So, like a dummy, I ordered a blue-tongued skink online without so much as asking what color it was, or what sex it was. All I saw was the "on sale" banner and snatched that puppy up before someone else could. BTS (blue-tonuged skinks) can go upwards of thousands of dollars if they are a certain color and/or fit for breeding. I am really NOT interested in showing my baby off for completion, nor am I wanting to make more of them, so the sale thing was huge for me. To get a young BTS for $149 was awesome.
Of course, as I stated in my last post, it's rarely just the lizard that you have to buy. You need the enclosure, the bowls, the hides, the fake plants, lamps, a heat source, and UVB, as well as bowls for them to drink and eat out of. Don't forget the substrate to go on the bottom of the tank; yes, the huge tank can also be a bit expensive. I did the math, and the entire thing was around $700 after all was said and done - there's the shipping too.
Cion made it! She was packed and shipped off; only staying in the box about 24 hours before being unboxed and immediately loved. She went into her mesh bag, packed with paper and stuffed into a regular box lined with Styrofoam, and then taped shut! OMG..there was no air really -- but I'm told that the Stryafoam breathes and there was enough air. The box was small. I was concerned, until I did a bit more research on it, and the great people at Backwater Reptiles assured me and explained to me just how safe it really is. I have to admit, I wrote to Abbey at Backwater Reptiles and asked her to teach me about such things - because to me, it was crazy! They did such a great job! They really know their stuff.
Cion is about 5 months old. She's grey-tan with black stripes, and she has a beautifully curled blue tongue. I'll see if I can post photos when she's up to it. You can catch my Instagram, and that way you can see all the updates. She arrived at 11:15 a.m. today and we immediately took her out and gave her a nice warm bath to restore any moisture she may have lost, and we made sure to hold her and keep her close to our chests for warmth too -- and let me just say, she loves me so much more than she loves Laura. I know this because it was ME she decided to release every drop of pee and poop she had inside of her onto ME...not Laura. She loves ME!
You haven't lived until you're holding a little lizard and a gallon of "stuff" comes out of it - I had no idea skinks could do that - but I now know; I will never forget it either. I've had skinks, and I've had BTS before, but that was just such a kind and generous welcome gift. We really bonded in that moment. I was thinking of returning the favor, but didn't know if it would fare well in their culture. I refrained.
We went straight out to Exotic Pets in OKC and bought her a few things. Just for your information, the one BTS they had at the Exotic Pets store last month was $560, and she was 8 months old. Cion is really happy in her 40-gallon, but she's young, and I know I'll need an 80-gallon tank in the summer. No worries, we'll keep the old tanks for new lizards. It works out perfectly -- waste not, want not; that's our motto. Why, just today, we were walking through PetSmart, minding our own business, and buying a new tank, when the manager asked Laura if she wanted a free Crested Gecko -- what? Are you serious? It was missing its tail, and they can't sell it -- of course, Laura said yes, and there we were, minding our own business, buying another tank -- it's sort of a Catch-22. I can't take Laura anywhere.
Cion is resting. She's had a hard first day traveling in the dark all the way from Hollywood, Florida, to Oklahoma. She's not sure she likes all the fuzzy faces staring at her, but she knows she's in good hands -- I don't know about you, but I tend to pick up my lizards and love on them -- not sure they love the singing, but I do at least try to stay in key. She'll learn to love it -- they all do.
Photo Credit: Me. Cion the Blue-Tongued Skink (5 months)
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