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<blockquote data-quote="Tortoise Tom" data-source="post: 135989" data-attributes="member: 27883"><p>I've raised a number of tegus too. Awesome animals, but yes, they do get big.</p><p></p><p>CB BTSs are fantastic pets. Very tame, interested in what is going on. You can sit and watch TV with them. Kind of like a bearded dragon, but a bit more active and less "perchy". Mine would ride around on my shoulder as I walked around the ranch taking care of the other animals. At one point I was putting the monitor lizard's food in its bowl and my little BTS walked down my arm and started eating out of the bowl as I stood there. Fantastic pets. I highly recommend them. Super easy to set up, care for, and feed. I learned a few things about them:</p><p>Best substrate for them in a dry climate like ours is coco chips. I have a great source for these hard to find chips in Tuscon and I think they'd hand deliver to you. They should also have a humid hide box to go into. This helps keep them hydrated and helps them shed correctly. I just use a Tupperware type container with damp substrate in it and I make a door hole with a hole saw. Most of the care advice says "dry, dry and drier", which might be the way to go if you live in South Florida or New Orleans, but not in the desert where we have single digit humidity all year long. A 40 or 60 gallon tank with a regular incandescent bulb for basking on one end is all you need for heat and lighting. I set these on a timer. Room temp is fine for night. You can go as fancy as you want for food, but the top breeders and keepers in the country will all tell you: Pedigree beef canned dog food with some thawed mixed veggies mixed in, is the best and easiest diet. This gives them the variety and D3 they need, so no need for fancy UV lighting indoors. You can spend lots of time and money making up food mixes with ground turkey, veggies, and all sorts of other good stuff, but don't let anyone tell that is necessary. It isn't. That's it. So easy. 60 gallon tank, water bowl, humid hide, dry hide, basking bulb on a timer, and canned dog food. Couldn't be simpler. I feed babies 2 or 3 times a week and adults once or twice a week. I would pass mine a dubia roach just for fun once in a while too.</p><p></p><p>Here is a great forum to learn more: <a href="http://www.bluetongueskinks.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=20&sid=06a5d4811c055aefc57560a035bcc22b" target="_blank">http://www.bluetongueskinks.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=20&sid=06a5d4811c055aefc57560a035bcc22b</a></p><p></p><p>One issue is that they are seasonal, so finding one when you want one might be challenging unless you just happen to hit it at the right time of year. Breeders sell out fast and they are born in late spring. There are many types available and they are still importing some types from Indonesia. Be sure to specify you want only a CB Northern, and best to buy them directly from a reputable breeder. If you are interested, I'll put you in touch with my buddy in AZ who breeds them. He's a great guy and his animals are top notch.</p><p></p><p>Some BTS species are less tame, and WC animals would be a whole different story too. Even if I lived in the outback, I would go buy a CB baby if I wanted a pet. I'm betting you've already been watching YT videos and seen what I'm talking about here… <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tortoise Tom, post: 135989, member: 27883"] I've raised a number of tegus too. Awesome animals, but yes, they do get big. CB BTSs are fantastic pets. Very tame, interested in what is going on. You can sit and watch TV with them. Kind of like a bearded dragon, but a bit more active and less "perchy". Mine would ride around on my shoulder as I walked around the ranch taking care of the other animals. At one point I was putting the monitor lizard's food in its bowl and my little BTS walked down my arm and started eating out of the bowl as I stood there. Fantastic pets. I highly recommend them. Super easy to set up, care for, and feed. I learned a few things about them: Best substrate for them in a dry climate like ours is coco chips. I have a great source for these hard to find chips in Tuscon and I think they'd hand deliver to you. They should also have a humid hide box to go into. This helps keep them hydrated and helps them shed correctly. I just use a Tupperware type container with damp substrate in it and I make a door hole with a hole saw. Most of the care advice says "dry, dry and drier", which might be the way to go if you live in South Florida or New Orleans, but not in the desert where we have single digit humidity all year long. A 40 or 60 gallon tank with a regular incandescent bulb for basking on one end is all you need for heat and lighting. I set these on a timer. Room temp is fine for night. You can go as fancy as you want for food, but the top breeders and keepers in the country will all tell you: Pedigree beef canned dog food with some thawed mixed veggies mixed in, is the best and easiest diet. This gives them the variety and D3 they need, so no need for fancy UV lighting indoors. You can spend lots of time and money making up food mixes with ground turkey, veggies, and all sorts of other good stuff, but don't let anyone tell that is necessary. It isn't. That's it. So easy. 60 gallon tank, water bowl, humid hide, dry hide, basking bulb on a timer, and canned dog food. Couldn't be simpler. I feed babies 2 or 3 times a week and adults once or twice a week. I would pass mine a dubia roach just for fun once in a while too. Here is a great forum to learn more: [URL]http://www.bluetongueskinks.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=20&sid=06a5d4811c055aefc57560a035bcc22b[/URL] One issue is that they are seasonal, so finding one when you want one might be challenging unless you just happen to hit it at the right time of year. Breeders sell out fast and they are born in late spring. There are many types available and they are still importing some types from Indonesia. Be sure to specify you want only a CB Northern, and best to buy them directly from a reputable breeder. If you are interested, I'll put you in touch with my buddy in AZ who breeds them. He's a great guy and his animals are top notch. Some BTS species are less tame, and WC animals would be a whole different story too. Even if I lived in the outback, I would go buy a CB baby if I wanted a pet. I'm betting you've already been watching YT videos and seen what I'm talking about here… :) [/QUOTE]
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