Baby Blue Tongue Skinks - Ep. 90

3 MUST DOs for baby skink owners plus how I care for my baby blue tongues skinks from birth until they are ready to be sent to their new homes.
#bluetongueskink #skink #reptiles #lizards
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ReptileMountain.TV KZbin Channel:
Dr. TC Houston, former professional AZA zookeeper, SKINKAHOLIC, and reptile fanatic, shares his experiences and passion for keeping and breeding Blue Tongue Skinks and other reptile species for the educational and overall betterment of the hobby. Subscribe to stay updated on more evidence-based, current, professional information about the reptile hobby and Blue-Tongue Skink care. Enjoy! Watch! Like! Share! Woot woot!
*I receive a commission for sales generated through this link

[@ianragan9817]

I don’t think you get enough credit for these vids. These are so helpful.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Thank you! :-)

[@PseudoLocus]

He's so great and clearly a nice guy. Underrated for sure.

[@HmbrgrSt8knGr8vy]

I have watched every video & have my setup ready! I have a quick question. Is 4 mos old too old to be considered baby? Should I wait until a younger one comes along or is that a good age? I am in the market for a Northern BTS🦎

[@GApeppers1]

👶👶👶👶👶👶👶

[@BandE-Exotics]

Best care guide I’ve seen yet, very useful! Thank you!

[@Bunparade]

So cute! Happy birthday to all of your new bubs! Delta is loving her new custom tank, btw!

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Thanks Mone! Give Delta some love from me!

[@themagicalcactus1941]

This made me smile so much! Thanks for helping me to start my day with this! Great information and guidance as well.

[@ortizbrothersdiscgolf6524]

Great video TC!

[@spanishmountains4588]

Congrats on the babies TC! Hope you have a bunch of healthy skinklets this year.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Gratitude 🙏

[@halfpintj95able]

Hey TC, wanted to thank you man. I've been doing research to get my first BTS and you have been my best source of quality information. I also live in Colorado, so it's great to have a local breeder right here on KZbin! Keep up the great work man :)

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Thank you 🙏

[@CringeJester]

Love seeing all the babies in skink season

[@GogeeReptileCuddles]

Wonderful as always TC

[@bigaltv434]

I’ve been waiting on this !

[@tinaleighton6390]

Something I have always liked about your videos is you not only tell what you do, but you tell why you do it.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Exactly 👍🏼😁 thanks Tina!

[@bigbazonga1432]

I signed up for the email list yesterday for a lil bluetongue from you. Now we play the waiting game lol

[@FireChicken747]

What makes this video better is the fact that he is wearing a Jurassic Park hat like he breeding dinosaurs 😂

[@MicaylaRuby]

I find a lot of beeders are colder in the way they refer to the animals they raise, maybe its so they don't get too attached but its nice to see people in the business still call them by little baby names and stuff. Buying a reptile from a breeder is a new thing for people and it definitely helps if they see that breeders share the same soft spot for the animals as them. Keep up the great work

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Great feedback! Thank you for saying that. Its. Nice reminder to hear I haven’t got detached from my passion.

[@Nelbs31]

Thank you so much for this video!!! I have a baby that gets very defensive at times. I’ve had it for 6 months now and it’s always been a great eater and drinker. However I have been worried that it’s so defensive BECAUSE I have too many hiding spots in his enclosure. It’s eating insects from my tongs now so I feel like progress is being made. Thank you so much for making such a great video!! It’s extremely helpful for first time BTS owners like me!!!

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Babies can be defensive regardless. I have some that are scared of their shadow. Keep up the work you're doing and you'll see progress.

[@xoxladykrys10xox]

I remember when my northern was shipped to me, she was only 7.5inches long. Now, 6 years later, 24 inches of cuddly dinosaur awesomeness.

[@Lily-sq3np]

Thank you this video is really helpful 😄 and can I just say thanks so much for changing the °F temperatures to °C, no other reptile videos I’ve seen do that and I always have to google conversions 😂

[@aronoiiel]

They are shady little buggers 😂 this was super informative both as a propective future owner and for someone wondering the proper care of babies in general. I appreciate all your work and informative videos.

[@akramcharif7040]

Great great video

[@farmboys7939]

Cool video!

[@tomdix8022]

Great video from a great guy

[@R11176]

Great video 😀

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Thank you 🙏

[@indacoma]

Good video as always, my baby halamahera has started trying cat food a little more but he still goes crazy for the meal worms haha. He ate about 2 mouthfuls of catfood yesterday right off the tip of a plastic fork and then didnt want anymore but as soon as I drop meal worms in with him he goes nuts. I feed him in a shoebox to avoid any substrate ingestion.

[@LanceKirkman]

Excellent video TC

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Thank you Sir!

[@LanceKirkman]

@@ReptileMountainTV you're welcome Blessings upon you in the name of Jesus

[@trevlaccalvert76]

Helped heaps man

[@prepperpov5852]

They aren’t Skinks, but the Robin nest that I found outside just hatched 4 eggs! It’s the baby’s 1st day of life! Amazing! I’ve also been seeing snakes outside! I love your sponsors HAHA “IT’S SKINKER TIME”! Thanks so much for your work, man. Amazing footage and info/tips!

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Thanks so much. How cool to see those eggs hatch! Spring time is awesome.

[@michellet9349]

I just picked up a baby northern from you, then got this video notification. What perfect timing! lol

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Perfect indeed! I hope you enjoy your little one Michelle! Great name by the way...my wife is a Michele also :-)

[@michellet9349]

@@ReptileMountainTV Yes! Day one, but so far, so good :) thank you so very much for sending this baby my way. Wonderful name, must be a wonderful lady as well! ♥️

[@bundun4074]

this video was more than helpful!, I do have one question tho, how do you control the temperature in the cool side?, my enclosure cool side would go all the way to the lower 70's.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Sometimes I add a small heat pad/heat tape on a very low set thermostat under it.

[@Beyondherelienothin]

Hi, I am a big fan to your videos! Just wanna ask how do you maintain a heat zone inside the new born enclosure? Do you use heat pad underneath one end of the tub? Also what is the use of the soft light inside the rack that we see in the video? Thanks !!

[@ReptileMountainTV]

I use THG heat tape on a thermostat for heat. The light is a 18ft LED rope light fixed to the back of the rack that shines on the wall and bounces back ambient light to provide and day/cycle. 😁👍🏼 great questions.

[@davidvernon9893]

Hey TC, just heard your podcast today as guest on From the Ground Up. Had to come check your videos out. Great content and highly informative,. I’m in love with skinks. Tho I have known at this time. I have plans to get a northern, pair of Red eyes, and fire skink. Was wondering if you had any info on the red eyes. I red the article in reptile mag, and I seen yours but didn’t put 2 and 2 together and got 5 so. Lol

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Lol thanks man! There’s nothing to the red eye thing. They used to think it had to do with what sex the animal was but now its know to just be an individual trait.

[@davidvernon9893]

Thanks, yeah I just knew about the red eye meaning they were becoming adults.

[@blueeagle5440]

I’m only watching your videos on skinks! I’m about to get one next Saturday!!!! Can you do a video on telling male from female on babies? Please

[@ginger-lilly]

Great video! I'm new to your channel and I can already say I love it. It's fun to watch your videos. They are so informative and I always learn something new. I fell in love with those amazing creatures and now I want one ☺️ More precisely a Tiliqua scincoides ;) Before I start I want to say that I'm a beginner (I only have a dog, cats and a degu so no reptiles yet ☹️) I did a lot of research and got information from many different sources☺️. I already thought about basics like terrarium, food and stuff. I would get a pretty big enclosure (59x19x23 inch) for an adult one. (The younger one i would keep in a smaller cage first until he/she is big enough to move into the big cage.) I would get a bunch of different dog and cat food and then add some vegetables, fruits, herbs (and fish?? →i've heard about giving them fish 🤔) so that I have various foods to offer and the bluey doesn't get the same all the time. For the skink to feel comfortable in its enclosure I'd offer lots of different hides, fake plants, a water bowl and some other decoration.(And substrate of course though I'm not sure yet on what to pick😕) Still I have some questions because nobody really talks about these things so I'll just ask here: 1) Do BTS smell bad? 2) Do they get sick easily and often? Like are they sensitive and react instantly when feeding wrong or similar beginner mistakes or can they forgive some little mistakes? Are there some common diseases? Do they have shedding problems often? 3) Do they make a huge mess? I mean do they poop a lot so do i need to clean their enclosure often? 4) I once heard about putting hay in the terrarium. Can I do it or is it not recommended? 5) How to keep humidity for a Tiliqua scincoides? Do I even need to so something for holding the humidity?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

1) They don’t smell if the cage is cleaned after a poop. Feeding eggs make poop smell very bad. 2) They are really hardy when kept correctly. Most illnesses are RIs from too cold for too long 3) they poop about 2x a week as adults if fed once a week (babies eat more often >> poop more often) 4) Timothy hay can work. Ive done it. Sometimes it mold fast sometimes its fine. 5) typical household humidity works fine for them. Add a small room humidifier or misting once or twice a week is all needed IF they appear dry. Fantastic questions!!!!

[@ginger-lilly]

@@ReptileMountainTV Thank you so so much for answering my questions 😄 it will definitely help me :)

[@kelsey7712]

Hey! Your videos are so helpful and I am so glad I found them! I do have a question, so pardon my ignorance. I really want a pet skink, but I don't want to get one until I finish researching the animal. I have gotten mixed answers about using tile in the bottom of the encolsure. I want to use tile, and I was hoping to include alternative materials for their burrowing behaviors. What is your stance on tile? Can it work? Any advice you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

It can work to an extent but it would be considerably inferior to loose substrate. ... with tile they will smear their poop all over the place and on themselves which is not sanitary and really unpleasant for the keeper to clean. I would highly recommend ditching the tile idea and go with loose substrate as it helps tone their muscles and absorbs more moisture from poop and pee keeping things much healthier of an environment for the animal.

[@kelsey7712]

@@ReptileMountainTV Thank you so much for the information. I truly appreciate it!

[@germainortiz5114]

Hi TC! Can you do a collection spotlight on your Ball Python. Great Video!!!

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Possibly 👍🏼 ball python videos are pretty well represented on KZbin though...

[@Boudico]

Great video, as always! Is the "awesome youtuber" perhaps the Rattle On man himself?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Indeed. His video is great.

[@Wolfprincess90]

Thanks to you I bought a repilekage. I am curious where you got that big cork bark. I haven't found one yet :( As also great video and content. I am now seriously considering a BTS I may get one in august so your videos are very informative for me to consider what species I want :)

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Thats awesome! That cork came from a local reptile store. It set me back $100 😮 but worth it.

[@markgott9792]

I agree very very much 😎👍

[@dylanstokes2446]

Look st all the cute little skinklets

[@user-ph8dq3oj3e]

太棒了，谢谢分享

[@GhoulifiedDelta]

hey! love the vid but i have an unrelated question for older skinks. i have a 2 year old indo blue tongue skink, i give him a mix of arcadia omnivore diet mixed with either ground beef or turkey with a pinch of calcium dust without D3. i was wondering if this is an appropriate diet, i dust his food with calcium without D3 because there is D3 in the gel diet -he also have UVA UVB avalible. he is 614g and doesnt look over/under wieght but i just want to check with someone very experienced like your-self. thanks!

[@zhengzhu]

2 of my 9 Northern babies got sunken spine, which according to the breeder, happens often on young specimen when they spend long time climbing and leaning against the wall. Looking forward to a new video describing this!

[@ReptileMountainTV]

This does happen. I mitigate it by putting them in shorter tubs or placing brick pieces in the areas where they climb the most. It help tremendously to prevent it before it becomes permanent

[@zhengzhu]

@@ReptileMountainTV Thanks for the quick reply. It is causing permanent impact such as breeding problems? I assume it will be corrected (more or less) over time but the health issue is more concerned instead of how they look and reproduce.

[@keishapetfamily]

Great reptile channel, like it, greetings from indonesian reptile lovers

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Thank you! Greetings 😁👍🏼

[@II-fm3ut]

The bulb in your amazon wish list will that be all I need for my blue tongued skinks lighting (for my uvb lighting) or should I use the longer ones

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Its been a few years since I updated that. I will have to go look. It depends in what you are looking to do. Use it as full d3 synthesis or just for mental well being?

[@JackpotTFT]

what heating equipment do you use for your babies??

[@ReptileMountainTV]

4” THG heat tape

[@PseudoLocus]

I stopped using toilet paper rolls after I found that they were growing unusual molds when I used them for veggie seed starting. So they're questionable quality paper and the glue also worries me when using it for my lizards. Cups are a great idea.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Great insight 👍🏼

[@spamaccgais8794]

Hey man..great video..i wanna ask how often does i feed my blue tonge skink?..ty😁

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Check out this page. You will fond all the details here. www.reptilemountain.com/husbandry

[@bundun4074]

Hey TC!, this might be random but, have you ever seen any western blue tongue skinks (Tiliqua occipitalis), in reptile stores or expos before?, these guys are so cool!, I think they need heat more than humidity but I'm not sure, haven't done that much research on them because I heard it's rare to find one that is captive bred and born. (if there is one :/)

[@ReptileMountainTV]

There are only a handful in the states and go for over $4000 each.

[@bundun4074]

​@@ReptileMountainTV Oh man $4000?!?, well I hope people can have success breeding them in the near future so the price would go down, they're so adorable it's unbelievable!

[@killerjugernautgaming2304]

Hi I’ve been looking for a marauke blue and I found a guy in a trade center he seems to know his stuff but just wandering what you think about it?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

I’ll need more info than that? 😁

[@rachealhuggins2030]

I’m so sorry if you have already covered this since I haven’t finished all the BT skink videos yet, but is it necessary to get a smaller tank when you first get a young skink? I want to get a 75 gallon or 45 gallon (long) for my future skink baby, but worry this might be too big while they are still small.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

You should be fine if you provide a bunch of hides and warm areas

[@rachealhuggins2030]

ReptileMountain.TV Thank you so much!

[@allysontl3401]

What about mixing in pumpkin with the cat food. Would you do that?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Pumpkin is a good fiber! It would be good. But not needed for babies.

[@TheOfficialLofClan]

how can I get in connect of you? got a few questions

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Email. 👍🏼

[@ayngo1975gmail]

What’s up TC hey question is it ok to keep A baby in the same size enclosure that normally an adult would be kept in is it OK or no

[@ReptileMountainTV]

If they are over 1 month old it is fine but keep an eye on them. I did a video on babies in big enclosures. Check it out in my video list.

[@genericmonk]

At what age would you move from "baby" temps to adult temps?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

About 6 months or 500 grams. Bigger bodies can handle bigger temperature variations.

[@gabbyzukowsky6126]

Which species of bts would you recommend getting?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

A Northern or Eastern.

[@mcfoxgaming2815]

My juvenile skink that I had just gotten yesterday has been sleeping a lot under the mulch. Is that normal for them?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Yes. Check out my video on skinks first week and video on my Skink won’t eat. They should help. Congrats on the new addition 👍🏼

[@caitlinsnyder6200]

when i got my baby skink she was 4 weeks old and she was so much smaller than them they all were small. i’m having a hard time getting her to eat but she always moves around. idk if she has metallic bone disease or something cuz i noticed like bumps on her and her body looks like it’s not bad or anything but like i’ve noticed bumps kinda and her one foot is different than the rest she like kinda drags it around sometimes she’ll use it but then sometimes she don’t feel like it and idk what to do

[@ReptileMountainTV]

That sounds like something a vet needs to look at to give you a better assessment than I can here in the comments.

[@theakuczynski6938]

how much do you sell your babies on average? I also live in Colorado and have been looking for a baby skink and would LOVE to support a local breeder!

[@ReptileMountainTV]

My Baby Northerns start at $350 usually 😁 local is always easier than shipping 👍🏼

[@theakuczynski6938]

@@ReptileMountainTV THAT IS LITERALLY PERFECT THANK U SO MUCH

[@jamesperkins5397]

Hey I recently got a bluey as a rescue and he's really mean any tips

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Check out my video on handling difficult skinks 👍🏼

[@adeonsajakarta2923]

Too late my Merauke has grown to full adult😂😂😂But still educational

[@anneshepheard8389]

Hi

[@BrittanyOglesby23]

What kinds of cat food can I feed a baby blue tongue skink? People are also saying that they need to be on dog food.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

I have a list in my care-guide in my website

[@Kim-yl7yg]

Hi, just received a two week old nbts. How many weeks must he stay in a small tub before going to his regular enclosure ? Thank you.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

If they are active and healthy they can go into one right away as long as they are able and using all the resources, heat, food, water, etc

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Check out my video on baby skink in big enclosures 👍🏼

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Oh and CONGRATULATIONS 🎊🍾!

[@Kim-yl7yg]

@@ReptileMountainTV I did

[@Kim-yl7yg]

@@ReptileMountainTV Thanks

[@tabathataylor1407]

Do you have any baby's ? And if so is there a waiting list?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

check out my page www.reptilemountain.com/buying

[@wanik4]

Would a young juvenile be okay in a 36" enclosure with numerous hides, deep substrate and plants? If they are choosing security, would you recommend giving them a little wake-up to get on with their day (eating, sunning)? How old was the skink at 11:20? That is the size of my new Halmahera and I can't figure out how old it may be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ReptileMountainTV]

They should be okay as long as they are getting warm enough. I would only wake them if they are used to you and not thermoregulating well. The baby was about 3 weeks old. Size can vary based on feeding and species so a underfed baby Indonesian could be the same size at several months of age.

[@wanik4]

@@ReptileMountainTV thanks for the response.

[@akramcharif7040]

Hi I just need some help my young blue tongue lizard is now 7 month old and she isn’t shedding she won’t eat but is it something to do with the season it is now winter here in Australia

[@ReptileMountainTV]

That’s common. He is slowing down and might brumate.

[@akramcharif7040]

Very pleased to hear that but her lights are all still on but not at night

[@destinynicole8830]

Awwwww, I remember when mine was small, so cute 🥰🥰🥰

[@susiedavis6313]

How can I tell how old my Indo BT is?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Without a birthdate its almost impossible. Size is a indicator but once they are adult size it's basically impossible.

[@aylapulido3708]

Skinklets :)

[@haileeheslep3023]

I know you prolly won’t see this because it’s so late after you posted but my eastern baby bluey That is 6 months old is like as big as your just born northern skinks what do I do?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Easterns can grow slower. Be sure they get good heat and good nutritional food. If really worried a vet check always helps.

[@haileeheslep3023]

Ok that’s so much

[@haileeheslep3023]

Thanks* lol

[@simone-2517]

What is about a normal time period for a baby bluey to calm down when in human presence. My baby will eat with my hand in the terrarium, even when I’m holding the dish. But when I’m around the terrarium when he’s not eating he’s extremely scared and freezes and starts breathing extremely deeply.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Great question! It’s of course a very individualized situation. However, I’ve noticed some skinks just remain skiddish even into adulthood but handle well. While most calm down at about 6mo of age.

[@simone-2517]

ReptileMountain.TV thank you so much for replying! I’ll keep working on earning his trust. I love your channel.

[@gabbyzukowsky6126]

How can I get one from you?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Im sold out for the season but here is a link to my website. www.reptilemountain.com

[@user-di6wd8fe3w]

What if dog food contains potatoes or tapioca starch Cuz all of the dog food that I have access to contain either one or another. Also does dry dog food works as well if I soak them in water before feeding. Thanks

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Dry can be fed yes. Wet is more ideal. If you cannot avoid the potato and starches then you can’t avoid it. It’s probably still better than trying to make a homebrew.

[@user-di6wd8fe3w]

@@ReptileMountainTV Thanks for replying. I wonder if the starch would have negative impacts on my skink :(

[@ReptileMountainTV]

I wouldn’t worry too much.

[@user-di6wd8fe3w]

@@ReptileMountainTV I have managed to find raw dog food, which is made out of a whole chicken including organs and bones. Would you say I just feed normal dog food that I can find, which might contain starch or grainy ingredients. Or I feed them with raw dog food that I found and mix it with a variety of veges and fruits. Since I watched a lot of your videos and the reason that dog foods are good is that it contains all parts of animal and with raw dog food I think I can achieve that. Thank you so much in advance. Since I'm not living in the states it is really hard to find the dog food brands that ppl suggest.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

go with the raw

[@harlow7459]

Dumb question: I have two healthy (tested) Skinks. Male and Female. How can they meet each other peacefully? Do i take both in an neutral ground to get to know each other or how is the best way?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Are you trying to introduce for breeding or are you trying to cohab them?

[@harlow7459]

@@ReptileMountainTV Iam trying to cohab them.

[@ReptileMountainTV]

First I recommend to have two of everything in the new enclosure such as water dishes, basking areas hiding areas etc so they don’t have to complete for resources. I would definitely place them in neutral area for introduction and not during breeding season. Honestly I don’t recommend cohabing at all with Tiliqua scincoides spp. The risks for injury are very high.

[@harlow7459]

@@ReptileMountainTV Thank you for answering. Its hard to find any information for this subject. I will follow your advise :) Thank you again

[@gabbyzukowsky6126]

Do you sell bts?

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Yes

[@gabbyzukowsky6126]

ReptileMountain.TV awsome! I’m looking to get one in the near future, could you give me the information?

[@andrewoaktree584]

I don't get it.. how is something that big considered a baby? Are you kidding? I have a baby and it's the size of my palm

[@andrewoaktree584]

Woow.. I feel so much anger and stress on the way you're talking. Is everything ok?