On the fence, opinions?

[Joshuakahan]

Agree with Hybridfish; had a nice young NBTS (suspected male) before; he wanted absolutely nothing to do with me, but still wasn't unmanageable at all. Ate a wide variety of foods (but was rather picky when it came to processed protein), relatively active, not impossible to handle (once picked up and moved out of enclosure, he calmed down a fair bit), can supposedly tolerate temps down into the 50s (F), supposedly can go up to two months+ without food, two weeks without water (last three points are for reassurance; certainly not a etc. One of the easiest "medium" sized lizards I had the pleasure of caring for; seemed quite intelligent as well- good perception of surroundings and frequently interacted with various things by moving them about. Unfortunately, mine suffered from organ deformities, likely because he was an F3-F4 (can't recall which) runt and eventually passed after two years.

Even if someone offered me a free CB uro in the next hour, I'd still pass; they're rather...odd? captives, and not exactly the best one. Will tack on another $30-50 to your electricity bill every month or so due to all the necessary light, and supposedly do not take well to smaller enclosures. Their herbivorous diet means a new pack of salad mix and some fruit/veggies every few days, which might not be the most preferable (unless you like salad, of course). Inability to find true CB dispar easily will be a slight struggle, though probably not as major an issue. I heard they aren't the most fond of handling, especially when WC, but will tolerate it after some time. Not a lizard I'd let free-roam for any considerable length of time, though. A bit like a tiny, active adult tortoise that requires higher temperatures.

Don't know how much I'd recommend acanthurus, but it's difficult to deny that they're great medium-sized lizards if sufficient resources are available.

I think I’ve decided on this guy, what do you think? I know it needs a little higher humidity but I think it’s gorgeous

Male 2019 Adult $250 Irian Jaya Blue-Tongued Skink by Kai's Pets

Irian Jaya Blue-Tongued Skink Morph: Male 2019 Adult $250, Sex: male, adult, Birth: 3rd March 2018, Prey: frozen/thawed frozen/thawedmeal replacement, Price: $200, Seller: Kai's Pets, Last Updated: 09/07/23, Animal ID: 01-1.

www.morphmarket.com

 

[Fallen_Leaves16]

I think I’ve decided on this guy, what do you think? I know it needs a little higher humidity but I think it’s gorgeous

Male 2019 Adult $250 Irian Jaya Blue-Tongued Skink by Kai's Pets

Irian Jaya Blue-Tongued Skink Morph: Male 2019 Adult $250, Sex: male, adult, Birth: 3rd March 2018, Prey: frozen/thawed frozen/thawedmeal replacement, Price: $200, Seller: Kai's Pets, Last Updated: 09/07/23, Animal ID: 01-1.

www.morphmarket.com

That certainly does look like a healthy BTS; my only concern is that the animal is a fully-grown adult (granted, a healthy one that seems as though it has been well-fed and in captivity for a fair while) and seems to be a Halmahera rather than an Irian Jaya, perhaps the most frequently wild-caught species. It'd be pretty difficult for any Irian Jaya breeder to confuse their animals with a completely different species- especially considering how distinct IJs tend to be from all the gigas subspecies and localities. The lower price tag and unclear images of the animal also don't make sense for a CB animal; last time I checked, baby CB IJs were around $350-500. Anyone claiming an adult CB specimen of a seldom-bred and unusual locality would almost certainly provide high-quality images and further documentation, as well as a much higher cost. Additionally, they claim the animal to be born in 2019 in the title of their ad, and yet put March 3rd, 2018 as the birth date in the animal description. Though the image does seem to show a healthy animal, it's oddly blurry and taken from a far distance; I've yet to see that be a common occurrence among reputable vendors.
What I think is happening is that the seller is attempting to flip a LTC WC Halmahera by labeling it as a captive bred individual of a different, more desirable species (?). Whether that's alright is completely up to interpretation; I'd personally pass due to the seller's dishonesty- the animal could very well be in poor condition based on the lack of info- but it isn't poorly priced and does seem like a good specimen. I might just be biased; after going through so many dishonest vendors, I seldom purchase animals from any source I haven't previously had a positive experience with and/or has extremely good reviews.
Either way, good luck!

 

[Joshuakahan]

That certainly does look like a healthy BTS; my only concern is that the animal is a fully-grown adult (granted, a healthy one that seems as though it has been well-fed and in captivity for a fair while) and seems to be a Halmahera rather than an Irian Jaya, perhaps the most frequently wild-caught species. It'd be pretty difficult for any Irian Jaya breeder to confuse their animals with a completely different species- especially considering how distinct IJs tend to be from all the gigas subspecies and localities. The lower price tag and unclear images of the animal also don't make sense for a CB animal; last time I checked, baby CB IJs were around $350-500. Anyone claiming an adult CB specimen of a seldom-bred and unusual locality would almost certainly provide high-quality images and further documentation, as well as a much higher cost. Additionally, they claim the animal to be born in 2019 in the title of their ad, and yet put March 3rd, 2018 as the birth date in the animal description. Though the image does seem to show a healthy animal, it's oddly blurry and taken from a far distance; I've yet to see that be a common occurrence among reputable vendors.
What I think is happening is that the seller is attempting to flip a LTC WC Halmahera by labeling it as a captive bred individual of a different, more desirable species (?). Whether that's alright is completely up to interpretation; I'd personally pass due to the seller's dishonesty- the animal could very well be in poor condition based on the lack of info- but it isn't poorly priced and does seem like a good specimen. I might just be biased; after going through so many dishonest vendors, I seldom purchase animals from any source I haven't previously had a positive experience with and/or has extremely good reviews.
Either way, good luck!

I definitely don’t want a WC, I’ve been down that road and the vet bills make it much more expensive. There was one red flag I noticed and that’s that it’s supposedly 4-5 years old but only 30 cm unless he meant 30 inches. I think I might have asked one too many questions, the seller as stopped replying to me lol
Thanks for all your help!!

 

[Joshuakahan]

That certainly does look like a healthy BTS; my only concern is that the animal is a fully-grown adult (granted, a healthy one that seems as though it has been well-fed and in captivity for a fair while) and seems to be a Halmahera rather than an Irian Jaya, perhaps the most frequently wild-caught species. It'd be pretty difficult for any Irian Jaya breeder to confuse their animals with a completely different species- especially considering how distinct IJs tend to be from all the gigas subspecies and localities. The lower price tag and unclear images of the animal also don't make sense for a CB animal; last time I checked, baby CB IJs were around $350-500. Anyone claiming an adult CB specimen of a seldom-bred and unusual locality would almost certainly provide high-quality images and further documentation, as well as a much higher cost. Additionally, they claim the animal to be born in 2019 in the title of their ad, and yet put March 3rd, 2018 as the birth date in the animal description. Though the image does seem to show a healthy animal, it's oddly blurry and taken from a far distance; I've yet to see that be a common occurrence among reputable vendors.
What I think is happening is that the seller is attempting to flip a LTC WC Halmahera by labeling it as a captive bred individual of a different, more desirable species (?). Whether that's alright is completely up to interpretation; I'd personally pass due to the seller's dishonesty- the animal could very well be in poor condition based on the lack of info- but it isn't poorly priced and does seem like a good specimen. I might just be biased; after going through so many dishonest vendors, I seldom purchase animals from any source I haven't previously had a positive experience with and/or has extremely good reviews.
Either way, good luck!

He uploaded more pictures of these make a difference

 

[Fallen_Leaves16]

That definitely does look like a LTC WC Halm; I don't know if it's just the angle or the lack of proper reference objects, but it does look awfully small and young for a supposed 4/5 year old animal. Doesn't look to be in poor health, and wouldn't be a terrible pet, I think, but I'd still be wary.

 

[Joshuakahan]

That definitely does look like a LTC WC Halm; I don't know if it's just the angle or the lack of proper reference objects, but it does look awfully small and young for a supposed 4/5 year old animal. Doesn't look to be in poor health, and wouldn't be a terrible pet, I think, but I'd still be wary.

Thanks, after thinking about it, I am going to pass on this one. There’s a lot safer options on morphmarket. All the red flags and the fact that this store has only two prior transactions are too much for me to overlook

 

[Joshuakahan]

That definitely does look like a LTC WC Halm; I don't know if it's just the angle or the lack of proper reference objects, but it does look awfully small and young for a supposed 4/5 year old animal. Doesn't look to be in poor health, and wouldn't be a terrible pet, I think, but I'd still be wary.

I decided on this guy. The colors aren’t as nice but I was looking for a subadult to adult and my budget was around $200-$250, so my main concern was getting a healthy, captive bred animal. Apparently this type stays smaller, around 15-18”, so that’s also a plus. The seller had 330 transactions with good reviews, so I also felt better about that.
Thanks for all the input!!

Beautiful And Calm Juvenile Tanimbar Blue Tongue Tanimbar Blue-Tongued Skink by Evan Stahl Reptiles

Tanimbar Blue-Tongued Skink Morph: Beautiful And Calm Juvenile Tanimbar Blue Tongue, Sex: ?, subadult, Prey: ? ?, Price: $200, Seller: Evan Stahl Reptiles, Last Updated: 08/22/23, Animal ID: Tanbtsj1.

www.morphmarket.com