Richard the Blue Tongue!

Here he is!
Photo's taken by parents while I was at school.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...dd5d26646b.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...1976f57341.jpg

I'll take more pics when I get home, this'll also be his progression thread!
:)

Congrats...
Why "Richard"??

Love him!!


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Well, its a running joke between my friends to give our reptiles human names. One friend named his Carl, another Martha, and so on. :)

I do food names LoL

Tried to get some photo's with my iPad 4, it has a relatively ok camera, but he's hiding so I'll give him his time and I'll do something else in the meantime. I offered him an egg, but he didn't take it:( I'm going to buy collard greens, some green beans, blue berries, and some nice canned dog food to finish it off. I'll use a Notability file to file all of the things done and when and in what amount, so I'll feed him 2 teaspoons of 50% meat 40% veggies/greens and what little is left blueberries. This is the most agreed upon diet I have found with the online research I've done. I love my little Richard. :)

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Originally Posted by Sir Hognose

Tried to get some photo's with my iPad 4, it has a relatively ok camera, but he's hiding so I'll give him his time and I'll do something else in the meantime. I offered him an egg, but he didn't take it:( I'm going to buy collard greens, some green beans, blue berries, and some nice canned dog food to finish it off. I'll use a Notability file to file all of the things done and when and in what amount, so I'll feed him 2 teaspoons of 50% meat 40% veggies/greens and what little is left blueberries. This is the most agreed upon diet I have found with the online research I've done. I love my little Richard. :)

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Welcome to the club! Blueys are tons of fun, and still probably my favorite lizard to just chill with! I was looking at the pictures on my phone, so it was hard for me to tell on the small screen, but is he an Indo? If so you may want to rethink the aspen bedding, any of the tropical species need higher humidity.

I am going to have to disagree with you on one thing. (This is not me bashing so please don't take it that way, I just want to provide you with some info, you can choose to do with it what you will)

While your percentages are correct DOG Food is not part of the "most agreed" upon diet for a blue tongue, DOG Food is formulated for dogs. People post about feeding their lizards "high quality" canned food, but if you do some reading it always says "in moderation" not as a staple, one you will spend more money on canned food vs raw meat and it won't be as good for them, things like ground turkey or chicken would be better to look into. The big debate comes to cooking the meat vs feeding raw. I am a big believer of feeding raw however that is MY PERSONAL OPINION, you will see pros and cons to each side, much like feeding live vs FT for snakes. These guys need variety in their diet and to just do canned food, collard greens and blue berries generally wont cut it. When I make my food I mix in over 9 ingredients at a time and switch it up from time to time. Here is a link to a really advanced care sheet, in there you will find a list of all things that you can include in their diet, along with how frequent you should use them. This is a good starting point. http://www.bluetongueskinks.net/ LLL also has a pretty long video on their youtube page on making skink food that is pretty spot on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urZFjIMUbHU

Thanks! I guess what I said will be a temporary diet while we get more things. Thanks for helping!

No problem. Do you know what local of Indo he is?

No, would you happen to know? I think it said halmeheran on the ad (Outback Reptiles)

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Originally Posted by Sir Hognose

No, would you happen to know? I think it said halmeheran on the ad (Outback Reptiles)

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I'd have to look at the pics on a bigger screen, the one identifier I have been told to look for was solid black legs, but I bet if you posted up on the BTS forum I linked you to with pics they would be able to confirm right away.

Ooh i know bluetongueskinks.net! The website doesn't work well for my iPad though. I'll ask for some computer time tonight :)

Man this makes me miss my blue. I went to the local butcher and ask if they would save me any scraps the had. The gave me a constant supply. Might be work checking into

My dad has a red wiggler colony for recycling, could I feed him those? (As a PART of his diet haha I think for meats I'll go ground turkey and maaaaaybe canned dog food and definitely red wigglers (earthworms) if their ok. My mother loves salad and has an abundance of arugula, spinach greens, and collard greens, and lettuces, cause she's doing the weird vegan thing. Also as for bananas, that should be easy. Carrots and the rest we also have.

Richard ate today! I made a mix of:
ground 85% lean turkey
red wiggler earthworms
spinach
arugula
bluberries
mango
tiny bits of carrot
and an egg to clump it together!

Sounds good even to me, except the earthworms of course[emoji15]


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Whats wrong with the earthworms? The blue tongue skinks.net food chart said "frequently" and my dad breeds them to eat recycling and stuff, so no chemicals, preservatives, or anything like that, but they might taste suspiciously of coffee grounds and newspaper haha.

Congrats on the pickup. I was about your age when I got my bluey. I remember being in my favorite pet store shopping for a lizard. I was eyeballing some monitors while I'm sure dad was shaking his head "no" behind me while I chatted up the owner. Then Mike went into the back and came out holding the neatest, largest, skink I ever saw - and they had some corucia there to contend! I immediately fell in love and to my extreme pleasure learned the skink had dropped a litter earlier in the week so I got to take a baby home. Mine was a northern but there will always a soft spot in my heart for all tiliqua. Enjoy him and prepare to be amazed at growth rates!

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Originally Posted by Sir Hognose

Whats wrong with the earthworms? The blue tongue skinks.net food chart said "frequently" and my dad breeds them to eat recycling and stuff, so no chemicals, preservatives, or anything like that, but they might taste suspiciously of coffee grounds and newspaper haha.

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It's was a joke sorry, I meant for ME to eat. It was a compliment


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Ok herp a derp

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Originally Posted by Sir Hognose

Richard ate today! I made a mix of:
ground 85% lean turkey
red wiggler earthworms
spinach
arugula
bluberries
mango
tiny bits of carrot
and an egg to clump it together!

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Much better mixture than dog food!!! Good Job!

I have some squash that I'll inter change with the carrot

It's been 2 days since I fed him, I offered the mixture again (i made a medium amount of food and put it in the fridge) and he didnt take it. :( He also didn't react well to being picked up yesterday (hissing) so I'm going to try again today. I checked temps and highest there was was 102 degrees, so I lowered the temps a smidge and its about 99 at highest now. :please: Please eat today!
He just came through his shed also, is that it? His colors are BRILLIANT! I love his yellows.

do you know approx how old he is? Sometimes they go off feed during shed and get grumpy. Also odds are he is a WC or "farm bred" animal so he may take a little time to calm down and adjust to his new environment. What are the dimensions of your cage, is it glass, plastic, top opening, front opening, how is it being heated, are you providing UV, do you dust the food with calcium powder, are you still using aspen bedding, what is your humidity at, etc?

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Originally Posted by Sir Hognose

Well, its a running joke between my friends to give our reptiles human names. One friend named his Carl, another Martha, and so on. :)

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That's hilarious! I actually named my blue tongue Phil after AmazingPhil the British Youtuber, so I always have to explain why he has a human name :D

Awesome pick up! Blue tongue skinks are wonderful creature. I truly adore them! Out of curiosity did you provide any UV lighting?

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Originally Posted by Druzy

Awesome pick up! Blue tongue skinks are wonderful creature. I truly adore them! Out of curiosity did you provide any UV lighting?

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Yup, albeit weak UV ratings.

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Originally Posted by Sir Hognose

Yup, albeit weak UV ratings.

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What is a weak UV rating? I will repost my previous stated questions:

do you know approx how old he is? Sometimes they go off feed during shed and get grumpy. Also odds are he is a WC or "farm bred" animal so he may take a little time to calm down and adjust to his new environment. What are the dimensions of your cage, is it glass, plastic, top opening, front opening, how is it being heated, are you providing UV (if so what type of bulb), do you dust the food with calcium powder, are you still using aspen bedding, what is your humidity at, etc?

He's about 3 months old
36in x 18in x 18in
Glass with screen top covered fully by light covers with vents
UTH thermostatted with temperatures under aspen (where he stays most of the time) at a comfortable 96.6 fahrenheit.
UV is from 3 25w bulbs that mainly provide ambient heat and two night time lights I absolutely hate.
I have calcium powder that I put in his food mixture while mixing.
Humidity is provided by spray bottle where the lowest it gets in places without sphagnum moss is 23% and if I spray too much it can get to 60%
Aspen bedding is working way better than expected!

Also I have not seen poop lately and I'm a little scared, is there a chance he pooped under the aspen? He ate the most I've seen last meal. I feed him every three days and he doesn't look thin but I think I should make it every other day.

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Originally Posted by Sir Hognose

He's about 3 months old

36in x 18in x 18in

Glass with screen top covered fully by light covers with vents- Can you post a picture of the top and how it is covered, as well as your entire enclosure? If there is not enough air movement you can be getting a lot of dry heat trapped in there, it honestly sounds like you need some tweaking to your husbandry.

UTH thermostatted with temperatures under aspen (where he stays most of the time) at a comfortable 96.6 fahrenheit. -Not a fan of using a UTH for these guys are really most lizards I would create a hot spot with a bulb and a rock, or something to that effect.

UV is from 3 25w bulbs that mainly provide ambient heat and two night time lights I absolutely hate.-What bulbs are these, how are you getting UVB and ambient heat from 3 25W bulbs? Are you using CFLs (spirals) It honestly sounds like you have way to many lights hooked up especially for the small cage you are using. You should have 1 good basking bulb and a full length UVB tube.

I have calcium powder that I put in his food mixture while mixing.- Are you mixing in the powder then freezing the food or do you mix it in as you serve it? You need to watch your calcium doses, it should not be with every meal.

Humidity is provided by spray bottle where the lowest it gets in places without sphagnum moss is 23% and if I spray too much it can get to 60%
Aspen bedding is working way better than expected!- This is an Indo skink, they need humidity! It seems like you are keeping him much more like you would a Northern, this is a completely different species with vastly different environments. 23 is WAY too low, 50-60 is about right which is why I said get rid of the aspen, it will get moldy and gross, they thrive with a deep substrate layer which is another reason why I stay away from UTH's.

Also I have not seen poop lately and I'm a little scared, is there a chance he pooped under the aspen? He ate the most I've seen last meal. I feed him every three days and he doesn't look thin but I think I should make it every other day.

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- at 3 months you should be feeding more frequent than that. My adults eat twice a week, but as a baby he is relying on the nutrients in his food to grow.

Aright. I'm getting a ceramic heat emitter, turning off the UTH (when I get the CHE and its hood of course) and some (2 bags) of eco earth to mix in with the aspen along with every other day feedings and I'm buying more ingredients. Today I made the food in his dish in one serving, is that ok? I find it easier than making a batch, and "fresher," if you will. I will take out all those lights and get a flourescent bar (produces UV, right?) and maybe a reptifogger because honestly it might make it easier.
Thanks for pointing that stuff out, I'd have never noticed until it was too late.

"Richard" Is quite adorable. I don't know much about skinks but I would like to commend you for you ability to take advice from others for the betterment of your animal. I haven't been an active member for long but I've been reading for a while. most new-to-pet people get defensive and don't take advice well. I think you two will do great together! :D;)

I'm terrified of not giving him the life he needs to. I just do what's best for him.
I also got a lot of Christmas money so it's not much of a problem either. I also want to really spread the word about reptile keeping, I always daydream about making a huge collection of animals and taking them on tours to elementary schools, I'd call it R.A.T., Reptile Awareness Talks. But that would cost a ton and I have problems at hand to solve with only 1 reptile haha.

My dad has also been calling Richard Edward Lizardhands.
Mmmm, dad jokes.

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Originally Posted by Sir Hognose

Aright. I'm getting a ceramic heat emitter, turning off the UTH (when I get the CHE and its hood of course) and some (2 bags) of eco earth to mix in with the aspen along with every other day feedings and I'm buying more ingredients. Today I made the food in his dish in one serving, is that ok? I find it easier than making a batch, and "fresher," if you will. I will take out all those lights and get a flourescent bar (produces UV, right?) and maybe a reptifogger because honestly it might make it easier.
Thanks for pointing that stuff out, I'd have never noticed until it was too late.

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What are the ambients like in the room he is in during the day and night? For the UVB my personal choice would be a T5 HO bulb that is the length of the tank. If your tank is 3ft and you want it to sit on top of the screen, I think zoo med has a 3ft HO fixture with bulb: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiS.../dp/B00AQU8F2O (this but the 36in one)

I use the 10.0 bulbs: http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/En...D=2&SearchID=5, but with a different fixture because I mount mine inside the cages.

Now for heating if you want to use a CHE you can, but if you dont require night heat (see question about ambients) you can actually use a flood bulb (wattage) will depend on your ambients as well and create the basking spot with that.

As an example:

I am in Southern California, my ambients stay right around 70, with my bulbs mounted inside a PVC cage, I use one 39 Watt PAR30 flood bulb and that provides the right temps for basking as well as heating the cage, the only other bulb I have is my UVB, since I am only running one bulb, controlling humidity is a lot easier. You can use a fogger/mister system if you want, but I generally just have to spray down the cages (in the winter while I am trying to simulate breeding conditions, daily) during the summer every other day. This is where a thick substrate can come into play as well. If you have a deep layer and get it moist throughout, it won't dry out as fast.

For your substrate I would get rid of the aspen all together, as it can get moldy in moist conditions. Eco Earth would be fine, other than it will get expensive to replace. I will try to get some pictures of my cages today and post them here for you for a reference, with some notes on substrates I use etc, if that is helpful to you.


Making the food daily works great, so that shouldn't be an issue, I would still cut back on your calicium doses, I don't want to tell you exactly how much to dose because I don't think there is any hard evidence to prove the exact amount, but I do know that dosing daily can lead to a build up in their system and is not reccomended.

http://www.anapsid.org/mbd2.html (give this a read)

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love how eco earth looks too.
My ambients during winter sit at ~70 degrees
I think I'm gonna stick with the CHE though. I change my mind so much so fast so don't take my word for it.

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Originally Posted by Sir Hognose

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love how eco earth looks too.
My ambients during winter sit at ~70 degrees
I think I'm gonna stick with the CHE though. I change my mind so much so fast so don't take my word for it.

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I will get the the pictures, hopefully tonight. My substrate layer is 6 inches thick, and I use good ol fashon dirt mixed with a little peat moss, a little play sand to help hold burrows and leaf litter in the hopes that after adding springtails it will become bio-active: http://www.varanustalk.com/forum/index.php?pageid=Dirt

The one reason I do not use a CHE and use a basking light instead http://www.anapsid.org/parietal.html
I personally believe there is validity to it. There are people that successfully keep lizards without a basking light, but I beleive that a basking bulb is necessary which is why I dont use a CHE.

When I picked up Richard today again he didn't breath heavy or try to hiss at all...he did explore my arm and my bed though...is he ok?

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Originally Posted by Sir Hognose

When I picked up Richard today again he didn't breath heavy or try to hiss at all...he did explore my arm and my bed though...is he ok?

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I would assume so...I would still fix the husbandry issues...pictures are always helpful.

Here are some examples of my lighting9http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...a675e9df44.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...ada2e1cee1.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...5bdb50763e.jpg