blue tongue Q's

[Kirby]

with shinglebacks,
a few Q's
- how do keep humidity down,
- how should i arrange habitat, repti-cave or dig box with sawdust, are they flewible like to turn corner or does everything have to be spaced apart in order for them to move..
- do they climb well
- handleing outside of cage, i live in sydney respitory problems, humidity???

ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT!!!!!

thanks guys your all always willing to help.. i love this community

[bobthefish]

I've never kept them, but have been reading up on them, so I'll provide a sketchy and doubious answer.....

-humidity: provide lots of ventilation and keep your water bowl small. Make sure spillage of water from bowl isn't an issue, and that your substrate isn't holding moisture.

[Kirby]

but if i use heaps of venitilation that would make the enclosure more humid, because i live in sydney.. and the humidity is high comaired to western australia... were they are from...

[peterjohnson64]

I never had a water bowl in with my shingleback for about 5 years. He got a drink when I remembered. They don't climb other than to get vertical up the glass, then fall over, then climb again, then fall over, then ... I'm sure you get the drift. They aren't big on turning corners. They will just climb over your furniture (I know I just said they dont climb but I meant up trees). BUt you wont need much furntiure. If you give him a leaf mulch substrate he will just hide under it. If you use newspaper then give him a hide box.

In sydney some people keep them outside successfully but I also know of disastrous cases of respitory infections so why risk it. He should be fine if kept inside. air conditioning also helps but that may be a tad expensive if you dont already have it.

Edit: Forgot one thing. If you are going to keep it inside then never feed it raw egg. it wont affect his health but it will yours!!!

[Kirby]

my room has air consitioning but i only use it in summer but i use it in winter sometimes on warm mode (rairly) im useing red dsand subratraight and either gonna put a lil area with saw dust that they can burry them selves in or a little cave uder the sand, or buying a repti-cave, but il probly have to get a jumbo one other wise they will have to reverse out.. what size would you recomend for two adults on this site..


GIANT Size = L 560 x W 300 x H 250mm

LARGE Size = L 385 x W 225 x H 170mm

MEDIUM Size = L 330 x W 200 x H 160mm

SMALL Size = L 210 x W 160 x H 100mm.

im guessing giant so they can turn around.. you??

[peterjohnson64]

use a pipe, they go in and out in a forward direction. Or a log. cheap too!!! But you can't get them out. Not that that matters with shinglebacks if they are tame. They will learn that you feed them. Or then again, you could have a haslf pipe that you can lift up. There's an idea.

And remember, they are like kids. They don't necessarily think vegetables are their best food but they should still eat them.

[Kirby]

when you first said pipe and hard to get out, my mind went all the way to putting higes on a peice to the pie would open on the side and ahut so i could get them, i guess my mind is to complicated to think of a half pipe...

[LeaBilby]

mine love their cave which is about 9x6x6inches and it will fit all four shingles at a squish- they like to get cosy! it is open to the front so not private, but covered in artificial foliage so they don't know I can see them!!
On the humidity issue- we live in Adelaide so air humidity is not a problem but I give them a small dish of water at the cool end of their home, about 3x a week. They get most their water from the veggies and fruit in their diet anyway, so it is not essential.

[LeaBilby]

And mine climb on to the cave and over the rocks etc, often walking through their dinner bowl... they use it as moisturiser I think..... only the male does mountaineering and has been know to climb 3 feet out of a sealed enclosure, but usually falls on his bum. If he can grip it he will try to climb, but I think my boy is just weird!!! I don't think it is usual behaviour!!

[jordo]

I don't think humidity would be a problem just because you live in Sydney, its usually just a problem because heat (from lights) + water (from water bowl) = evaporation/higher humidity therefore just give them water twice a week and remove it once they have drunk enough.

handleing outside of cage, i live in sydney respitory problems, humidity???

like I said its usually the water bowl in the heated enclosure of a confined space and poor ventilation. i keep my stumpies outside and don't live in their natural range and it all fine they have mostly dry ground and a box of hay to bury in.
In general for lizards cage furnishing I keep all logs rocks etc away from the walls so they don't get wedged, especially near the glass which they can see through and think they can walk through it.