Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

today I got my first blue tongue lizard as a pet, I am completely new to lizards as pets and would appreciate ANY information whatsoever on what I need to get/do to keep this little fella alive and well, he is only a bub and i want him to live a long and happy life. Any help and information will be greatly appreciated.

Do i use a bulb or heatmat?
Do i put him in the sun daily or get a UV light?
ETC.

TIA Jess

I use both. Be careful, though, to monitor the temps. I had to place a folded towel over mine, under the cage carpet I use as substrate, to keep it from being too hot. You can use a rheostat, but they're pricey ($20). The light I use is Zoomed, so it has UV in it.
Welcome to the wonderful world of BTS! Enjoy your new baby & ask anything you need to know. This forum is great.
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1.3.0 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton & Olivia Newton John, Helmut Newton
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

I'm glad you discovered the best pet lizard out there, BUT I wish you had the research on them before getting it. (Maybe he's a rescue.) In any event, read carefully everything in the following two links and that should be a very good starting point for you.
Congratulations and best of luck. Please post a picture if you can. Do you know what kind it is?

www.bluetongueskinks.net

http://members.shaw.ca/cloose/
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Edward
Carpe diem

hi, thanks for the links, i will check them out straight away. I wasn't planning on having him at all, he was a rescue, he is going well so far, I live in Tasmania so I thought he wouldn't need a heat lamp or anything like that because he would be used to the climate here, I give him plenty of sun each day and he also has shade if he wants to get out of the sun. Will go check out the links now and will post a pic when he is out with me and i can get one. I have no idea what sort he is maybe u could help me out.

Jess

Hi, Jess:
Please do post a picture when possible to make a positive identification. And please let us know if you have any specific questions.
By the way, if it is a blotched BTS, then your instinct is right: He should do best when kept outdoors, exposed to natural lighting cycles.
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Edward
Carpe diem