Blue tongue skink

Well, I think I have FINALLY convinced my Nannie of another animal. The snake was out, the iggy out, buuuuuuut I'm pretty sure she has been won over by the blue tongue skink. So, here's the big question:

1) Buy from a breeder and have him/her shipped

or

2) Wait until May and visit the reptile show that's coming into town

I know that you get what you pay for, so it's not really about saving money in the sense that I'm being cheap, but is the animal I would have shipped going to necessarily be of better quality than one at a show? I don't really want to wait until May, but if I can get just as good of a BTS at a show as I can buying/shipping from a breeder, I may do it. Also, can you hold the animals at shows? I have never been to one, so sorry if that is a dumb question. I can understand them not wanting them held because of sanitary reasons, but at the same time if I could, I think that may help with finding *the one* as compared to just paying for an animal and having it show up on my doorstep. I think every animal has their own personality, and being able to have a little interaction time is good.

I really don't know if you are better buying from a breeder vs a show, but I have been able to handle many different snakes at show. I think it really depends on the seller. I have had a few that did not want anyone to hold their reptiles. This is just what I have found at a few local shows....

While doing some research, I have some questions for anyone with BTS or experience with them.. I have noticed some inconsistencies with caresheets. How should I judge what is a reliable caresheet and what isn't? Some say they can eat crickets, and some don't. Others say it's okay to start with a 10 gallon tank as babies and then upgrade, and others say to go ahead and start with about a 40 gallon. I think it probably makes more sense to just start with the bigger tank to avoid buying 2 in a short amount of time, unless the bigger tank will stress the skink, like it will some other animals if they don't feel secure.

ok start with www.bluetongueskinks.net, bpelizabeth pointed me in this direction. they have the most extensive care sheet for blueys you can find. i have had my bluey for 4 years and he/she was a rescue from a coworker. they r great animals. start with a 30 or 40 gal breeder and as soon as you get the little bluey start saving for somthing bigger. they grow fast and the they love to have lots of hides.

I did skim through that site some, because it did seem to have the most info. I just wanted to make sure I was on a good site because some are so contradictory. Thanks :)

Also, I like the idea of using papertowels for substrate because 1: it's cheap and 2: it's easy to clean, but I read they like to burrow, so is some of the other substrates a better idea so that he/she can do that?

from what i read about blueys burrowing, it seems blueys r either burrowers or like to inhabit burrows. what i did for my enclosure was to use landscaping bricks and slate tiles to create a hide that streches the length of the enclosure. and then paper towel for the bottom. seems to work just fine, thats just my take on it. blueys r adaptive and hardy

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Originally Posted by WIpythonGUY

from what i read about blueys burrowing, it seems blueys r either burrowers or like to inhabit burrows. what i did for my enclosure was to use landscaping bricks and slate tiles to create a hide that streches the length of the enclosure. and then paper towel for the bottom. seems to work just fine, thats just my take on it. blueys r adaptive and hardy

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Do you have a picture? I'm trying to figure out how you did that.. Maybe I'm not thinking of the same tiles that you used? Or maybe I'm just a blonde :oops:

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a breeder to get a BTS from?

We should have babies in about 4 months. We are expecting at least 3 of our 6 northern girls drop this year. Possibly more if our other male gets his act together. As for caging I prefer as "natural" substrate as possible. The website above is a good start for info. I don't prefer the paper towels or turf substrate because I like them to be able to burrow in their enclosure. I use a mix of mulch, topsoil, sand, shredded bark, and dead leaves. Blueys are quite easy to care for and in my opinion a great pet lizard.

I just got a BTS from a reptile show this past weekend. I couldnt be more happy. He/She is fantastic. I have a bearded dragon and expected the skink to be similar but I couldnt have been more wrong. Much more laid back and less of a "diva" then my beardie. Very interesting personality. Cant go wrong with a BTS! :)