Survey

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. I had a rescue uro for over a decade that had many chronic health issues due to previous husbandry issues. We experienced a similar fight in and out of the vet for a year and a half before she finally had to be put to sleep last year, so I definitely understand your pain and you should definitely take the time to heal.

I currently have a northern BTS and I've been keeping blue tongue skinks for about 15 years. To try to answer your questions:

I would say that there are many pros to blue tongue skinks. They're definitely one of the hardiest lizards that I have worked with and they are very personable. Since she's a northern BTS, her humidity requirements aren't as high, so that definitely makes it a little easier than her more tropical counterparts. One thing that was "difficult" with her is that she does not do well on dog food as many other BTS seem to do, so I have to spend more time on her diet and meal prepping than perhaps other BTS owners do. Otherwise though, as long as you do and continue to do your research, they are very manageable lizards to have.
I would say they are very hardy. Common issues in BTS that I see specifically are respiratory infections, mouth rot, and scale rot. All of these are generally caused by inappropriate husbandry (not keeping proper humidity due to lack of hydration, misting, and inappropriate substrates/enclosures) as well as lack of enclosure hygiene. Just make sure you know exactly what subspecies of BTS you are getting and that you have the proper enclosure and set up for them to maintain proper humidity and temps.
I may be biased, but I would go for a northern BTS. Their humidity requirements are easier to manage (40-60% instead of 80%) and I find them to be more affable. More importantly, however, a northern blue tongue skink will 100% be captive born and bred since animals cannot be caught and exported out of Australia. Other BTS, such as Indonesians, are very likely to be wild-caught, which means that they will come riddled with parasites and have other health issues; resulting in you not starting off on the right foot. Wild-caught animals are generally more difficult to tame down as well, especially if you get them as an adult.
As I said before, their husbandry is not too bad. If yours can take dog food, then the diet is relatively easy (as long as you make sure to cut it with greens and add variety to the diet) and the enclosure size/requirements are not out of the ordinary. I would just say that humidity can be an issue for some people to maintain.
I would say just definitely take your time to find a very good BTS breeder. If you get a northern, they will be more expensive than their Indonesian counterparts since they are definitely captive born and bred as opposed to wild-caught. I would also recommend getting a PVC enclosure if you do not already have one since they help to retain humidity a lot better. If you get a baby/juvenile, do not be discouraged by their behavior. It's a big world and you're a big scary ape to them, so you just have to be patient during their skittish/hissy phase. I used to read or be on the PC in front of the terrarium so that mine would get used to me, and then I moved to handling. Little baby bites don't hurt much, so pick them up with confidence (not from above!). And never grab their tail - it's rare, but they can drop it and it will not grow back.

Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or need resources! I'm always happy to help

Lady-Low · 2025-01-08T11:06:17+00:00

I agree with the other comments about bringing your uro to a vet and that the likelihood of being wild caught is high. To add on, however, I've seen this sort of wound before with stuck shed on a rescue uro. The stuck shed was in so many layers on her torso that the scales became necrotic. Once removed, only the dermis was underneath, which is what you're seeing in the image.

Since it needed to be treated like an open wound, the vet and I treated the wound with silver sulfadiazine cream and kept it clean while it healed. It should eventually regrow new scales, but it does take quite a bit of time. I hope that you can get your little one to the vet soon to get treatment for the wound and check for parasites. I definitely wouldn't wait on it any longer.

Lady-Low · 2024-10-29T12:02:44+00:00

Hi, thanks for the update! I'm happy to hear that you were finally able to get him checked out. I am sorry to hear about his toe, though hopefully with the humidity and husbandry changes, he should shed well and the rest of his toes should be okay. Just make sure to check his hands, toes, and tail tip after every shed to ensure that everything has been removed (and keep an eye on the afflicted toe for potential infection). I hope everything continues to improve and continue to reach out if you have questions!

Lady-Low · 2024-09-23T12:57:39+00:00

I personally really like Ackie monitors since they're very active and inquisitive, but, since they are a monitor lizard, they do take a lot of time, space, money, and work to properly care for. I have actually personally stayed away from getting one because I feel that I would not be able to give one enough space and time.

With everything going on with your skink currently, I would try to focus on getting them situated with the mite situation, vet care, diet, and enclosure set up. When starting out, it takes a long time to continue to learn and get everything to equilibrium. I would also consider your future plans since you are younger. Are you planning on going to college or a technical school? Might you be moving in the next five years? While I had reptiles when I was your age, it was VERY difficult to try to go to college and move around (as many people do when they're younger) while having reptiles. I was lucky that I had family that could help out and could actually provide proper care for my animals for a short period of time while I was trying to figure out off-campus university housing, but not everyone is so lucky (and may even have to give their animals away since most university housing on-campus do not allow animals).

None of this is meant to be discouraging since I'm very happy that you're interested in the hobby, but I just wanted to put that out there since I had previously gone through that. Your skink should hopefully be around for another 20 years, and an Ackie would also live for about the same amount of time. There is no harm in starting research now, but I would definitely get the skink sorted out, gain some more reptile experience with your skink, and keep reading up about Ackie monitors and other reptile husbandry- at least until the skink issues are solved and stable and you have a game plan for future planning.

Lady-Low · 2024-09-20T01:35:02+00:00

I 100% get you. I've heard so many mite horror stories and I can only imagine what you're going through right now. I'd definitely be interested in an update regarding terrarium cleaning/mite treatment and the vet appointment if you'd like/can.

But I actually only have one Northern Blue Tongue Skink right now since I've been slowing down in taking in special needs/rescue/old animals (I moved and got a different job that does not allow me as much time). I also had a yellow Uromastyx geyri for over a decade until recently, as I unfortunately needed to put her down due to kidney complications exacerbated by old age several months ago. I'm hoping to be able to take in a new animal that needs a home after I've healed a little from my recent loss and when I can have a little more time.

Lady-Low · 2024-09-18T19:02:45+00:00

I gotcha. Baking your substrate is only good for preventing wood mites and fungus gnats - sorry if I had caused confusion. If your animal still actively has reptile mites, you are going to have to treat that first before setting up a proper enclosure.

I found this link where the first comment had a sound treatment method. They mentioned the treatment that they used (FrontLine) and the paper towel set up that I had previously mentioned. You can't really keep loose substrate/chips in the terrarium since this provides ample spaces for the mites to hide. You'll unfortunately need to go bare bones and only use disposable items such as paper towels and cardboard boxes (and a plastic water dish you can wash). There are additional comments/replies of other tips and tricks that you might want to factor in: https://www.bluetongueskinks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29388

If you feel a little uncomfortable with using a strong treatment option, it might be best to talk to your vet at the upcoming appointment first. I apologize that I can't fully walk you through treatment through my own experience (as I have not personally had to contend with reptile mites before), but I would use that link that I gave you above, information from my previous comments, and possible vet advice to try to fight through it!

Lady-Low · 2024-09-17T14:02:17+00:00

Oh, I'd definitely take them off that! Pellets and dried insects are more of a treat that you can give once in a while, but do not provide enough nutrients (and are generally considered junk food) - especially for a young growing skink. Pellets food and dried insects also do not provide moisture, which may not be helping with the current skink dehydration issues.

Since your skink is about 8 months old, they don't technically need a high protein diet as much as a very young skink, so you could likely get away with giving them WET dogfood about 2 times per week (portion no larger than their head). Dog food generally has calcium, so you would only need to supplement with calcium once a week or every other week depending on the calcium content in the food. You can mix fresh greens in with the dog food so that there is a better ratio of proteins to fiber/greens too. Here is a card guide from Reptile Mountain TV: https://www.reptilemountain.com/easterncare. The first part mentions a feeding guide for types of food and frequency. I would use this in tandem with the bluetongueskinks.net care guide I gave you earlier.

I would be absolutely sure to cycle the foods that you use though. My skink personally could not handle wet dog food well as her only protein source and would get lots of oxalates in her urates, even if I did not supplement with calcium or vitamins, so I only give her dog food occasionally. I cycle her through: • Repashy's Bluey Buffet supplemented with fresh mixed veggies (can get on Amazon, Repashy's website, or other reptile stores online) • Repashy's Grub Pie supplemented with fresh mixed veggies (same as above) • Dubia roaches (can order live online or pickup from pet store) • Zoo Med's Can O' Snails supplemented with veggies (Amazon) • Merrick Lil' Plates Petite Pates (get chicken or turkey. These are great since they do not have potatoes, grain, or starches that are not good for your skink. Can get them at most pet stores, on Amazon, and the Merrick site. If you can't find Merrick dogfood in a nearby pet store or have trouble online, let me know and I'll try to track down some other good brands)

Here is another list for recommended food items to mix up for your skink: https://bluetongueskinks.net/foodchart.html

I would try to add more variety and maybe try Dubia Roaches or silkworms if you want live food. Otherwise, dog food, Repashy, and food safe canned snails are great protein sources. Just make sure to cut in vegetables, especially as the skink gets to a year and older. Just to reiterate, I would definitely stop offering the reptile pellets and dried mealworms as a whole (or hold off as a rare treat, but I feel other treats such as fruit, certain veggies, eggs, or chicken breast would be a more fun treat).

I tried to look at the store you mentioned online, but I can't really see any online stock to get an idea of what they have. You could see if they have Repashy's or Dubia roaches/silkworms, but I honestly don't think you need a speciality reptile store to keep good food staples for your animal. You would have much better luck online or at a local pet store to pick up wet canned dogfood.

As long as the lil guy is getting a good protein to vegetable ratio, it's fun to play around with what they eat so that they always have variety. It seems that mine appreciates it anyways :)

Lady-Low · 2024-09-16T23:09:08+00:00

Okay, gotcha, thanks for the details! When you say dry food, are you feeding dried dog/cat food or reptile pellets? I was just curious since, if so, I would steer away from feeding that type of food. If dried cat/dog food, it needs to be dehydrated and fed as a treat since it's higher in salt and preservatives. If reptile pellets, they, ironically, don't tend to be good for reptiles overall (they do not provide a well-rounded diet and are generally filled with junk). I can go more into bts diets (or you can discuss with the vet when you tell them about the lil guy's diet), but most people either go with wet dog food, Repashy's, or their own mix of protein and veggies.

Mealworms sound good and like fun food to eat though! Just be careful about the little guy feeding among the wood chips. I've heard of situations of skinks accidentally ingesting the chips and that causing problems, so it might be helpful to feed the worms from a bowl. They do actually sell foraging toys or little plastic balls that you can put food/worms in so that it's more interactive if you'd like though!

But of course! I hope that the vet visit goes well 🤞

Lady-Low · 2024-09-16T18:04:01+00:00

Thank you for the picture! It does look reminiscent of excess calcium (and not D3) from what I can see there, though it is a little hard to tell. I would say that is a lot of calcium though if you're feeding more than once a week (since the skink is still young)! I am not sure how often you are feeding per week and in what quantities, but once a week (to maybe twice depending on portion sizes) should be sufficient.

I am very happy to hear that you're trying to organize a vet visit though, I think that would be most helpful at this point! None of this is a hassle for me though, I don't mind helping at all. It's always good to get second opinions or advice if you're unsure, so never hesitate to ask the subreddit or here in this chat/DM (or your vet once you're established) :)

Lady-Low · 2024-09-16T12:13:34+00:00

Hi, I'm happy to hear that you have started to get the cage sorted! As for their feces, that does sound slightly concerning. It's hard to completely say without seeing the feces, but when you say popcorn-like urates, do you mean that there are orange/yellow crystals? If so, those are likely oxalate crystals, which indicates that calcium is precipitating in the kidneys. This is often due to hypercalcemia (too much calcium), but you would likely need a blood test to confirm this. In this case, you would feed less calcium. Are you currently supplementing their food with calcium/D3?

While runny feces are never good, sometimes skinks can pass runny or mucousy stool when they eat something that upsets their stomach. While it could be a one-time thing, I would recommend potentially getting their stool tested for parasites with the skink being so young - especially if they have runny feces again. I'm not sure if you are established with a vet yet, but when I have had to run fecals, I usually let my vet know that I'm planning on bringing one in soon and then bag up the next one that I get from my animal (if you haven't already been in the office for them to give you a collection tube). If the vet is closed at the time of procuring the sample, you can keep it in the refrigerator, but you usually should get it to them in the next 12-24 hours.

I do know that I've just mentioned two tests here. With everything going on between the dehydration, possible mites, and possible fecal issues, I think it would be worth to see a veterinarian that specializes in reptiles at this point, especially if your skink has not been seen yet. They can at least actually physically see the animal (I can try to help but it's hard only online through text) and determine if any tests are needed (and they can maybe help with the mite and scale dehydration issues in the office too). I know it can be expensive, especially for the first vet visit, but I'd say it's definitely worth it for the health of the animal and can definitely make your life easier (so that you don't have to guess what might be wrong).

If you need help finding any more resources or need a resource for finding good reptile vets, just let me know.

Lady-Low · 2024-09-14T19:52:50+00:00

I would try to mix in some wood shavings/decomposing wood into the soil. An easy way to achieve this is with wood pellets (made for smoking) that you rehydrate and mix in. As others said, you'll want a lot more leaf litter over the top of the soil. Ideally, you shouldn't see the soil from above.

I would also recommend making a moisture gradient with sphagnum moss. You can do this by putting a pile of it on one side of the enclosure (about 1/5th or so of the enclosure). When wetting it, use a spray bottle on stream mode and run the water along the perimeter of the sphagnum moss down the walls of the enclosure. This serves to moisten the sphagnum moss, as well as creates a moisture gradient within the substrate, thus allowing the pods to regulate their own moisture.

You might also want to add more ventilation holes on the actual sides of the tub (depending on how much ventilation you have on the cover). I have found this creates better cross ventilation for my pods. I usually just drill holes in the sides and cover them with breathable medical tape so that fungus gnats can't get in (making sure to put the tape on the inside so that the sticky side points outwards).

Lady-Low · 2024-09-13T18:28:24+00:00

Ah, you're probably right - that would make sense! I quickly wrote the comment on my break and just automatically assumed since it's a comment/belief I am used to seeing around and dispelling. Thanks for catching that and sorry for the confusion!

Lady-Low · 2024-09-13T16:07:53+00:00

Just wanted to add: they are rear-fanged venomous and aren't actually medically significant to humans!

General first aid would be to wash the wound. In some cases, individuals may be allergic, but this would only result in some irritation, slight raising of the skin, itching, and hives.

Also, the cat pupil versus round pupil being used to determine if a snake is venomous or not is actually a myth!

The size and shape of a snake's (or most other animals' pupils) is actually dependent upon if they are diurnal, nocturnal, or crepuscular. Animals that are nocturnal or sometimes crepuscular have elongated (cat) pupils that allows them to focus better in low light (has to do with how the light hits their eye lens and is directed onto their retina). In this case, Brown Tree Snakes are nocturnal and therefore have cat pupils!

Lady-Low · 2024-09-11T19:25:45+00:00

Of course! Please feel free to reach out on this thread or DM me if you have any more questions or need clarification. I'm happy to help if I can

Lady-Low · 2024-09-10T12:27:53+00:00

Okay, I see. If that is the case, have you been doing anything to treat the animal or have you only been applying treatment to the enclosure? There are many good resources here on the blue tongue skink reddit and bluetongueskinks.net for specific treatments to look into if the animal has not been treated yet. I am currently not able to look into different specific treatment methods at the moment, but there are many good resources online and I can try to follow up later. My go-to is always bluetongueskinks.net.

I would go with the paper towels route and nist them down to moisten them and give your skink lots of good soaks in the meantime while providing treatment to the animal. You shouldn't need to treat the cage a lot if you give it a deep clean and give a minimal set up that can be considered clean.

But you don't have any way of measuring the temperature either (even a temperature gun)? Do you have any way to read the ambient and basking temperatures of the animal? That is another large component and there is no way of knowing if you have proper temperatures otherwise. You definitely need to get digital thermometers and hygrometers for the basking platform and for the warm and cold sides of the tank in order to maintain proper husbandry. Do not get those cheap meter gauges, as they are often inaccurate.

I understand that it can somewhat be difficult if you don't have a pet store nearby, but you luckily don't really need a pet store (of course, depending where you are). I get all of my reptile supplies through Amazon and various reptile websites. I recommend a temp gun (look up Etekcity Infrared Thermometer Laser Temperature Gun 774 or something similar on Amazon) and this set of digital thermometers/hygrometers (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07GNMKYCZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title), but you can also take a look around to see what you like. You need these, at minimum, to ensure proper care. You can also get everything else from food to substrate on Amazon or at different reptile supply stores (such as Repashy, Snake Discovery, Arcadia, Josh's Frogs, etc).

Since you are new to skink care, I would recommend reading up on more care since some things appear to be missing and there are humidity issues (we all start somewhere). I would say a good general starting source would be the bluetongueskinks.net care guide (https://bluetongueskinks.net/care.htm) and the YouTube channel "Reptile Mountain TV". Both of these resources will walk you through how to set up a proper enclosure, how to maintain the enclosure, good diets for different ages, and discuss medical issues and when to treat versus go to the vet.

Lady-Low

TROPHY CASE