Northern Blue Tongue Skink Behaviors?

[Samong]

So my husband is researching these guys right now, but he doesn't have an account here so I'll be asking for him.

What are some of the details of daily life with a blue tongue you feel care sheets leave out or don't address? I ask that because for example we have found our rescue leopard gecko LOVES to climb; I had made a decorative wall for her cage and she's busy scaling it every day. When we're moved in August I'm going to get her a 20L and build something that will give her lots of places to explore and climb. Likewise I found out my Baird's Ratsnakes like to dig/tunnel in deep aspen more than they like to use their hides, so now I give them much thicker substrate for that.

So...do Northern Blue Tongues like to dig? Do they favor soil (Bioactive substrate) or aspen for that? Do they like climbing shallow gradients/gentle slopes? Do they like to hunt for treats in their cage? That kind of thing. I know that reptiles don't require enrichment in the same way that mammals do, but if it doesn't hurt them to provide it and lets a BTS exhibit some natural behaviors we'd like to give them enrichment options.

[jclaiborne]

My IJs like to dig, burrow so I provide a deep dirt layer. They also will climb gradual slopes given the opportunity and the ability to get enough grip, I have rocks piled up in my cages and they are always at the top peering out. Mine don't so much seem interested in hunting for food, but some will. They do notice when something new is put in their cage and they investigate it and push it around. They constantly are pushing around anthing loose in their cage. They are pretty interactive and come up to the glass when I walk in the room. That being said I personally believe that lizards do require enrichment as most of them are very intelligent. Mine are always on the move, so I will be upgrading their cages this year to 4x2x2.

[Samong]

Do you have a suggestion for soil depth? I'm guessing they would make their own burrows rather than using a sunk-in hide.

[jclaiborne]

In my current setup they have 6 inches packed down so it can hold a burrow...I still provide them with a partially buried piece of cork bark for an easy burrow...I generally bury it at a slope then fill the opening with dirt so the dig it out the way they want.

[hungba]

I have kept and bred BTS of various kinds for some years.
They do dig sometimes but is not necessary to let the have so much soil that they can actually burrow. Mine are given only about two inches of substrate and they are content to dig in that and feel safe inside their hides as long as the entrance of the hide is small.

I wouldn't use soil, as in the long run it is much more trouble than it is worth. The substrate of choice for my Northern BTS is this product called aspen supreme, which are pelletized aspen. They break down to "dust" when wetted and thus pose low (not no) risk of impaction (as long as you don't just let them eat lots of it regularly or throw food on it without a plate etc.) The "dust" isn't fine like sand and is coarse enough to have weight and not be dusty. The only disadvantages is that it is 1) the color is brown and sometimes feces is hard to spot, and 2) because it disintegrates when wet, they do require more changing out than some other substrates.

Recently, I have also started using another product called KOMODO straw terrain. It is olive green in color and you can spot feces from across the room. Also, they break down to similarly coarse "dust" when disintegrated, but not as readily and lasts longer than the aspen supreme. I had used other brands of straw pellets before from a company that now discontinued it, and the aspen supreme was sold out for a while, hence my posts looking for alternate substrates recently. The old straw would form mold under the bowls, but this Komodo straw really doesn't seem to mold at all, living up to it's claim on the packaging. I am very happy with it so far. I also found birch pellets which I purchased but have not tried yet.

For indo species I do not recommend these substrates, but since you're asking about northerns, that's another story.

[hungba]

Here is a pic of my enclosures showing some substrates. The brown one is aspen supreme. The green one is komodo straw terrain. The merauke in the middle is on cypress mulch.

[jclaiborne]

I have kept and bred BTS of various kinds for some years.
They do dig sometimes but is not necessary to let the have so much soil that they can actually burrow. Mine are given only about two inches of substrate and they are content to dig in that and feel safe inside their hides as long as the entrance of the hide is small.

I wouldn't use soil, as in the long run it is much more trouble than it is worth. The substrate of choice for my Northern BTS is this product called aspen supreme, which are pelletized aspen. They break down to "dust" when wetted and thus pose low (not no) risk of impaction (as long as you don't just let them eat lots of it regularly or throw food on it without a plate etc.) The "dust" isn't fine like sand and is coarse enough to have weight and not be dusty. The only disadvantages is that it is 1) the color is brown and sometimes feces is hard to spot, and 2) because it disintegrates when wet, they do require more changing out than some other substrates.

Recently, I have also started using another product called KOMODO straw terrain. It is olive green in color and you can spot feces from across the room. Also, they break down to similarly coarse "dust" when disintegrated, but not as readily and lasts longer than the aspen supreme. I had used other brands of straw pellets before from a company that now discontinued it, and the aspen supreme was sold out for a while, hence my posts looking for alternate substrates recently. The old straw would form mold under the bowls, but this Komodo straw really doesn't seem to mold at all, living up to it's claim on the packaging. I am very happy with it so far. I also found birch pellets which I purchased but have not tried yet.

For indo species I do not recommend these substrates, but since you're asking about northerns, that's another story.

Can I ask why you would say that soil is more trouble than it is worth and that a deep layer isn't needed? Soil when done properly is almost zero upkeep, on another note while 6 inches of substrate isn't "required" it isn't a bad idea either.

[hungba]

Jclaireborne, I don't think 6 inches of substrate is "wrong". I don't think I said so in my post?

I agree with this:

on another note while 6 inches of substrate isn't "required" it isn't a bad idea either.

Some people keep deeper substrate and others use less. Personal preference really and there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

I am getting the feeling that you think I am responding negatively to your post, but that was not my intention. I was just trying to answer the OP's question and we do things differently, that's all. I'm sure your skinks are every bit as happy and healthy as mine.

As for soil, when I tried it, the lizard made an absolute mess every day, smearing it on the glass doors, throwing it in water bowl and such. Also I found it got all over the floor, and was very heavy to bring home. Perhaps I didn't do it "properly" as you say, but my current substrate seems to be working fine so I just never tried soil again.

How do you use soil properly? Is it a matter of packing it down firm?

[jclaiborne]

Jclaireborne, I don't think 6 inches of substrate is "wrong". I don't think I said so in my post?

I agree with this:


Some people keep deeper substrate and others use less. Personal preference really and there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

I am getting the feeling that you think I am responding negatively to your post, but that was not my intention. I was just trying to answer the OP's question and we do things differently, that's all. I'm sure your skinks are every bit as happy and healthy as mine.

As for soil, when I tried it, the lizard made an absolute mess every day, smearing it on the glass doors, throwing it in water bowl and such. Also I found it got all over the floor, and was very heavy to bring home. Perhaps I didn't do it "properly" as you say, but my current substrate seems to be working fine so I just never tried soil again.

How do you use soil properly? Is it a matter of packing it down firm?

Not at all, I didn't think it was a negative response I was just asking for a bit of elaboration on your response as sometimes different opinions can offer different insite, thats all. The only advantage I see to a deeper substrate is the deeper the substrate the better it can retain moisture which helps keep humidity balanced and overall can help hydrate the animal when burrowed.

As far as the soil goes, I put a barier in front of my sliding doors in order to keep it being pushed out. I do a mix of topsoil, playsand, and some peat moss, and yes firmly pack it down, the sand helps create some structure to retain an actual burrow. Soil also allows you to go the bio active route where you can add "cleaning crews" which in turn means it doesn't need to be swapped out like wood chips etc. It can be a little messy I guess, but with my setups I only need to really change the water once a week. I basically do the same setup for all my reptiles as it makes life easier. My tegu has the most requirements as far as husbandry so I have basically taken what I provide for her and down sized it to all my other reptiles.

[hungba]

Yeah the humidity is a good point. It depends on where you live. Here, I have to struggle to get humidity DOWN for sone species. In the summer here the humidity gets so high sometimes the wall molds behind my furniture etc. So different climate different husbandry methods.