Hello All!

[AlexanderSalamander]

I'm new here but I've been referring to these forums for quite a while, anyway; rite now I've only got one frog, a tiger legged monkey frog, but I'm not new to the world of herps. I have a pastel ball python, a tiger salamander, a blue tongue skink and a breeding pair of leopard geckos as well. I have a 150 gallon fish tank that I'm thinking of converting into a vivarium for 4-5 adult whites tree frogs, pleas don't yell at me, but I'm also hoping to cohabitate them with my blue tongue. My thought process behind this is that the adult WTFs will be too big for the blue tongue to eat and they will live in the canopy while the blue tongue occupies the ground. I know that they like to soak themselves, but don't anticipate this as a problem seeing as my bluey doesn't like getting in the water. Also, my skink is northern Australian so they could live in the same forest environment. Yes, some blueys do live in the forest. Also, the have different diets so there shouldn't be much competition. the ground would be leaf litter and soil and there will be many branches and vines along with living plants. I will purchase misting system to maintain humidity.

PLEASE, all feedback is welcome.

[MsBlueRose]

I am not saying to go for it, but I have read that you can put different species of animals in the same tank if they would be found in the natural world living in close quarters or in the same environment. What kind of diet does the skink have, I have never cared for a skink and am not familiar with their diet. If he eats meat it is probably not a good idea to cohabitate them. Please do some research on the animals and possible illnesses that can be passed to each other or if they can become stressed form each others presence. I am sure others will chime in on this as well. Personally, I think the tank is big enough to house different species so long as they are compatible. I do know that in order to house different species of animals, they need to have a LARGE enclosure and need to exist in different niches with in the tank or enclosure.

[AlexanderSalamander]

Thanks for the feedback, and my bluey eats a 10% veggie, 30% fruit, 60% protein diet, but for his protein I usually give him canned cat food or chicken meat, all diced into tiny pieces, so I don't think that there should be a problem, also he is really mild mannered and likes to interact with my dog (with supervision of course) so I forsee a peaceful life for them

[MsBlueRose]

You can try it out if you think they will get along, just do so under supervision (just like with the dog) to make sure the tree frogs are not threatened by the skink. You can even try to get a frog out and hold them both together to see if the skink pays any special attention to the frog. If he does not seem interested at all, you may be in a safe place with them. Since you skink has never eaten live food, I doubt he will pay the frog any mind at all. How much of a size difference is there between the skink and the frogs? If they are too big for him to eat whole, that's a bonus; though most reptiles are gluttons and will try to eat anything no matter if it will fit in it's mouth or not, lol. But all jokes aside, you basically just need to ensure that the frogs are safe around the skink. I am sure if others see this post they will be against housing them together but it comes down to the owners decision in the end. You just have to use good judgement as with any decision involving your pets. I would love to see pics of the little guys if you have any! My fiance wants to get a skink one day, he loves how pretty they are and has been trying to get me to put one in the tank with my tree frogs, lol. But my exoterra is not big enough to house two separate species. Also, if you can, I would like to see the enclosure you intend to set up for them as well? I just want to make sure there are plenty of places for both species to hide and get away from the others. Can't wait to see the little ones if you have pics! Best Wishes: MsBlueRose

[AlexanderSalamander]

Again, thanks for the consideration! I will try to upload some pics of the tank that I plan to use soon. The blue tongue cant fit an adult frog into his mouth and he's not much of a hunter, I don't actually have the frogs yet but I plan to purchase them as adults, is that a good idea, in your opinion? I want them to be able to start their life with me in a nice big tank, so I wont be buying them until the viv is completely done. This is still all in the planning phase but I will be sure to upload pics of the build as I go along.

[LilyPad]

Not on the subject of housing together, which I personally wouldn't attempt, but rather the food you give your skink. I would NOT feed him cat food as the taurine necessary for a cat's health can harm the skink. Instead, use a high quality canned dog food such as blue buffalo, something with whole meats and no byproducts. Even plain chicken may not have the vitamins your skink needs and a high sodium count unless you're using low sodium.

[AlexanderSalamander]

I actually wasn't aware of that, but thank you! I do my best to provide him with a varied diet so that each meal has some variety, do you think he would be ok if I still mixed in cat food every once and a while as he seems to love it? In regards to the chicken, I have read that it is very protein rich and is not harmful. Just curious, do you have any skinks?

[LilyPad]

I do not have any skinks but I've been researching them and bearded dragons for about 7-8 months as eventually I would like to get one or the other. I would just get the dog food rather than cat food if you're opposed to introducing live food, he'll probably like that just as much. Blue Buffalo is a great brand with less preservatives, no by products or dyes, etc. I'm sure there are other equally good brands, I'm just not sure which kind. As far as I've read, the effects of taurine are not completely known but it is no longer recommended as a food source. Also, both dog and cat foods can be fattier than necessary for a skink. I reread and misread thinking that you were feeding him canned chicken. Freshly cooked chicken breast isn't bad, just make sure it's thoroughly cooked and don't use it every day or as the bulk of his diet, it doesn't quite have the vitamins he needs.

Here is a great food chart to follow - http://bluetongueskinks.net/foodchart.html

Personally, I would keep him housed alone and start teaching him to eat live food such as dubias and earthworms. I bet you notice a big difference in activity level.

[MsBlueRose]

Awesome advice, Lilly-pad. I had no idea that there was that much of a difference in canned cat food and canned dog food. I don't own any lizards at the time, but I used to own an iguana. I miss him dearly. I never feed him meat at all because I did not want him to hunt my birds. I would like to get another in the future. Thanks for chiming in on the thread.

[AlexanderSalamander]

That's really good to know! Also, I do mix in live food every once in a while and he does get a kick out of it. there will be worms and Arthropods along with the occasional roach(if I can find a cheep breeder/supplier.) This thread has been helpful so far so PLEASE keep it coming

[LilyPad]

Dog food does still have a small amount of taurine, but not as much as cats. I had an iguana growing up too, she ended up dying of kidney issues when she was only about 6 years old (I was 12 at the time.) That sparked my interest in researching reptile diet despite very very little information being on the internet yet then. She was fed monkey biscuits, canned fruit, and regularly stole cat food as she was pretty much a free range reptile. After she got sick, I learned how everything we were taught by both the vet and the pet store owner was WRONG and she really suffered because of it, it was too late to save her by that point.

[AlexanderSalamander]

Thanks for alerting me to that. You could become a herp dietician if there was such a thing. This has all been very helpful!

[MsBlueRose]

I know how you feel Lilly. My iguana died while I was still young too. My brother ended up giving it the flue, which my brother had and knew beter than to handle him but did not listen. Aparently repitles can pick up a lot of things from us that we would never suspect they could... And you are right about there not being enough nfo on the web about proper care and diet and even the vets don't know everything they should about the animals they treat and are giving out bad advice. It has inspired me to study to be an exotic vet. I have been researching many illnesses and causes of injuries for frogs and reptiles and have learned a signifigant amout in a shourt time. But I had to dig deep to find it. The information needed by keepers is hard to obtain. There is a lack of knowledge on the subject and not enough people are posting their findings one the web. I hope to change that one day. I love my little guys to much to sit here in the dark after losing some to unknow causes. I now know what I lost each of them to, but I hate that it took me so long to find good sources of info that I lost them before I could do anything about it. I don't want to sit around and wait for that to happen again. I start school this fall for exotic vet training. Not sure where they are gonna start me in classes though. I guess I will find out soon! Lol. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. I love this site!

SIncerely;
MsBlueRose