Frank - The Blue Tongue Skink

[dakski]

I got Frank in February and he was a little over a year old.

He's doing great, although he may be brumating a little as he has been borrowed in and not eating much for a week.

He's healthy otherwise and hasn't lost any weight.

He's about 620G.

[Jus1More]

Love those blue tongues... Hmmm, maybe one day but for now on my wish list!!

[dakski]

I had a Bearded Dragon, George, for 11 years. He was awesome, but so is Frank.

Much easier to feed Frank and he has a ton of personality too!

[dakski]

Wanted to post some new pictures of Frank. He still looks like Frank!

He's full grown and about 2 years old. He brumated a little this past winter and refused food around shed time. However, he only lost about 5G the whole time.

He has been about 620G for a while now and I feed 2X a week. One meal is ferret food, veggies, a little fruit, and sometimes a little freeze dried mealworms and dubai roaches. He eats as much as he wants. Then, about 3 days later, usually over the weekend, I feed wet dog food (just a little bit), ferret food, and veggies. I also give him calcium w D3 and a multi vitamin. The dog food covers that up so he eats it happily .

I had tried feeding more, but he would pick at it, or leave it. He seems to happily eat when I feed every 3 days or so.

Thank you in advance for looking. Frank is full of personality and a great member of the family.

Not a ton of info out there on BTS. If anyone has questions, I have done a lot of research. I am by no means an expert, but will be happy to try and help.

[dakski]

A few new pictures of Frank! The first one is Frank with Katie's hand next to him. She's the Frank/BTS whisperer. She can hold him for a 1/2 hour and he just chills with her. I try holding him for more than 5 minutes, tops, and he's all over the place.

Of course Behira (our BCI) is all over the place when Katie holds her, and totally chill with me. So I am the Boa whisperer I guess!

[cron14]

Awesome thread and beautiful little guy! Is he a “normal” northern? I can’t wait to have room to get one of these

[Fire Bird]

What a good boy! He is super cute. I have been worried about the size of my northern but he really does look just about the same size as yours.

Oh the humidity subject, is the place you live very humid? I am able to use aspen with out it becoming too humid. I sometimes have the opposite problem tbh -_-'

My guy is also very reluctant to eat his veggies. Are there any veggies in particular you have success with? What is the brand of ferret food you give him? I was doing the Merrick dog food diet with supplemental veggies for a while but its kind of a hassle now that I no longer have a dog. They only seem to have big cans in stores around here which means I have to portion it out and freeze half of it.

[dakski]

What a good boy! He is super cute. I have been worried about the size of my northern but he really does look just about the same size as yours.

Oh the humidity subject, is the place you live very humid? I am able to use aspen with out it becoming too humid. I sometimes have the opposite problem tbh -_-'

My guy is also very reluctant to eat his veggies. Are there any veggies in particular you have success with? What is the brand of ferret food you give him? I was doing the Merrick dog food diet with supplemental veggies for a while but its kind of a hassle now that I no longer have a dog. They only seem to have big cans in stores around here which means I have to portion it out and freeze half of it.

Where I live is not humid in the winter (I have to put extra water dishes in for my BP and BCI), but can be very humid in the summer. I live in Connecticut and the reptiles are in a finished basement. I use a dehumidifier in the summer, and heat in the winter, but never seem to get the optimal balance.

BTS do not like a lot of humidity, so in the summer, between opening the side vents I have on Frank's Boaphile tank and having his lights on, it works out. In the winter, it's closer to 30% in there, but he doesn't mind that either.

They are very hardy though and small, and/or temporary, gyrations are probably fine.

Do you weigh your BTS? How old is he? If he's an adult and maintaining weight, I would be happy. If he's young and growing, all good. They do have a hefty midsection relative to their tiny legs! However, if healthy and eating right, don't sweat it too much.

Regarding food, I put links below (from Amazon - but you can get all different place - just easy to link to one place). The ferret food I use, is not grain free, but the dog food I use is. They put a lot of filler in wet dog food unless it says "limited ingredients" and/or "grain free." I have 5 dogs, so they finish off what Frank doesn't eat! Zupreem makes grain free pellets as well, but I am not sure the benefit, expect they want more money. The ratios of protein, fat, etc. are the same.

How often do you feed? I feed less often and he tends to eat everything. I also mix the pellets and the veggies/fruit all together, so he doesn't have a choice, if really hungry. If not, he tends to be picky. I find feeding less often for an adult means they eat it all instead of picking out exactly what they want! I do the same with the wet dog food.

They are pretty smart and like what they like. When I first got him, I fed more wet food and protein as he was growing fast. However, he stopped eating the pellets and veggies almost completely. PITA! So, by feeding less often and only using the really juicy proteins (wet dog food, snails, chicken, etc) once a week to mix in vitamins, he eats his other meals (pellets, veggies, etc) much more often. He doesn't hold out.

I have heard and read from breeders, and other keepers, that a ferret pellet diet and/or the Repashy BTS food, is pretty complete. I still give veggies, fruit, freeze dried worms, roaches, etc. and snails. I want a well balanced diet as much as possible for Frank. I also don't want it to be too boring.

https://www.amazon.com/ZUPREEM-23005...70_&dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.store.repashy.com/bluey-...ne.html?tt=111

NOTE: The Repashy Bluey Buffet smells awful when you make it. FYI.

[cron14]

That is a lot of great info! I've been doing some off and on research for the past year. Nothing really serious because I know that will only make me want to get one sooner. Space is the biggest factor for me, so I would not purchase one knowing I couldn't provide a proper enclosure.
The reason I asked if he is a normal is because his colors look awesome. For what ever reason, I envisioned the colors looking a lot more washed out and brown but these pictures have changed my mind! BHB is probably my number one contender as far a breeders go for these guys if/when the time comes. I watch Brian's videos fairly frequently and, while I understand some of the criticism he receives, I think he does a lot of good for this hobby, especially when it comes to "casuals" like me.

[dakski]

That is a lot of great info! I've been doing some off and on research for the past year. Nothing really serious because I know that will only make me want to get one sooner. Space is the biggest factor for me, so I would not purchase one knowing I couldn't provide a proper enclosure.
The reason I asked if he is a normal is because his colors look awesome. For what ever reason, I envisioned the colors looking a lot more washed out and brown but these pictures have changed my mind! BHB is probably my number one contender as far a breeders go for these guys if/when the time comes. I watch Brian's videos fairly frequently and, while I understand some of the criticism he receives, I think he does a lot of good for this hobby, especially when it comes to "casuals" like me.

Thank you. I am 90% sure he is normal. However. Very red and healthy, which helps coloraration.

I will double check.

Kudos to you for waiting until you have space. He really uses his whole tank!