Blue tongue skink

I'm going with a t5 because it will be about 17" off the ground in the enclosure so about 14" of the top of the substrate, I'm building which is more then the t8 is rated for. I'm one of those no heat device without a thermostat people. So will use one for my own peace. But thank you all for your advice. I've still got a bit of learning to do. Keep it coming at me I love constructive criticism.
The enclosure will be 48"X24"X17.5". Was planning to use an RHP for heat source.

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Originally Posted by gunkle

I'm going with a t5 because it will be about 17" off the ground in the enclosure so about 14" of the top of the substrate, I'm building which is more then the t8 is rated for. I'm one of those no heat device without a thermostat people. So will use one for my own peace. But thank you all for your advice. I've still got a bit of learning to do. Keep it coming at me I love constructive criticism.
The enclosure will be 48"X24"X17.5". Was planning to use an RHP for heat source.

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They like to bask in light so a basking bulb is preferred. Where will you place the UVB fixture? If it will be inside, a T5 is still too strong. T5 are meant for desert species and to penetrate the top mesh lids in most glass tanks where uv rays are 70% filtered through. Too strong of UVB light can burn your lizard, especially the eyes. Also, your bluey may refuse to come out and bask if the uv rays are too strong. A T8 is suitable for inside installation with a Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0.

The enclosure size is fine. The 24" width is great for them because they like to make large U turns so their tails won't hit the walls.

My daughter and I recently added an Ackie Monitor to our assortment of Ball Pythons and may add a BTS at some point.

I though I would share a picture of a gorgeous BTS morph from Repxotica, our local reptile shop.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...3a&oe=5D2B4130

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Originally Posted by Cheesenugget

They like to bask in light so a basking bulb is preferred. Where will you place the UVB fixture? If it will be inside, a T5 is still too strong. T5 are meant for desert species and to penetrate the top mesh lids in most glass tanks where uv rays are 70% filtered through. Too strong of UVB light can burn your lizard, especially the eyes. Also, your bluey may refuse to come out and bask if the uv rays are too strong. A T8 is suitable for inside installation with a Reptisun 5.0 or 10.0.

The enclosure size is fine. The 24" width is great for them because they like to make large U turns so their tails won't hit the walls.

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Ok. Guess I miss understood about the T5. I will change my order to a T8. Thank you. I was planning on the rhp for ambient temps as my house gets to 68 in the winter and no warmer than 76 in the summer months and adding a basking light. Still in the planning stages this all dropped on me yesterday so I'm still trying to gather the correct info to get the right setup. I was going on it being the Australian variety so now I need to figure things out for the Indonesian species. Which is different.

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Originally Posted by gunkle

Ok. Guess I miss understood about the T5. I will change my order to a T8. Thank you. I was planning on the rhp for ambient temps as my house gets to 68 in the winter and no warmer than 76 in the summer months and adding a basking light. Still in the planning stages this all dropped on me yesterday so I'm still trying to gather the correct info to get the right setup. I was going on it being the Australian variety so now I need to figure things out for the Indonesian species. Which is different.

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Yes, they are very different indeed and many including some veterinarians mistake them all as one and the same as the Australian species.

The RHP is fine with the basking bulb. Based on the height of where the lizard will bask, a 50 watts bulb may get you a temp of 88-90 F. Try to avoid the Zilla brand for bulbs as their bulbs don't last as long as Exo Terra.

You will find blueys are extremely hardy and they can tolerate a lot of mistakes if you make them, so take your time. They are nothing like ball pythons where 1 thing wrong with husbandry will throw off their appetite: they are reluctant to refuse their meals.

They are also intelligent so adding things for it climb on (not too high) or tunnels will provide some enrichment. For my tank, I use river pebbles, a patch of fake grass bought from a crafts store, XL PVC pipe as tunnels (Make sure they don't have sharp edges) and some wood pieces. His hide is a mini house made of bricks and tile which he actively uses to sleep in or climb on top for fun. Get as creative as you want for your new bluey and have fun.

I use a common flood light (from home depot) as a basking light and have the light hooked up to a dimmer that can be adjusted. If you are using a thermostat, make sure it is a dimming type, not on/off. Also consider ambient room temps, etc. If the BTS cage will be in a cold room, and the night drop from a basking light being off will be too low, an RHP might be necessary.

I have my Merauke on a topsoil/coir mixture that holds humidity well. Every week, I dump some water into the substrate and stir it up a bit and also keep a large (small cat-litter-sized pan) water bowl in the cage to help with humidity. I've never had any shedding issues with this setup (4'x2'pvc cage with sliding doors and a litter dam).

If using UV be careful with how you place the bulb in regards to how close it is tp the basking bulb. You will want the BTS to have options..i.e. he can manuver to bask under both or under the heat only, etc. I don't keep my bts with UV.. and he has done very well with supplmental calciium/d3. (no IBD or other issues). If using a UV bulb, be very careful with supplementing cal D3. I've heard instances of people over-supplementing when having a bulb in also or undersupplementing, etc.

Mine really enjoys cork bark, to both climb on and hide under. I use a RBI hide for him (just like my snakes) and he loves that also. I have never had any issues with shedding and I think that is partly due to the substrate he can dig in and the rough cork bark.

I feed my adult weekly and use an ice-cube sized chunk of wet dog food, another ice-cube sized chunk of frozen prcessed organic veggies (I make these up in a large batch and then freeze) and supplements (herptivite and the calD3). He also enjoys treats like blueberries, f/t mice pinks, and dubia roaches.

Good luck with your new acquisition. They are very intelligent and quite fun to interact with. Mine has the weekly routine down and whenever I call him by saying "skink, it's time to eat", he quickly scoots up to the glass to await his dinner.

So here is a quote from the bluetongueskink forum.

"That's a Halmahera Blue Tongue Skink, a specific type of Indonesian skink. Typically they need the highest levels of humidity of any BTS, which is why unsurprisingly it's missing digits. Most keepers recommend no lower than 80%. And 99.9% of these guys are fresh imports. I'm sure somebody somewhere has managed to breed them in captivity but I have yet to find that person."

So I now know what type it is and some basic husbandry info. Cage is started

They’re commonly captive bred.... not sure what he’s talking about there. That used to be true but not anymore.


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Originally Posted by MarkL1561

They’re commonly captive bred.... not sure what he’s talking about there. That used to be true but not anymore.


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The Halmahera ones are?

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Originally Posted by MarkL1561

They’re commonly captive bred.... not sure what he’s talking about there. That used to be true but not anymore.


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Honestly at expos, I don't think I've ever seen a captive bred indo species BTS. Not that there are many BTS at all, but the one or two vendors that have them are the 2 that definitely sell substantial numbers of wild caught animals in general and have dozens if not triple digits in species available.

If it is an aninal at one of those tables and it isn't specifically marked captive bred like a few things they sell are marked, it is typically safest to assume wild caught or captive hatched and imported. That is only a small subset, so take it with a grain of salt of course, but I don't think there is a huge supply of captive bred ones available at expos or pet shops to make up a majority of ones sold.

Just my $0.02.

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