Frank - The Blue Tongue Skink

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Originally Posted by dakski

Frank Shed. Thought I would share. He's looking dapper.

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He's really got some great colors! :cool:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

He's really got some great colors! :cool:

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Thank you. People often think he is hypo, but he was sold to me as a normal. Either way, he is a good looking skink!

Food, for me???????????

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YUMMMMMM!

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Frank's been doing great and I've been working with him on the hand feeding. A combination of earning his trust and offering bigger food items (to keep my fingers safe from his exuberant eating style) has led to consistently successful feedings.

https://vimeo.com/464841359

My 9 year old niece Meghan with Frank.

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Frank has really been growing, & I love his "fall colors"! He's gorgeous, & lucky to have such a great owner.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Frank has really been growing, & I love his "fall colors"! He's gorgeous, & lucky to have such a great owner.

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Never thought about "fall colors" before, but yeah, you are dead on.

He's doing great. Brumates in the winter and gets down to the mid 500G range and then back to the low/mid 600G range throughout the summer.

Frank shed last week and didn't eat for close to a week before (which is normal). He hasn't eaten since either, which normally would have me worried, but he's also getting fairly inactive and now is when he usually starts brumation.

He came out today and looked at his food, but didn't eat. He may also have been checking things out because I cleaned his cage (there was some urate and lots of shed everywhere).

I'll keep monitoring him and see what happens over the next few weeks, but it's signs like this when I cut his feeding down from 2X a week to 1X a week and he will often only eat every other week anyway. He's a healthy weight and body type as you can see from the pics above with my niece.

I cannot believe it's been so long since I've updated on Frank "The Tank."

He's doing awesome. I've added reptilinks (a few different kinds) to his food repertoire. He loves them, but still eats all his fruits and veggies.

Here's a recent picture. I was cleaning his tank and he looked really good against the black Boaphile tank bottom.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/TgH9vkI.jpg

Frank is doing well. He's getting dark and may shed soon, but tonight I caught him drinking and he looks cute with his mouth all wet and glaring at me (I disturbed him).

Unlike monitors, BTS don't climb and wear down their nails too much in captivity. Certainly with my setup where he burrows into printless newspaper and I make layers and crumble it up for him etc., but doesn't have any heavy substrate like dirt and rocks like he'd find in the wild. Anyway, I have to trim Franks nails every 4-6 months +/-. Katie usually helps me by cutting the nails while I keep him gently occupied. It's not an easy one person job and I shake because of immune suppression meds because of my kidney transplant, making precise hand movements very difficult. I don't want to hurt him and cut his nails too short.

Katie doesn't like helping with the nails even though she really does enjoy and love Frank. This time she decided to "restrain" while I trimmed. I was slow and cautious and she was a little too loose in holding him and he turned and nipped her hand. He could have done damage, but didn't, and it was clear it was a warning and he didn't want to hurt her. She was a great sport and we switched and I held and she trimmed, per our usual arrangement. No blood, no heavy trauma, etc. I've had worse from hand feeding him. However, I was rather annoyed at Frank the Tank as his nails need to be cut and he doesn't need to be going after Katie's hand!

Oh well.

Anyway, here's some poor quality pics.

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This little booger tried to eat me when I initially tried cutting his nails and you were restraining.

He just casually turned, and when NOM. Dave didn't even notice as I was fighting for my life!!!

Lol. (Just kidding, it was a very gentle nibble.).

Anyways it does not make me like trimming his nails any more.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

Frank just finished shedding and got his congratulatory/build back your strength meal. He was quite pleased. He's looking great. So bright and reddish/maroon/copper especially after a shed.

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Wow! Amazing.. Just what’s in that build back your strength meal? Lol

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Wow! Amazing.. Just what’s in that build back your strength meal? Lol

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Thank you!

Frank eats Soylent Green, so PEOPLE! PEOPLE!

All kidding aside, this meal included a reptilink with rabbit, insects, fruits, and veggies, and Flukers Garden Blend veggie and fruit pellets (https://flukerfarms.com/crafted-cuisine/). Both are really moist and he loves them.

He gets those about 1X a week and 1X a week he gets ferret pellets (moistened in water) and freeze dried (re-hydrated of course) veggies and a little fruit. He also gets canned bugs of all types at least 1X every 2-3 weeks.

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Originally Posted by dakski

...Frank eats Soylent Green, so PEOPLE! PEOPLE! ...

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I KNEW it! :O :rofl:

My sister Ally with Frank.

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I don't know who looks more relaxed- Ally or Frank? :D

Frank has been eating a mixed diet including Flukers adult Bearded Dragon and Omnivorous Lizard food and the Flukers Garden Blend pellets (part of their crafted cuisine food line). He likes them. His favorite is still the reptilinks sausage but I can't justify the price for what little he eats and shipping etc.

His diet now consists of the above (links below), dried ferret food that I moisten/soak before feeding, canned and freeze dried insects, and occasional f/t pinkie, and vegetable and fruit mixes (usually freeze dried as well). He also loves the Zoomed Canned Blue Tongue skink food. That only lasts a week in the fridge, so I give that to him every couple of weeks since much is wasted. He eats 2X a week now. In the winter, he eats 1X a week, but occasionally will skip a meal or eat sparingly. He tends to lay low and lightly brumate in the winter.

I supplement 1X a week with reptile vitamins and 1X a week with calcium. Not too much as he eats a balanced diet.

https://flukerfarms.com/crafted-cuisine/

https://zoomed.com/zoo-menu-blue-ton...ink-tegu-food/

https://www.zillarules.com/all-produ...e-with-calcium
https://www.zillarules.com/all-produ...chies-omnivore
https://www.zillarules.com/all-produ...munchies-fruit


Here he is enjoying his flukers meal.

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Oh cool! It's been a while since we've had an update on Frank.

That's too bad that the Zoomed BTS diet doesn't come in smaller cans- couldn't you freeze scoops of it right when you open the can, so it would keep a lot longer? I've done that with Gerber's chicken baby food when I had a small snake that needed tube-feeds- otherwise most of the jar would be a waste- so I scooped out the needed amounts onto waxed paper until they froze, then put the frozen lumps into a container in the freezer, & just thawed one lump at a time as I needed to feed.

I can remember looking up the prices of Reptilinks & thinking they're rather pricey also- especially with the shipping. I hope Frank appreciates how good he has it. :)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Oh cool! It's been a while since we've had an update on Frank.

That's too bad that the Zoomed BTS diet doesn't come in smaller cans- couldn't you freeze scoops of it right when you open the can, so it would keep a lot longer? I've done that with Gerber's chicken baby food when I had a small snake that needed tube-feeds- otherwise most of the jar would be a waste- so I scooped out the needed amounts onto waxed paper until they froze, then put the frozen lumps into a container in the freezer, & just thawed one lump at a time as I needed to feed.

I can remember looking up the prices of Reptilinks & thinking they're rather pricey also- especially with the shipping. I hope Frank appreciates how good he has it. :)

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Good idea on freezing the zoomed food.

Frank's pretty cool, but not growing, and therefore no need to update too much. I will work on it though ;). He's a crowd favorite.

Frank went to town on his food today. He got a couple mealworm pieces (freeze dried and then soaked) stuck to his nose and he looks like he has a horn. Pretty funny.


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The only thing worse than getting dinner stuck on your nose is when people take photos & go public with them. Poor Frank...:D

Frank has been running to his food lately. He's also been eating everything I offer. I think he's getting bulked up for brumation. I usually feed 2X a week, but now I am feeding 2-3X for a bit (every 2-3 days instead of every 3-4).

He's looking great and he gets a varied diet, so I think this will only be good for him.

Hi, can I ask why you use paper towels instead of a particulate substrate, also why you feel the need to trim the claws?

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Originally Posted by binjai

Hi, can I ask why you use paper towels instead of a particulate substrate, also why you feel the need to trim the claws?

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I use paper substrate, Uline printless newspaper, because it makes cleanup and keeping things clean a breeze. I use it in all my tanks - 9 of them (7 snakes and 2 lizards).

Frank is a Northern Blue Tongue, so he does not have high humidity requirements and paper substrate and a small water bowl suit this well.

Common in captivity to have to trim BTS nails, but especially without substrate BTS can really dig in. Even, then, your will probably have to trim occasionally. Unlike monitors, where you shouldn't trim the nails, BTS nails will curl under and create issues if not kept trimmed. BTS are ground lizards and do no need the nails for climbing, like monitors. When I cut his nails I cut just below/above the cuticle, depending on how you look it. Either way, it's as close to the hand/claw as I can get without drawing blood.

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Originally Posted by dakski

I use paper substrate, Uline printless newspaper, because it makes cleanup and keeping things clean a breeze. I use it in all my tanks - 9 of them (7 snakes and 2 lizards).

Frank is a Northern Blue Tongue, so he does not have high humidity requirements and paper substrate and a small water bowl suit this well.

Common in captivity to have to trim BTS nails, but especially without substrate BTS can really dig in. Even, then, your will probably have to trim occasionally. Unlike monitors, where you shouldn't trim the nails, BTS nails will curl under and create issues if not kept trimmed. BTS are ground lizards and do no need the nails for climbing, like monitors. When I cut his nails I cut just below/above the cuticle, depending on how you look it. Either way, it's as close to the hand/claw as I can get without drawing blood.

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I have many years experience with the species both in the wild and captivity, there would be no need to trim the claws if the animal has a "proper" substrate, the paper is more about you than the lizard.
If you offered it a particulate substrate (such as a topspoil/playsand mix topped with non toxic leaves) if will be able to dig/burrow which is perfectly natural behaviour, enriching mentally and physically.
You need to offer a decent humidity range, the retreats they choose are normally markedly higher than the "outside" air.