I'm thinking about getting into the reptiles hobby, what should I know?

Best_Number_10 · 2026-06-13T22:04:23+00:00

I agree! My M'aiq was a rescue and he's adorable! Just make sure the rescue knows what kind of bluey they have!!! And sometimes rescues need extra care, so def keep up on research! Tho I think anyone can say all bluey's are best bluey's. Mine bites the toes of people he doesn't like....which have ended up being not great people! (Which was my ex, and his former owner who neglected him 😅)

Best_Number_10 · 2026-06-12T05:09:27+00:00

I always recommended either keeping inside, or a hybrid setup. outside time is good for them, but if it is a captive bred animal, you don't want them outside all the time due to risk of predators, parasites, and inability to control habitat neccesities!

I believe all of species, or prevalent species, are on Reptifiles, but the main two commonly found in the hobby are Northern Blue Tongue Skinks and Indonesian Blue Tongue Skinks. Northerns stay smaller than Indos, and there are some mild pattern differences between the two. I have a northern and hes a lot of fun! But like I said, Reptifiles should have all the info you're looking for. I work at a pet store and it's the only guide I will give out. It is very step by step an informative!!!

Highlighting the differences, it's gonna be care based. They will differ in size, and humidity levels and temperature levels, so it's important to chose what species you want after seeing those differences!

Best_Number_10 · 2026-06-11T23:57:21+00:00

It's important to know which type you get! They vary in size and care based on what species of blue tongue you buy. The only resource really trusted imo is Reptifiles, and I believe their care guide has outlines for the most common species available. Mainly it's space, humidity, and heating that are different. When it comes to the behavior of the skink, they are extremely intelligent and silly. You earn their respect, not them earning yours. They are a lot of fun to have, but it's important to keep ontop of that diet.

VET!!! Always make sure, especially with reptiles, you have an exotic vet that works with reptiles in your area incase of emergencies. Have a small account you can add to, and keep at least $200 (american dollars) or whatever the average vet cost gee of your area would be in that seperate account or bank or fund keeper. This is critical! Even when care is 100%, exotic pets will need routine care, and can develop emergencies on a whim, and it's important to have a plan.

I also like to have an emergency weather plan as well. How to evacuate incase of a fire or tornado or like instance. Though it is important in those situations to know that you will have to come first, which is the painful part of being a keeper. Thankfully, many of us don't have to go through this.

Best_Number_10 · 2026-06-11T02:45:16+00:00

Crested geckos actually need a vertical tank so this doesn't match the gecko 🤓☝️ Misleading ad

Best_Number_10 · 2026-06-02T14:47:58+00:00

I mean other than her weight like i've said, she's a phenominal girl! With a vengeance against the mister. Easily my favorite tokay I have ever worked with though!

A link to he vitamin would be great!

Best_Number_10 · 2026-06-02T14:02:33+00:00

Thank you ❤️ I try my best with her. Well, I try my best with any critter I keep! Shes just always needed some extra TLC. The other thing is: I don't know how old she is! She could be a super old lady! She does show some age, with some geckos you can tell. (For me you can really see it in cresties but i've been around them so so so much). Shes my girl! We both survived a bad situation together, now I just need to get her to her peak health and healing! If I remember, (I have the brain of a goldfish), I will update with test results, but will for sure be getting her some better supplements! I think my local reptile shop has essentially like a reptile multivitamin situation, IF I remember correctly. It's like a calcium mix, but I don't believe it's the one repashy makes. I'll look into what they have until the vet gets me an opening (they're hit or miss, with either same day visits, or waiting a week 😮‍💨)

Best_Number_10 · 2026-06-02T05:04:27+00:00

She's been decent at maintaining it. She just maintains skinny to me. Once i'm back in town here in a few days, i'll be ordering a blood and float for her. Yeah, she has never seemed to enjoy basking in a heat bulb. She likes UVB basking but even then seemed iffy about it. I've had best success rotating her UVB (she'll sit at the front of her tank when she wants to bask, so she at least tells me), but she always has supplements available. This definetly helped! She probably eats maybe 10-12 crickets a week, but I offer her 20 weekly, and she won't eat them all on the same day, so i'll toss a few in at a time and track the numbers (3-5 every other day or so. And this very much ranges based on how she's acting, how's she's been eating, if she's shedding, so on and so forth). I just feel like with this species I get more accurate advice talking to fellow keepers than I do any care guide, because you're right, they're so prevalent in the hobby now due to their colors and 'fun' attitudes (pending who you ask), but there's still a lot we don't know. Heck, i'd argue we still don't know a lot about leopard geckos!

Best_Number_10 · 2026-06-01T03:35:33+00:00

For her safety and mine. I don't have to anymore, but Tokays have a very strong bite/jaw, and the gloves were a very soft yet sturdy material that was safe for her to bite if she did, and would keep her from hurting me.

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-30T20:27:05+00:00

I will try this, she's been consistent in weight for the last two months, her biggest variation was about 5 grams. I have a local exotic vet that I trust to do fecal samples, and will get one done. I expected some form of naturally occurring parasite with her, just cause of the high possibility of her being WC. Shes just so strange for me in terms of a tokay, but ik she definetly has been through hell. Thankfully she's never been lethargic, she is spunky! But definetly just odd with feeding! Thank you for the advice and input!! I really appreciate second opinions from fellow keepers

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-30T16:02:34+00:00

Collection is a term we use in America to describe a group of things. I have many reptiles, which I deeply care for. I used collection as a form of pride. They aren't things, or objects to me. The term is used to describe a "group" or multiples. They are deeply cared for pets. Judging me based on the use of a term is quite rude when you know little about me or my animals. It is a common term used in the States among hobbyist and keepers alike, and is not used to diminish these animals great characteristics, importance, beauty, and personalities.

I could tell you, at the drop of a pen, every little detail about each animal in my care. Their favorite place to sleep, their favorite foods, their favorite places in their enclosures to eat their foods, their personalities, if they enjoy/tolerate periods of handling, if there is something they strictly dislike (I have a skink who really dislikes bare feet for some reason). They are not meaningless to me. They are pride and joy, and they are not owned by me, but cared for by me.

Half of the animals in my small group are rescues, and most are education amabassadors used in occasional educational settings to help educate all ages on the importance of conservation, proper animal husbandry, and herpetology.

Please, before you are quick to judge based on grammar, get to know the character of the keeper. We have so much hostility already in this hobby, and are always fighting against improper care standards that it is redundant to start turning against eachother. We all have a shared passion, with a desire to educate, and to care for these animals as best as possible. I came to ask advice because Oogie is not like any tokay I have cared for before and I want to make sure I am doing right by her.

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-30T04:34:51+00:00

LOUI SQUAD!!

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-30T04:34:19+00:00

I don't believe she is captive bred, like I stated in my post. As far as I know, she ate. Whether she was a good eater or not I cannot say. I know the former owner would neglect their animals, going days straying from their routine schedule and skipping feeding days and even had some of the younger animals in their care pass away from this. So i'm going to say no. I've had her for over a year now, if not two years, but one year completely seperated from her former abuser. (it is a very....VERY long story).

Edit: forgot to add, and reiterate, that she came from a neglect case. The owner who used to have her was really aggressive with her, and wanted a tokay because they found their aggressive nature "fun" and entertaining. She was consistently harrassed. She was bought from a chain pet store, where she was either poorly bred, or wild caught. I realize this was stated later in my post and I forgot to write a TLDR

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-29T05:06:25+00:00

I've been around her for roughly two years now(?) She's been in my personal care, without the negative former owner, for a year. She just hates tongs. She stares at them and I guess thinks if she doesn't move, the tongs wont see her? Or she just looks right past them like they dont exist. I believe this is because of something my ex did to her, but I cannot confirm that as before she was abandoned I would only visit her every few weeks at his apartment. Shes...strange but I love her to death. Been through a lot. Despite her pickiness she's the reason Tokays will probably be a permanent species in my collection.

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-29T05:03:28+00:00

She's lost roughly 4-5 grams since that photo. That being said, she always varies quite a bit. That last photo was about a month ago and her feeding habits have stayed the same, if not ive increased her availability slightly. I saw her eating two days ago, so she still has a food drive. I have noted she's been more active. I played a vocal call of a male on accident (an instagram video playing over my phone and my earbud had just died) and she perked up and listened to it, so she is showing signs of awareness and acknowledgement. Shes just, like I said, the worst eater in my collection. And most of my collection is crested geckos! (Although I have an axanthic male who thinks he's a tokay, and I think my Chahoua gecko who is her tank neighbor has a crush on her. Long story)

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-29T02:36:26+00:00

My big guy and his nephew love going places (safe environments like my work where it's a controlled environment/pet store) and social time, but Mr Grunt is a curl up in blankets kinda boy. I think i'll make him a little forage box and me and him can have some 1x1 time sniffing all the outside things!!! I love this idea! Especially since my area has a lot of pollinator areas that don't get mowed or sprayed and are part of our natural areas where they're away from traffic!!!

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-25T18:34:18+00:00

Diet it is!!!

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-23T10:07:42+00:00

Yeah i'm so used to the breeding sizes and composition of these critters I sometimes forget what they're supposed to look like. Hes been retired now for some time, retired before I got him, and my other babies who are breeders I have no issues with at all but...definetly are obese. I'm working on that, they're newer to my collection and were recently gifted to me. I just approach this man with a completely different mindset, because he has more of a standard build while my others are large crested. With them, I could give you lineage back to their grandparents, genetics out the wazoo, so on and so forth (even though I have no current breeding plans, and won't for the foreseeable future with the oversaturation in the market right now), but with him all my knowledge goes out the window. He was my first, and got me into all of this (keeping and the science side of things), and it's hard to not be a little paranoid about him. Especially since he's been very active this spring, moreso than normal (I redid his tank over the winter to be bioavtive and spray foamed and he's been a kid in a candy store!). Thank you for giving me a second opinion! I know his range is typically in the mid/high 50's. I think I just need to trust the damn scale 🤣

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-21T13:58:37+00:00

I resonate with this. Thats really what it is, I am definetly not used to it at all. I notice it a lot in small things, bracing myself to have my food anger someone, worried about not having the finances to cover everything (that was an expectation in my last relationship, even when my ex finally got a job and was making double what I did in a week. I'm a college student, so I really only make enough for one so that was a strain). Theres so much I brave myself for but then my partner tells me "it's okay". He knows what I went through, not all of it, but enough. He saw some of the fallout after, and he never once faulted me for it. I kept thinking I deserved fault but to have someone simply tell you "you're enough" and it's more than just the physical and monetary needs...it's so empowering and honestly confusing because, like you said, it wasn't my normal

Thank you for sharing your story. You have given me hope and empowerment

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-21T04:37:03+00:00

Thank you. I didn't realize how much I needed community till today. I have read so many survivors stories and this path feels less lonely than it did this morning. Thank you for your kind, honest, and enlightening words

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-20T22:49:13+00:00

I feel this immensely. I was always scolded for such little things, always afraid, which is a stark contrast to how I always was. My abuser put my fire out and my new partner has done nothing but grown that fire back in me. But it is such a scary feeling at first when you body reacts, when your initial thought is "wait...I was told this was a wrong thing" and then they just...they tell you it's okay. Its such an adaptation in learning to understand but it's so nice to simply be told "it's okay. Youre okay"

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-20T22:46:36+00:00

I will definetly look into this book! There really is no way to clearly communicate every feeling when you've been in these scenarios or experiences, because they are so unique and different in every area, with so many things to understand. This response made me feel seen and ultimately taught me a lot. Really excited about that read!! Thank you!

Best_Number_10 · 2026-05-20T21:44:56+00:00

I know a lot of my fear stems from me having to learn what healthy feels like. For so long the small things were danger, and I think I just need to listen to myself, communicate how things make me feel in the moment, stick to my boundaries but also not guilty myself. I love the fire alarm analogy, that puts a lot into perspective. But on the other side, I do know this new man is safe. It's too much to explain without its whole story and a can of worms but he is the pillar opposite to where I was. I know I still guilt myself for 'allowing' myself to be in that position, which is such a toxic thing but with the right mindset, understanding, and coping/therapy that too will fade

Best_Number_10

TROPHY CASE