• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

New BTS owner

mattmc

mattmc

New member
Joined
Jan 18, 2011
Messages
17
Reaction score
3
Points
0
Location
Vancouver, Wa., United States
I have wanted a BTS for many years and yesterday I finally purchased one. He is a northern that is about 15" in length and very friendly and docile. My plans for his cage are a 75g glass tank. I don't know that the dimensions are the best for him? however this tank along with a stand and canopy are free from a friend. There seems to be a lot of different opinions on cage setup for these guys. Here is my plan:
I planned on using aspen for the bedding as it seems easy to clean and is good for their natural burrowing tendencies.
It was suggested by my local store to use a Exxoterra sunglow mercury vapor bulb as these provide both uvb/uva and heat.
I will of course provide a cave or log as a hide and a water and food bowl.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.:yesnod:
 
congrats on the pickup! blueys need more floorspace than anything. if the 75 gallon is one of the tall tanks, i would suggest something different. my enclosures are a minimum of 3 feet wide and 4 feet long. ive used shredded aspen and carefresh for my blue tongues with no issues. as far as lighting, you definitely need a mercury vapor bulb for heat and uvb. give him a couple of hides as well and a large, heavy water dish. i use the large ceramic dog water bowls so they don't tip over.
 
Ditto on the floor space. 75 gallon will be fine. They dont even need that height but its free so why not. I wouldnt recommend aspen as they are messy eaters. Mine slams his live feeders all over the cage to kill them before swallowing and i could see the aspen getting swallowed. It also doesnt look to natural, if thats an issue. Try using one of the mulch like reptile beddings out there. Thats what I use for most of my reptiles, including the BTS and he'll dig around through it looking for grubs that dont stay in the dish, which among other things, helps wear his nails down. Make sure to include a large flat rock under the light for basking purposes as the belly heat radiated up from the rock will help the digestion. A tight fitting hide is important. Better if you have one on the cool and one on the warm side. I dont bother leaving standing water in his enclosure because it gets dirty constantly. I just make sure his veggies and fruits have lots of moisture and give him soaks a couple times a week. I cant speak about the mercury vapor lights but I dont use a UV light. I havent seen any convincing literature that states they need UV supplementation. I've had mine for about three years ( adopted from someone with subpar husbandry ) and he's done well. Important to offer a variety in the diet - vegetables, leafy greens, fruits, crickets, mealworms, earthworms, occasional rodent and cat food. Some will eat more, some will eat less of the vegetables and greens but do offer them. Enjoy.
 
I'll third the suggestion of floorspace...with those gimpy legs, they don't do much climbing lol

You've gotten some really good advice already, so I won't add anything to it but enjoy your new BTS! :) ~
 
Back
Top