Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've done a fair bit of research on these little fellas, and today i finally picked it up from its former owner. its a nice little specimen, about 18-19 inches long. Former owner had no form of humidity in the cage so its fingers are F---ed up beyond repair... some are swollen, some are missing... that and the fact that it hasnt been eating much and so is just a bit on the slim side are the only visible health issues. I am going to put a tupperware container into its enclosure with a damp substrate so there hopefully wont be any further shedding problems, but what do you all suggest I do to entice it to eat? I have a chicken and tuna cat food with chopped collared greens mixed in and he doesnt seem too intent on eating it. It's a beautiful specimen so I hope you can help me get it settled into it's new home. Thanks

Andy

Hi, Andy: Congratulations on doing the research prior to actually getting the BTS. With proper care, it will be an excellent pet for you. For starters, do you know what species/subspecies it is? It can make a difference with temperament. Posting a picture would be ideal.
BTS do not eat fish in the wild and that may be why it's not particularly interested in the food with the tuna in it. I'd try scrambled eggs with some vegetables mixed in. Try peas, carrots, corn, green beans, etc.
Good idea with the humidity box. To make sure there is no more retained shed (highly likely to be there) on the toes, soak him in warm water and see if it starts to come off.
Good luck and keep us posted.
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Edward
Carpe diem

i would try to pick up zoo meds Can o' snails. They tend to dig them quite a bit. They are cooked in the can and sterile...a bit more safe than live garden snails. Since snails are a natural food for the skinkies, this should also entice him. Also, you can try chicken baby food, cooked beef heart, and even some PREMEIUM canned cat food. Dont forget the calcium supplements and vites too!

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"Brains for dinner, brains for lunch. Brains for breakfast, brains for brunch. Brains for every single meal; why can't we have some GUTS?"-Misfits

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
0.1 partial stripe ghost corn- Raven
1.0 Sunglow motley corn-Ernie
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.0.2 Red american toadlets with 0.0.7 legs total (er, i have one w/3....)
0.0.1 gray tree frog toadlet
0.0.6 land snails
0.0.2 millipedes of unknown species from TN
5.3 bettas
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
2.2 ratties Rizzo, Bounce, Bree, and Blitzkreig

Would love to see some pictures!

I would recommend against a damp substrate... Humid hideboxes are just fine, but you don't want the entire bottom damp.

Good luck!

From the pictures on www.bluetongueskinks.net it looks like an Eastern without the black stripes behind the eyes, and it also looks a lot like an Irian Jaya. Not sure about that yet, but I will try to figure it out. I put aspen shavings in as the substrate and gave him/her a big tupperware container with mulch in it for humidity. I also gave it a nice big bowl of water and cork bark to hide under. I take it out and let it roam around the room the enclosure is in, and it is becoming more and more personable. I found some premium cat food for a good proce and have been mixing in diced escarole and collared greens and it has started eating all of what I give it. I gave it a UVB overhead lamp along with a red basking light positioned above the cork bark. I have tons of supplies around because I own a few other reptiles (Beardies, a leo, a savannah monitor, a green iguana, and about a month ago my veiled chameleon of about 5 years passed on) so if there is anything I am missing, just tell me and I probably have it. Thanks for the suggestions.

Your setup seems pretty good!!! Make sure your water isnt too deep cause sometimes they like to doze off in there. I personally don't use any humid substrate at all. Most likely if its lacking temporal streaks you have an IJ although there are many easterns that don't have them but IJs are a lot more common in the U.S. My indicator is usually this: if it has thin black lines( is it ok to say lines zach? lol) running from the head to the tail than its an eastern. Good luck!!

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1.0 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink (Don)
0.1 Irian Jaya Blue Tongue Skink (Sausage Girl)
0.0.1 Tanimbar Island Blue Tongue Skink ( Spunky Sebastian)
0.0.1 Ornate Uro (Spike)
1.0.1 Green Tree Pythons ( Male=Floyd, Baby= Verdi)
0.1 Western Hognose (Piggy)
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortiose(Tank)
0.0.1 Sonoran Gopher snake ( Toro)
0.1 Albino Leo gecko (Sasha)

Well, of course it's impossible to tell without a picture, but are its front legs clean or splotchy? Splotchy usually indicates IJ. Not marked font legs usually indicate Eastern. Where did you get it? If you got it from a pet store, it's an IJ. If you had an Eastern, I'm sure the person you got it from would have told you, because it's very doubtful he would be breeding Easterns and not know it. And yes, thin vertical lines running lengthwise are another indication of the Eastern.