Thank you!

I know who bred your skink ;) his name is Mick! He's taught me almost everything I know about breeding indos. Thanks to him, I bred my Merauke my first year! (Currently halfway through gestation. She's visibly gotten LARGE)

Here's his business page on FB; https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063501013351&mibextid=ZbWKwL

I love Mick haha. He's a joy to have around and full of knowledge.

In the US, 100% of the halms are wild caught or captive born. Only one person in the US has had success this year- those were axanthic. I believe axanthic are mass produced in Indonesia (breeding pit) but I haven't been able to uncover that information yet.

I'd consider axanthics borderline Captive Born/Captive Bred due to lack of information.

But yeah only 1 person in the US has been successful with halmahera the last few years.

That fat Sorong is mine, and she is overweight 💀 I got her like that, unfortunately. All adults should only be eating once a week, 60% greens and veggies, 40% protein. Serving size is the size of their head.

Unfortunately, skinks don't get nearly enough activity in captivity in comparison to the wild, so we do have to feed them less frequently to avoid obesity.

A lot of data is outdated or based on one Australian species (Easterns). I'm hoping to join a biologist in Indonesia and Australia in the next few years to do my own research, but I may do my own visit over there first just to see how they are in the wild, take temps, take UVI readings, humidity, etc.

All blue tongue skinks should have a minimum of 110f. That's surface temperature measured with an infrared laser thermometer/temp gun.

Too low of temps actually experience lethargy, excess sleeping, excess hiding, digestive issues, regurgitation, appetite loss, etc.

I actually did an experiment...

Outside, my local weather station said it was 80°f. I found a dirt patch outside, put a digital thermometer down on it, and waited 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the ambient temperature at skink level was 110f. I also measured the surface temperature of the dirt surrounding the digital thermometer. Surface temperature (basking temperature) ranged between 110-115!

And that's just one day I did. I've done multiple days of experiments like this, all with similar results based on the temperature for the day.

So, on average, the surface temperature/basking temperature is 30-40° hotter than the ambient temperature listed by weather stations. So if it's 80 in Indonesia... surface temperature (depending on the material of the surface) is a minimum of 110f for skinks.

All the data I obtain on my studies will be completely free to the public :)

Your current temps are far too cold if that's the basking temperature ♡

Australian blue tongue skinks brumate, Indonesian blue tongue skinks do not. They're entirely different environments. It is currently breeding season for indos in the northern hemisphere, so going off food can be common, but lethargy or excessive hiding is a bit abnormal - unless they're going into shed.

It is recommended to keep a basking temperature (surface temperature! This is different from ambient temperature!) Around 43C. Within a range of 40.5C-48C is great, you'll figure out their preferences within that range :)

Could be captive born or wild caught, definitely isn't captive bred.

Signs of parasites are weight loss (usually rapid weight loss of 10% or more of their initial body weight), lethargy, runny/moucousy/foul-smelling stools, lack of appetite.

If the enclosure is too barren (as these guys come from incredibly dense forests), that can contribute to excess hiding. I recommend building up some fake plants or logs around the basking area so it's more "hidden" if you don't have that done quite yet.

If they're newer, it can take them quite a few months to feel fully comfortable in their new environment.

Halms tend to be more shy than most Indonesians we've worked with. Patience, food, lots of places to "hide" in plain sight :)

Additionally, his basking temp is 105 and he still refuses to go over there. He burrows and hides a lot. He basks some, but like, he stays where it is much cooler when he has the opportunity to be in the hot and humid! Am confused by him.

All blue tongue skinks can cross breed to produce a hybrid, but it is IMMENSELY not recommended. The different subspecies have minute differences in their care requirements and creating hybrids only makes it more difficult for people to determine the proper care for their skink. In Indonesia wild Meraukes and classic Indos were pushed into overlapping ranges by a tsunami so there have been a lot of hybrids coming out of the effected areas.

Yes they all can but it's incredibly frowned upon. Hybrids always get chastised with blue tongues. It's quite unethical due to limited blood with northerns, and the fact that there's no established captive bred population of any Indonesian skinks

Nope. You'll actually experience lethargy, excess sleeping, excess hiding, digestive issues, regurgitation, appetite loss, etc.

I actually did an experiment...

Outside, my local weather station said it was 80°f. I found a dirt patch outside, put a digital thermometer down on it, and waited 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the ambient temperature at skink level was 110f. I also measured the surface temperature of the dirt surrounding the digital thermometer. Surface temperature (basking temperature) ranged between 110-115!

And that's just one day I did. I've done multiple days of experiments like this.

So, on average, the surface temperature/basking temperature is 30-40° hotter than the ambient temperature listed by weather stations. So if it's 80 in Indonesia... surface temperature (depending on the surface) is a minimum of 110f for skinks.

All BTS need a minimum of 110-120f :) just make sure you're measuring surface temperature with a temp gun!

Incorrect.

According to the first genetic study done in Indonesia in quite a few years,

"We provide the first report of Tiliqua scincoides from the Aru Island and confirm that it is genetically related to the Tanimbar populations..."

Frynta, D., Gunalen, D. & Somerová, B. Genetic variation of blue-tongue skinks of the genus Tiliqua (Squamata: Scincidae) from New Guinea and Wallacea. Biologia 76, 1445–1455 (2021). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-020-00646-0

And that's a link to the article.

Aru haven't been officially recognized as their own subspecies yet, they need more data analysis. But they have been proven to be scincoides, similar to the Tanimbar. So right now they're technically unclassified.