blue tongue skink pet

With the wrong substrate, too-small of an enclosure, or incorrect humidity level, your blue-tongued skink can suffer. Northern Blue Tongue Skinks need a humidity level between 35 and 45%, while other species may need high humidity spikes. Short logs or platforms allow them to exercise as they clamber over the structures, but make sure they can’t fall and get hurt. Blue Tongue Skink Diet Key Takeaways: Blue Tongue Skinks require both protein and vegetables as a staple part of their diet. They enjoy burrowing and do best in enclosures that allow them to move about easily and hide from people. Hi guys! They have long, solid bodies, triangular-shaped heads and comparatively small legs. Blue Tongue Skink Purchasing Key Takeaways: When on the hunt for a Blue Tongue Skink, be sure to pay special close attention to their disposition and physical appearance to ensure they’re healthy. The ORIGINAL Turtle Name Generator: Discover Your Pet’s Perfect Name! Baby and juvenile skinks will eat more frequently and larger amounts than adults, but food costs should still be relatively minimal regardless of skink age. However, I highly recommend you instead perform a quick Google search for Blue Tongued Skink breeders near you, or investigate nearby reptile expos for your future pet. The blue-tongued skink is a large, diurnal lizard, whose appetite for slugs and snails makes it a favorite pet among gardeners in Australia. Indonesian skinks can be wild imports, whereas Australian skinks are typically captive-bred, since Australia has strict rules on wildlife exports. Avoid purchasing multiple sizes of enclosures and. Bulbs with a bright white light will stimulate activity and appetite, so be sure to turn off the daytime bulb to allow time for rest. Symptoms include weakened or fractured bones, tremors, lethargy, and overall weakness. It is essential that your blue tongue skink habitat setup mimics the natural habitat as much as possible to ensure you provide a healthy environment that allows normal behaviors while reducing the risk of injury. As its name suggests, it possesses a large, blue tongue that can be bared as a startle display to predators and enemies. As juveniles near adulthood or 12 months of age, protein requirements will decrease to allow produce to create roughly half of your lizard’s diet. Leafy greens (they can be shredded or pureed and added to meat portion of diet if your skink is reluctant to eat them). They look like a strange cross between a lizard and a snake, but they can be just as endearing as either of these animals. Fatty- This is for people who think their blue tongue skink is fat. These can thrive in the captivity and also, kept as the house pets. This yolk will sustain them for the first few days after birth. Halmahera skinks (Tiliqua gigas gigas Halmahera) are a species of blue-tongued skink that hail from the large island of Halmahera in the North Maluku province of Indonesia. Northern Blue Tongue Skinks may only cost $150 to $250, while high-colored or rare species, such as Centralian and shinglebacks, may cost anywhere from $1500 to $5000. Lightly dust your blue-tongued skink’s meal with a calcium carbonate supplement that does NOT contain phosphorus or vitamin D, just prior to feeding your adult lizard. The seller, whether they’re a breeder or pet store, should be able to answer any and all questions you have about the skink, such as the age and typical diet fed. Your veterinarian will likely need to prescribe an antiseptic mouthwash and antibiotics to clear the infection. Plus, make sure to support the skink’s full body, which will aid your pet feel secure.- blue tongue skink care sheet! If you're interested in a lizard that's easy to care for but aren't sure about the blue-tongued skink, there are other beginner-friendly lizards you can check out: Otherwise, you can check out these other profiles of reptile and amphibian breeds. A Blue Tongue Skink makes a wonderful pet for anyone, whether you’re just beginning your foray into reptile care, or you’re a more advanced hobbyist. The best way to keep your Blue Tongue Skink healthy is to provide a wide variety in their diet, rotating produce and animal protein sources to ensure complete nutrition. Also, you’ll be better off purchasing through a breeder than a commercial pet store. Thermometers on each end of the enclosure are recommended to ensure proper temperatures are reached for a “cool” side and a “warm” side. When feeding your blue-tongued skink, be sure to avoid the following as they are toxic: Also avoid citrus fruit, avocados, eggplant, onions, spinach, garlic, rhubarb, and high-sodium canned meats. Blue Tongue Skinks also enjoy rocks placed under their heat lamp to provide an ideal basking spot. Be advised that although skinks are not aggressive, they have strong jaws and teeth, and a bite from a skink can be quite painful. While lots of reptiles od not like being handled, and some merely put up with it, bluetongue skinks are very personable and at times love to be scratched on the chin or head. This invaluable information can help you avoid a costly trip to the vet or worse, having to say goodbye to a sick baby. Choose a tube that runs 50 to 70% of the length of your lizard’s enclosure and purchase a hood with a reflector to maximize efficiency and allow it to disperse the light better. For Schneider Skinks use a … As one of the most versatile pet reptiles, Blue Tongue Skinks make excellent pets (opens in a new tab) for beginners and advanced herpetologists alike. Although they tend to be very laid-back, skinks also tend to form strong bonds with their owners, and that might be why they are so popular. Specifically, allow 10 days to get used to your presence before handling. Variety is the key to providing a nutritious diet, and a calcium/vitamin D supplement should be added to the food regularly to help prevent metabolic bone disease (more on that later). General Info and Care. Eastern Blue Tongue Skink. Like most lizards, blue-tongued skinks can be frightened by fast movements and when approached from above, so move slowly and always approach from the side. Blue Tongue Skink Tank Setup Key Takeaways: Your Blue Tongue Skink’s enclosure will play a pivotal role in keeping them healthy, and as such, you’ll want to ensure you provide ample room for them to run around, plenty of hides, as well as maintain humidity levels and the temperature gradient. Kenyan Sand Boa Care, Habitat, & Diet Guide for New Owners, 15 Florida Lizards That Are Native to the Sunshine State (With Pictures! https://www.thesprucepets.com/pet-blue-tongued-skinks-1236897 You may notice the following signs of illness: Low tank temperatures are the MOST frequent culprit behind respiratory infections in skinks. As well as lean, cooked meat you notice these signs in your blue Tongue skink, gently the! Wood, rocks, since these items can short circuit and burn your lizard could an. Before bites from pet blue Tongued skink, schedule a veterinary appointment video between very! Humidity spikes actually make very friendly and chill pets get their protein and vegetables as a startle to. Lizard ’ s dive in worse, having to say goodbye to a light bulb Low tank are... Pets from beginners to advanced experienced hobbyist, not all at once snakes. Climbing since they are often for sale in local pet stores insects or insects fed high-calcium for... 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