# Blue Tongue Skink Set Up Help



## Azlyn (Sep 22, 2009)

Hey Guys, 

Quick Question about BTS, Is a mesh top terrarium or a vivarium best for them in UK climate 
and what size is best for an adult, I know like most thing bigger is better but i dont want a 6ft if a 4ft viv is suitable.
Most info sites seem to be american. 

Also what substrate is best to use Aspen bedding or can lucky reptile hemp bedding be used.

If anyone has any links to images of BTS set ups i would really appreciate it to give me some ideas of what i need for the perfect set up.

Thanks


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## arnie23 (Jan 3, 2010)

i believe a wood viv is best 

have a look on the search bar to see what pics you canfind


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## Azlyn (Sep 22, 2009)

Thank you, ill see if i can find some


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## scruf77 (Sep 19, 2010)

I'm not expert in any way shape or form but I have a 4ft wooden viv with a glass front but mine is still only small. Will definately upgrade to a 6 footer when he's fully grown I think more floor space the better. I also use aspen substrate, he loves it! :2thumb:


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## krox2008 (Aug 9, 2009)

Azlyn said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Quick Question about BTS, Is a mesh top terrarium or a vivarium best for them in UK climate
> and what size is best for an adult, I know like most thing bigger is better but i dont want a 6ft if a 4ft viv is suitable.
> ...


hi m8 i would go for a wood viv for a bts as for size a 4x2x2 is fine for an adult but if you have the space for a 6fter i would go for that as biger is allways beter as for substrate i wouldunt use aspin as you need a bit of humidity i would go for eco-erth of orchid bark thats wot i use 
hope this helps and i will have a loo for some pics:2thumb:


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## Azlyn (Sep 22, 2009)

scruf77 said:


> I'm not expert in any way shape or form but I have a 4ft wooden viv with a glass front but mine is still only small. Will definately upgrade to a 6 footer when he's fully grown I think more floor space the better. I also use aspen substrate, he loves it! :2thumb:



Thank you for this. The only reason im asking is I have a 4 x 2 x 2 wooden viv.

We have taken on a 4 year old BTS who came with a 3ft terrarium very dirty but he is in good health.

So straight away we scrubed the viv within an inch of its life, Like i said I have a 4ft vivarium but reading most sites they say use glass terrariums. 

Dont Slate me I have taken him in to give him what he needs. 
If he needs a 8ft glass terrarium or 6ft vivarium thats what he will get..

But i want to make sure I have the right house for him. 

Also UV strips half the length of the viv or full length again every site you see have different opinions.


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## Khonsu (May 20, 2009)

I've got mine in 4' vivs, I use mixed orchard bark, top soil, play sand & leaf mulch as asubstrate, holds some moisture without being wet, bts like to bury themselves in substrate so couple of inches deep for me.


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## krox2008 (Aug 9, 2009)

Azlyn said:


> Thank you for this. The only reason im asking is I have a 4 x 2 x 2 wooden viv.
> 
> We have taken on a 4 year old BTS who came with a 3ft terrarium very dirty but he is in good health.
> 
> ...


good on you m8 its good to here from people that are willing to spend the cash for wotis best for the lizard as for uv in a 4ft viv i would use a 42in 5.0 uv tube on the back wall of the viv

i couldunt find anypics of my set up but i thorti wold put one up of my bts anyway


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## mrhoyo (Mar 29, 2007)

You want a minimum of 4x2 floor space and ideally a wooden vivarium. They hold heat better and glass ones are expensive and unnecessary. 
Aspen will be fine, I used to use it but stopped because it gets everywhere. I now use orchid bark, I don't spray it often and it dries out nicely.
In a 4ft vivarium you'll want a 36" UV with a reflector. The arcadia 12% UVB tubes are good, as are their reflectors.
This is a good caresheet for them.


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## Azlyn (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks Guys, Sorry if my post sounded a bit harsh but i find people can sometimes read the wrong bits and bite back.

The viv he came in was so dirty and small i need to put it right. 
And Krox that is a really cute pick

Could I ask And i know i keep asking questions but what do you feed your fella within a week. Ive read they only need feeding 3 to 4 times a week.

He was fed salad and fruit and a fuzzy once a week. 

I heard they like snails so ive order a can of snails. I am not hunting round my garden to find him a treat eeewww ....

I sound like a right newbie lol

I do have 3 healthy beardies and 3 plated lizards i know what im doing with them but want to make sure im doing everything right with my BTS


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## scruf77 (Sep 19, 2010)

You want to feed them 60% veg/fruit and 40% meat. I tend to feed mine every other day but he's only a young one. I use Kale, butter nut squash, some grated carrot, mango, raspberries, blue berries and banana. As for meat, he was fed cat food but I'm trying to steer away from this as there tend to be a bit of controversy about it not being very good for them, I tend to give him some lean mince beef that I boil up to cook and of course a few insects once a week.

3 - 4 times a week sounds good for an adult.

Apparently they love snails, I planning of sort some out for him from the garden but obviously you have make sure you purge them first.


Some people will probably disagree with the above which is fine, as I said before I'm no expert but mine seems to be getting on OK : victory:


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## Azlyn (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks for that scruf.. Veg wise that's what we have him on. Like i said I've bought a tin of preserved snails for reptiles. Is he ok having a fuzzy once a week or just boiled meat. Sorry I'm asking loads of questions


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## scruf77 (Sep 19, 2010)

Hey, not a problem, just hope the information I'm giving you is correct. There so much out there and most of it contradicts itself it tough to know whats right or wrong.

Mines to small for fuzzy's at the moment but I do know people feed them to their skinks as a treat. Not sure how often though. I'm guessing if its what he's used and hasn't done him any harm then carry on.


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## mrhoyo (Mar 29, 2007)

> You want to feed them 60% veg/fruit and 40% meat. I tend to feed mine every other day but he's only a young one. I use Kale, butter nut squash, some grated carrot, mango, raspberries, blue berries and banana. As for meat, he was fed cat food but I'm trying to steer away from this as there tend to be a bit of controversy about it not being very good for them, I tend to give him some lean mince beef that I boil up to cook and of course a few insects once a week.
> 
> 3 - 4 times a week sounds good for an adult.
> 
> ...


The meat portion wants to be insects not beef or anything as it is too fatty. That would be like 40% of your diet being takeaways. Reptiles aren't meant to eat fatty foods regularly and doing so can lead to fat around the organs and premature death.
If you want it to eat vertebrate prey give it a pink or fuzzy mouse once a month. At least with a whole animal it will get all the calcium as well as the fat.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk


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## scruf77 (Sep 19, 2010)

mrhoyo said:


> The meat portion wants to be insects not beef or anything as it is too fatty. That would be like 40% of your diet being takeaways. Reptiles aren't meant to eat fatty foods regularly and doing so can lead to fat around the organs and premature death.
> If you want it to eat vertebrate prey give it a pink or fuzzy mouse once a month. At least with a whole animal it will get all the calcium as well as the fat.
> 
> Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk


 
I stand corrected, thanks Mrhoyo. I've started to move over to the live food as I know it's far better for the animal. And obviously I do use calcium and vitamin supplements.

With regards to the live food, how many times a week should I be feeding them to him??


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## mrhoyo (Mar 29, 2007)

> > The meat portion wants to be insects not beef or anything as it is too fatty. That would be like 40% of your diet being takeaways. Reptiles aren't mea
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How old is it? For an animal under a year old they should have livefood every day with nutrobal twice a week and calcium every time. After a year drop a day off the schedule every 4-6 months until you're ultimately feeding 2-3 times a week.
Having fruit and veg available at all times will satisfy any hunger although offering them every other day is fine too.
If you've fed your lizard meat for a while you might find it doesn't like livefood or veg. If you have this problem just keep offering it, if the skink is hungry it will eat. It may go a while without but it will eat eventually.
This information is based on my own experiences, I was using minced beef and veg for a while and noticed that the lizard was getting fat and lethargic and refusing livefood. The American websites convince people that it's ok to feed them crap because it's cheap and they'll eat it but it isn't. 
They do the same with bosc monitors, like blue tongues they'll eat anything but in the wild around 90% of their diet is insects and snails, the other 10% is sometimes rodents or birds but usually eggs or small reptiles.

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## scruf77 (Sep 19, 2010)

mrhoyo said:


> How old is it? For an animal under a year old they should have livefood every day with nutrobal twice a week and calcium every time. After a year drop a day off the schedule every 4-6 months until you're ultimately feeding 2-3 times a week.
> Having fruit and veg available at all times will satisfy any hunger although offering them every other day is fine too.
> If you've fed your lizard meat for a while you might find it doesn't like livefood or veg. If you have this problem just keep offering it, if the skink is hungry it will eat. It may go a while without but it will eat eventually.
> This information is based on my own experiences, I was using minced beef and veg for a while and noticed that the lizard was getting fat and lethargic and refusing livefood. The American websites convince people that it's ok to feed them crap because it's cheap and they'll eat it but it isn't.
> ...


 
He's about 6 months old, he likes his veg and fruit thankfully and eats well. I tend to feed him every other day. He gets nutrobal twice a week and I put calcium on every meal.

I was feeding him everyday to start with but he didn't seem to be eating everyday, so I changed it to everyother day and he seems to be happy.

There's so much conflicting information out there it's hard to know whats correct. I'll change the beef for live food, I don't reckon I'll have much of a problem, he seems to enjoy the mealworms I give him, I'll pick up some crickets at the weekend and see how he gets on. Thanks again!!


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## mrhoyo (Mar 29, 2007)

> > How old is it? For an animal under a year old they should have livefood every day with nutrobal twice a week and calcium every time. After a year drop
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Every other day is fine as long as you let him eat all he wants.
For livefood crickets are great, so are locusts. They'll give him a chance to exercise. Mealworms are pretty fatty and can give the little chap stomach trouble at his age but are fine as part of a balanced diet provided he doesn't get the runs.
Silkworms are good if you can get them, so are roaches. Try not to use waxworms because they're something like 50% fat.
When your skunk gets to about 18" morios worms are a good food, they're a nice size and have less fat and shell than mealworms.
They love snails if you can get them, maybe try breeding GALS?
My last point is always feed your livefood plenty of veg to make them even more nutritious.

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## scruf77 (Sep 19, 2010)

mrhoyo said:


> Every other day is fine as long as you let him eat all he wants.
> For livefood crickets are great, so are locusts. They'll give him a chance to exercise. Mealworms are pretty fatty and can give the little chap stomach trouble at his age but are fine as part of a balanced diet provided he doesn't get the runs.
> Silkworms are good if you can get them, so are roaches. Try not to use waxworms because they're something like 50% fat.
> When your skunk gets to about 18" morios worms are a good food, they're a nice size and have less fat and shell than mealworms.
> ...


 
I do indeed, plenty of food put down and he returns to it through out the day. I don't give him mealworms often, maybe once a week as a treat. I've heard wax worms are pretty bad for them so stayed clear. I've definately throught about snails as I know how much they are supposted to love them. Will look into breeding them for sure. Thanks again for the advice, I let you know how he gets on with the crickets etc.


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## Street (Oct 30, 2009)

I've got my BTS in a 4 foot viv, although he is regularly allowed out to run around my living room when I'm in there. I've got a 36" UV with a reflector across the top, but the bulb managed to die yesterday! I've read in a few places that they don't need UV so as hes not as active over the winter months anyway, I might just replace it at the start of next year.

I started off using aspen bedding but I've now moved onto orchid bark mixed with moss. It stays a little bit damp and is also nice and deep for him to burrow into. I've got a raised platform in there to give him a bit more floor space and a couple other things like tube, log and basking slate.

I generally feed him spring greens, butternut squash, raspberries and chicken. With the chicken, I generally cut a bit off if mine when I'm making my tea and boil it for him. He does seem to like meat and usually won't eat much if I don't mix a little bit in with the veg. I've also got a colony of dubai roaches living under my stairs that I feed him from. Gives him a chance to hunt them around his viv!


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## scruf77 (Sep 19, 2010)

Street said:


> I've got my BTS in a 4 foot viv, although he is regularly allowed out to run around my living room when I'm in there. I've got a 36" UV with a reflector across the top, but the bulb managed to die yesterday! I've read in a few places that they don't need UV so as hes not as active over the winter months anyway, I might just replace it at the start of next year.
> 
> I started off using aspen bedding but I've now moved onto orchid bark mixed with moss. It stays a little bit damp and is also nice and deep for him to burrow into. I've got a raised platform in there to give him a bit more floor space and a couple other things like tube, log and basking slate.
> 
> I generally feed him spring greens, butternut squash, raspberries and chicken. With the chicken, I generally cut a bit off if mine when I'm making my tea and boil it for him. He does seem to like meat and usually won't eat much if I don't mix a little bit in with the veg. I've also got a colony of dubai roaches living under my stairs that I feed him from. Gives him a chance to hunt them around his viv!


 
Any pictures of the viv mate? I'd been keen to see it!


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## Street (Oct 30, 2009)

I don't have any full photos of my viv at the moment.. I'll try to remember to take one when I get back from work and upload it here!

Heres a small one I've got on my phone..


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## scruf77 (Sep 19, 2010)

Looks great from what I can see!! Skinks gorgeous to! I'm now definately thinking about changing my substrate to Orchid bark, looks more natural than Aspen.


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## Tiliqua (Dec 6, 2008)

I agree with most of the above, sounds like you are getting some good advice. But, it is fine to feed cat or dog food as part of a balanced diet. Also, it is fine to feed chicken or mince, but in my view, this should be raw not cooked - I've not heard of people feeding cooked meat before. That said, I don't suppose it will do them any harm. 

Cheers,
Mark.


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## Melonhelmet (Nov 11, 2008)

My new blue tongue is in a converted TV cabnit measuring 48''x24''x60''(high). Its all wood exept the front is plexi with a glass door and there are two floor vents in the side walls.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

mrhoyo said:


> They love snails if you can get them, maybe try breeding GALS?


Speaking of snails, MrHoyo, we've got a couple of boxes of garden snails "cleaning out" for you at the moment


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## scruf77 (Sep 19, 2010)

Ssthisto said:


> Speaking of snails, MrHoyo, we've got a couple of boxes of garden snails "cleaning out" for you at the moment


 
I collected a load last night, how long do I need to purge them for? 

I also managed to find some silkworms online so ordered a small batch to see how he likes them.


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## Azlyn (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks everyone, How the hell do you purge snails only purging I know of is sticking your fingers down your throat to get skinny... That sounds like Ive done that before. Dont worry im a fatty LOL....

I bought Dave a can of prepared preserved snails. can O snails lol 
Im going to carry on with his weekly mouse till he settles in. I have bought the smaller fuzzies.

I think ill get him on the orchid bark but at the moment my other half has already bought the cannabis bedding as he liked the sound of it. so going to give that a go. 

If i can Ill post a pic of him, he is a little overweight in my eyes.


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