, so am working one-handed. When she lunges at my fingers, I just moved my hand over her body and picked her up from her middle. Once on my hand, she does not bite.

This morning, we sat in a chair for a few minutes, then she walked around on the kitchen counter. I got a bit of her food, put it on my palm, and she ate a lot! From my hand! I was delighted!

Then I tried something. I put about an inch of warm water in the tort soaking bin. I tilted it slightly to make a shallow end and a deep end. Then I lowered my hand, with Thistle on it, slowly into the water. When she got water on her feet, I stopped. She took one look at the water and stepped in! She walked around for a bit, then went into the deep end. She wasn't happy when she floated, so she quickly swam toward the shallow. She drank and walked. She enjoyed it! And she swam very well.

I put my hand in, she stepped on, and back to the chair, where she played in her baby blanket for a bit until dry.

I think she had fun! I know I did!
 

KarenSoCal

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Thistle and I are getting along better...she hasn't lunged at me with jaws wide open for a couple days.

3 days ago I got her out in the morning...my baby was in her first shed!
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Then today, she looks so new and shiny!
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Isn't her tongue dark? Almost black at times.
Oh, she weighs 47 gms.
 

Chubbs the tegu

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