keeping a Wild shingle back skink? (bobtail)

Hey, would like to hear your opinion on something, so the last couple of weekends i have made it my goal to help out the local shingle back skinks because they have a habit of getting ticks, for those who don't know what they are they are a rough scaled skinks with a stubbed tail and a purple tongue (they are related to blue tongue skinks). I've been riding my bike through the bush paths and placing dog food, strawberry and cherry
tomatoes (they love red things) in certain spots then coming back later to do my thing. But i was wondering. There is this shingle back that lives at the local beach out the front of my house and i was thinking about catching it de-ticking it and taking it home to this very large out door enclosure i have and keeping it for a while, maybe try tame it, fatten it up you know. was wondering if you guys think that is cruel. i know that I'm taking it from its home (its been living there for about 2 years)
but i know in the wild they usually only live to 3-5 years because they are so docile and brave, they expose themselves to predators and all i canthink about is that skink getting chewed up by one of the dogs at that beach. What do you guys think?

They are impossible to get in the US...last one I saw was $6000 USD.
The concerning issue is that shinglebacks form strong bonds with their mating partner. They seek them out every mating season. So by taking one from the wild you could reduce the population exponentially.

yeah that is very true although they only stay with their partner for 2 or 3 months and there is plenty around here... :?:

Yes, they do only remain together for the mating season. But they try to find the exact same mate year after year. Only you can decide if it's ethical...I only buy/sell captive bred animals and would never take one from the wild.

chameleon7":2qqoe8yw said:

Hey, would like to hear your opinion on something, so the last couple of weekends i have made it my goal to help out the local shingle back skinks because they have a habit of getting ticks, for those who don't know what they are they are a rough scaled skinks with a stubbed tail and a purple tongue (they are related to blue tongue skinks). I've been riding my bike through the bush paths and placing dog food, strawberry and cherry
tomatoes (they love red things) in certain spots then coming back later to do my thing. But i was wondering. There is this shingle back that lives at the local beach out the front of my house and i was thinking about catching it de-ticking it and taking it home to this very large out door enclosure i have and keeping it for a while, maybe try tame it, fatten it up you know. was wondering if you guys think that is cruel. i know that I'm taking it from its home (its been living there for about 2 years)
but i know in the wild they usually only live to 3-5 years because they are so docile and brave, they expose themselves to predators and all i canthink about is that skink getting chewed up by one of the dogs at that beach. What do you guys think?

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They tame up very nicely (like bluetongues who are rescued from the wild will from what I remember from when I had BTS wild caught as pets as a child.. If they tame up as nicely as wild rescued water skinks do , it wont take long to get the shingle back skink to be quite tame and to trust you enough to allow you handle him.

I don't know what state you are in , some states permit reptile keepers who have a licence / permit to keep reptiles to take reptiles from the wild, otherwise it's not "strictly" legal to even ïnterfer" with them unless to move to a safer place or perhaps to rescue one who is injured or sick ( in order to take it to a vet, most vets would rather the person who rescued the injured / sick reptile to care for it (under their supervision , and this is as far I know OK so long as the plan is to return it eventually to wild if it's capable to caring and fending for itself , of cause if it never gets to that point it becomes a pet - probably NOT listed in your wildlife keeper's log book (online or paper form).

I wouldn't mention any other this or what you've been doing with the shingleback skinks on any of the local (Australian Herping message boards) as there are too many jerks on these boards who are ultra puritanical about these things (even though they go herping and interfere with wild reptiles just to get the best possible photos , disturbing their habitats to do so) and you are likely to find yourself reported to the wildlife authorities unless taking reptiles from the wild is permitted in your state.
At the very least they will derail the threads you start with personal attacks.

He'll need an enclosure at least 4ft long x 2ft wide x about 1ft - 1ft6in tall, (they are not climbers) and a 5% UVB source , and a heat lamp (Par38 clear colourless incandescent globe) and would love a bedding of cause Kritters'' Krumble mixed with playsand (Bunnings).
I think you''ll find caresheets online for bobtailed and shingle backed skinks , failing that a bluetongue skink caresheet will suffice.

I know of people who have breeding pairs of bobtails and shingle back skink in special off ground outside lizard pits (off ground to give best possible drainage). This is an option especially if they are found in your area....

I know people who have them as pets (mostly captive bred) and they love them and report they are very affectionate and gentle even with little kiddies.

They are omnivorous , love garden snails, and most the foods that a bluetongue will enjoy.

chameleon7":runr8hf9 said:

yeah that is very true although they only stay with their partner for 2 or 3 months and there is plenty around here... :?:

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My reading indicates they return to the same territory and mate each year. So essentially they mate for life.

starting to think maybe it's not a great idea, separating two mates for my own pleasure isn't what im about, i was aware they mate for life but didn't think about it at the time,but ill leave it with its wife and let it on its merry way. also it is illegal to collect wild herps here so... maybe not, just thought i'd give it a good life, their are some for sale but i just cant afford it, i really want one or a blue tongue, but believe it or not its actually harder to find blue tongues than shingle backs down here (south west, Western Australia) as we are only allowed to keep western blue tongues although just recently central and i think northen blues were added to the keeping list so will look out for that, ahah as i was typing this just found some blue tongues! 250$ tho dang cant afford atm why are animals so darn expensive!!! joking love my animals even tho they make me broke :lol:

I think you made the right choice. If it was a rescue like Kingofnobbies you would be doing a service for the species. But to take a healthy one from the wild is a disservice.

Rankins":jca5cmow said:

I think you made the right choice. If it was a rescue like Kingofnobbies you would be doing a service for the species. But to take a healthy one from the wild is a disservice.

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If you decide to "rescue him/her" and build him/her up a bit for a while , make sure to return it to same location you took it from, like most skinks , they are territorial (even the ones who live in groups).

chameleon7":25n25qvb said:

starting to think maybe it's not a great idea, separating two mates for my own pleasure isn't what im about, i was aware they mate for life but didn't think about it at the time,but ill leave it with its wife and let it on its merry way. also it is illegal to collect wild herps here so... maybe not, just thought i'd give it a good life, their are some for sale but i just cant afford it, i really want one or a blue tongue, but believe it or not its actually harder to find blue tongues than shingle backs down here (south west, Western Australia) as we are only allowed to keep western blue tongues although just recently central and i think northen blues were added to the keeping list so will look out for that, ahah as i was typing this just found some blue tongues! 250$ tho dang cant afford atm why are animals so darn expensive!!! joking love my animals even tho they make me broke :lol:

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I'd be more inclined to visit the same place regularly and go there with some food for incase you see it , IMO it's perfectly OK to give wild reptiles a feed / treat so long as it's not EVERY DAY and they become dependent on you. (Not something I'd do with apex predatory reptiles though as it's dangerous for you and others who might visit and have food.)

It'll soon recognize you , and come to you after a few weeks of treats and may even trust you enough to take food from your hand, it may even come when called if you are in the area (my wild skinks do that to me). No harm in befriending it and subsidizing it's diet especially during breeding season when they need more.
No you wont create a lizard who will start approaching every person and begging them for food, they are very capable of differentiating between different people , tame for "their pet human", skittish shy of people they don't know (as they should be). This way you can enjoy him or her company when you go visiting him/her and he / she will not be taken away from his/her mate.
Best of both worlds/
Become known locally as the lizard whisperer....


Bluetongues - fabulous companion pets..... they can become very affectionate , our two are more like scaley puppie dogs, follow us around and love snuggles and cuddles.
If you get one , get it as a baby about 1 - 2 months old..... less chance of diet induced health problems - many people feed them dog food as a staple.... IMO that's BAD husbandry !

George and Mildred come into our home as 2 month old babies and were great fun as babies and juveniles (George quite rambunctious LOL , and Mildred a real bullying little bitch (bit George on his head one day when in an hide , they were promptly separated after that).

That's another good idea Kingofnobbies. Enjoy it in nature, observe it, and learn from it. The lizard and the OP win in that situation.

yeah good ideas, i really need to get a bts in the near future, kingofnobbies what type of bt do you have and what do you feed as a staple :?:

chameleon7":2dpkzhm6 said:

yeah good ideas, i really need to get a bts in the near future, kingofnobbies what type of bt do you have and what do you feed as a staple :?:

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Two sibling Easterns (no special morphs), I chose the two who came over to me and wanted to crawl out onto me (good sign the little baby skink is going to be friendly). I asked the breeder to bring the babies out in one of those underbed tubs, and sat on the floor and watched to see how they behaved and responded to me....I asked for a boy and a girl ( and George and Mildred were the ones who seemed to choose me .... almost as they were looking into my eyes and thinking "pick me!".

Pretty much exactly same as food as my 3 beardies get (makes life simpler) . All 5 are handfed their live bugs (the faster ones especially) ,, and have been since little, makes for great bond with a lizard. Regarding worms they can catch these , all I need do put the worms where they see them.
I do buy in garden snails from a place who cultivates them for the restraunts , these are treats and they both love them.

Insects (mine are adults) = superworms (treats) , mealworms (very rare treats - I only really buy them for the resident wild skinks) , large crickets (gut loaded and dusted), large silkworms when I have them , boiled lean chicken mince sometimes, softened pellets (adult beardie repcal brand) sometimes mixed with salad, soft boiled and hardboiled egg occasionally as a treat (I leave the shell on and they break and eat the egg shell and all, I know some who give their BTS raw chicken eggs - but I'd rather not deal with that much mess, BTS can be very messy eaters and never move than 1/2 an egg each).
I've never fed my skinks cat or dog food ( I know they will eat these if that's all they are offered and wild BTS will raid dog and cat food bowls given the chance (this doesn't make cat or dog food ideal or even longer term good for them as they are not equipped to process the kinds of proteins and fats and preservatives and fillers in cat and dog food - irrespective of the brand and "quality" , this is however a contentious issue amongst skink keepers/breeders as many long standing breeders make claims contrary to my above opinion and statements.

Salad = raw peas, beans, carrot usually grated , sweet potato usually grated, buk choi greens coarsely chopped, occasionally slices of apple, pear, banana (they LOVE banana but it's high phosphorous content so it's given as a treat), green or red seedless grapes quartered, berries when we have them. Pretty much if it's OK for a beardie to eat, it's OK for a BTS.

My bluetongues love a good long drink (that's when I get to see their bright blue tongues - which are impressive), but you need to make sure the water dish is shallow and not slippery when wet so BTS can get back out. They enjoy also a nice bath, especially when younger and shedding regularly.


I have on occasion had a bluetongue and a beardie eating from the same plate together on the kitchen floor (eating the same "salad") .

UV , I have 26W UVB150s for my BTS.

Their favourate places are
>>> snuggling into my elbow and tummy
>>> inside my hoody (between me and the hoodie or t-shirt with their head poked out under my chin)
>>> at the back of my neck (like a cat)
>>> curled up wrapped up in my hoody or t-shirt on the lounge next to me
>>> looking out the front window when the sun is shining through in the afternoon
>>> sitting infront of the coffee table watching the TV (they love action and wildlife shows).

They are great at sending house mice packing, we used to often get mice in the house, got BTS and when they were finally large enough to freerange in the house , no more mice (they moved out).

Word of caution : don't use surface bug sprays or fly sprays or roach baits if you plan on letting your BTS or other captive bred lizard freerange in the house , they spot a half dead roach it's eaten , unlike wild lizards, the captive bred ones don't develop an immunity or tolerance for these poisons.
We stopped using insect control sprays and baits when we started have pet lizards.

WOW makes me want one even more, i have to say i agree with the snake bytes guy, as much as i love beardies i think blue tongues are gonna be the next big thing in reptiles and i wouldn't be surprised if there will be a big boom in them, a bit like ball pythons. for UV i have heard mixed opinions, if they were to get outside occasionally would they really need a uvb bulb? :mrgreen: :?:

chameleon7":2xnsnzij said:

WOW makes me want one even more, i have to say i agree with the snake bytes guy, as much as i love beardies i think blue tongues are gonna be the next big thing in reptiles and i wouldn't be surprised if there will be a big boom in them, a bit like ball pythons. for UV i have heard mixed opinions, if they were to get outside occasionally would they really need a uvb bulb? :mrgreen: :?:

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Absolutely necessary especially when young and growing .... they need the UVB to metabolise the dietary calcium.
When adults (well with mine anyway), they spend only as much time basking as they need, sometimes it's only a short bask under the lights, other days it's an hour or more. So having a 5% UVB source in the tank will not harm them as adults, exposure to natural sunlight mitigates this a bit. (My yard is not safe for my pet BTS and CBDS, because there are kookaburras , wedgetails and free roaming cats around and my neighbor has a literal pack of dogs in his backyard and front yard, so no outside excursions for my mob.)
I found it was the same basking / uv soakup deal with Lucky and Wriggles (water skinks).

Heating wize, if you get a species of bluetongue that can be found locally in the wild, you can get away with minimal heating.