Blue Tongued Skink info?

[DJMonty]

Hey everyone.

I'm looking for information on the Blue Tongued Skink. Some things in particular:

1. Are they diurnal or nocturnal?
2. How fast are they when spooked?
3. Are they suitable pets for children aged 9 and over?
4. Can you handle them?
5. How many would live comfortable in a 50 Gallon tank (32"x12"x18")?

And can I have the same info for Croc Skinks and Bearded Dragons, too, please?

Thanks

[JeffreH]

Hello = ) - Quick question; are you measuring the 50 gallon by L x W x H? The species you have listed are all terrestrial, so floorspace is going to be much more appreciated than height. If that enclosure has an 18" height, you might want to consider getting a 40 gallon breeder enclosure (bare min for some adults) or preferably something int he 65-75 gallon range with a 48" x 18" footprint. The bigger then better, and the extra width is sometimes appreciated by larger adults...I've seen large dragons that can't easily turn around in enclosure with a 12" width (although it is doable).

Blue-Tongued Skinks:

1) Diurnal

2) This depends entirely on what you are accustomed to and what you would describe as "fast." I believe BTS's are fairly slow compared to some species of gecko that can be quite spastic. My limited experience with them has shown them to be pretty laid-back and relatively reluctant to do anything speedy...although thats not to say they aren't capable of being fast.

3) Yes, although adult supervision of care may be required. Be sure the child is responsible and regularly changes water, feeds, supplements, and cleans after the animal.

4) Yes - this species is known to tolerate handling quite well. Gentle, regular handling sessions can result in a "tame" animal, particularly adults.

5) One.

Good resource for care on BTS : Detailed Blue Tongue Skink Caresheet - BlueTongueSkinks.NET

Bearded Dragons:

1) Diurnal

2) Juvenile beardies can vary in tempermenent and speed, adults are usually very laid back and hesistant to react violently or with flight.

3) Debatable. They make great pets; possibly the most personable lizard out there. They truly form bonds with their owners and can recognize different people in the family, make associations, and I believe they actually have some reasoning skills. That being said, they are great on a personality level, but they can be a handful to care for. Juveniles require immense amounts of food, and both adults and juveniles require insect and plant matter to survive. They are a higher maintanence reptile.

4) Yes; particularly adults. I truly believe Beardies actually enjoy being handling and receiving stimulation.

5) One - although a slightly larger enclosure might be appreciated by a large adult.

Good starting place for care information : http://reptilerooms.com - > Caresheets - > Beared Dragons (not allowing me to access our site for some reason right now)
Bearded Dragon . org - Bearded Dragon Care Sheet <--- Another Basic Caresheet
Nutrition Content <-- List of salad items to feed, and frequency of feeding. Good info site overall as well.

Reptiles as a general rule are not social creatures, they prefer to be kept alone and do best alone. The 50 gallon you mention is bare mimimum size for a single adult animal of either of these species, so more wouldn't work anyway. Its always best to house your reptiles alone. Be sure to adequately research the care of whatever you choose. If you have any further questions, I can elaborate further. Just gave EXTREMELY brief info that you asked for. Ask away if there is anything else you'd like to know, I can provide more good care information links as well (a lot of stuff out there is junk).

I'm not as familiar with crocodile skinks, sorry = (

[Niels D]

Skinks are by far my most favourite animals. I've had/bred many blue tongued skinks in the past including some uncommen subspecies. Allas I've become allergic to reptile skin/shedding, so I've given my collection to another enthusiast. The skinks are indeed not fast moving, but can make sudden movements with their heads. They have a strong bite (stronger than bearded dragons), so try to obtain a tame animal. The subspecie chimaerea tends to be more agressive, but you won't see them being offered much. I really advise you to keep only one skink in a tank. You can house them together for years without any problems till one day you'll find your skinks with bitten off limbs or ripped off skin. Keep in mind that the diet of a BTS is different than a bearded dragon.

They need a lot of veggies. I'd put endive, fruit, boiled chicken, calcium and sometimes a bit of catfood in the blender to make a special skinkcocktail. Though it gets a bit messy from time to time, they get all the nutritions they need. They really like snails and the flowers of dendelions. There is a great forum specially for BTS. I don't know if I'm allowed to place a link, but I thinks this doesn't hurt anyone. Blue Tongue Skinks - Welcome to BlueTongueSkinks.NET ! My favourite BTS is Tiliqua gigas evanescens. They can grow really big! Good luck!

[DJMonty]

Thanks for the responses, guys.

This 50 Gallon is likely going to house something like shrimp or an axolotl, after reading it would be the bare minimum. However, I'm trying to pick up a vivarium measuring 48"x24"x24" for one of these species.

Thanks once again.

[artes]

Blue tongued skinks, when they want to move fast, will tuck in their little legs and slither like a snake. It is hilariously cute. Everybody else already answered the other questions, but I just wanted to point that out since its cute. I highly recommend both those and bearded dragons. They're both amazing pets.

I also recommend chinese water dragons. They're very similar to bearded dragons personality wise, only their tank set ups resemble frogs - large pools, plants, climbing perches.

[DJMonty]

Thanks for the info, Artes.

What put me off getting a Chinese Water Dragon was that my sister had one once, and she claims it grew six feet long. I can't afford a tank to house it, and my floor won't support the weight of the tank.

[artes]

Iguanas grow 6 ft long. Chinese water dragons barely cap 3 - the males anyway. Females hit around 2 ft. I'm guessing she had an iguana and didn't realize it.