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Webbyroflcopter DGN Reptiles HerpsinIN |
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Webbyroflcopter View Profile |
Bts bonanza!!! 0_0
-jake |
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| 07/18/09 10:58pm |
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DGN Reptiles View Profile |
Message To: Webbyroflcopter In reference to Message Id: 2041443 Bts bonanza!!! 0_0
When I first got them, the two adults were very picky eaters. If you dont introduce them to a variety of foods as youngsters, they imprint on certain foods that become their favorites and wont eat much else. I managed to break mine out of this, but it took several months. Some of their favorites are banana, blueberry, watermelon, squash, egg, mice, chicken, and ground meats. With cages, bigger is always better. Honestly I think it also depends on the skink itself though. Ive put my male in a large environment and he was his usual laid back self. Slept most of the day, got up to walk around a bit looking for food, then settled back down to bask. He just doesnt use a lot of space like my female does. She’s always trying to climb the sides of the cage. For substrate I use either cyprus mulch or aspen shavings. Either one works well for them, but I like the looks of cyprus better. Danny |
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| 07/19/09 01:28am |
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HerpsinIN View Profile |
Message To: DGN Reptiles In reference to Message Id: 2041475 Bts bonanza!!! 0_0
When I first got into BTS, I found a great site that had a very intensive caresheet. I followed that caresheet perfectly, spending hours preparing the food and $$ to buy the food. I did this for about the first year. Finally I become good friends with 2 of the largest bluey breeders in the U.S. Andrew Seikes and Ray Gurgui are great people with a true passion for BTS. They have spent hours talking with me on the phone, giving me priceless pieces of advice on how they care for and breed their blueys. I have now changed the diet of my blueys to Canned dog food (Pedigree) and frozen veggies. I add Calcium with D3 and Vitamins at every feeding (once a week or less). Babies will get feed atleast once a week. I house them in mainly 30 gal breeders. I do have some in 20 longs as well as 2 of them in 65 gal. I have a fake plant, slate tile for basking, a hide and water dish in all the cages. I use and HIGHLY recommend Cypress mulch for bedding. It is naturally mold resistant, holds humidity (important for the gigas species), and does not smell. I do not use UVB bulbs. This is just one of the MANY ways to keep and house blueys. There really is not right or wrong way. Do what ever works best for you. The described method above has been used for atleast 18 years by the best breeders in the US with great results. When I was talking with Ray last night, he mentioned that one of his female northerns has been breed and produced 17 years in a row on this method of caring for them. I dont think he would have such luck if he was doing something wrong. As for temperament, its hard to say as each bluey has their own character. My favorite species is the Kei Island. They probably have one of the worst temperaments out of all them, but their unique coloring is what draws me to them. Are my Keis mean? No, not at all. I can trace all my keis back to their beginnings, which I have found them to all be either CBB (rare for Keis), CB or imported at a very young age. So they have all been accustomed to handling and people. The Tannies are my second favorite. Great looks and good temperament. Tannies have a bad reputation, but if you buy a CBB and handle often, you will have a very docile animal (usually). Northerns are great tempered species usually. I currently have 8 and while they are cool, I would still prefer the Tannies and Keis. Northerns are usually very common to buy HOWEVER, be cautious of who you buy from. There are many mixes out there of which are being sold as pure species. If you want a pure species, get a hold of Ray or Andrew. The indos are ok. The majority if not all of these are going to be WC. While that does not bother me, to the inexperienced, it can be a head ache. Be prepared for aggessiveness, parasites (both internal and external), and bad health. There are two color phases that grab my attention and they are the bright yellows and the blk/white. I have both those as well as 2 normals. Easterns are also supposedly great tempered animals, however, I have never owned one. These are becoming quite rare in the US now and if you want a true pure animal, Ray is about the only one who breeds these. Irian Jayas are usually WC but are starting to be breed in captivity quite often now. I personly dont care for them but that is due to there coloring and pattern. Dont do anything for me. The ones I had were docile and that is a common trait for the IJ. Meraukes are another indonesian species that are commonly imported into the US. Here recently, I would say they have been the most commonly imported species. While I have never owned one, I did have one in my care for about a month before I shipped to its new owner. It was huge and nice. Again it reminded me of the IJ and didnt care too much for its pattern and coloring. Recently a breeder did have luck breeding his meraukes and there are CBB babies available this year. Centralians, Shinglebacks, Western, and Blotched- Good luck getting these if you are in the US. Not only are they rare, but they also come with a large price tag. I was recently offered 2 Centralians that had a price tage of $5000 each. Westerns are more than likely going to be around that price as well. Shingles and Blotched have been going for on average $2000 an animal, usually more though. If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch with me. |
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| 07/19/09 08:48am |
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