To purchase a skink, please email your requests to davesbtskinks@gmail.com.
Prices set for the 2023 season are as follows:
- Irian Jaya: $275 – $300
- Classic Northern: $325 – $400
- Half Specialty Morph Northern: $375 – $475
- Specialty Morph Northern: $500+
- Centralian: $10,000
This base price does not include shipping. When emailing your inquiry, please provide the skink identification number(s) you are interested in. If your reptile is to be shipped, please also include your shipping address with zip code for a shipping quote. Please note baby skinks do not last long, especially the Australians. If there is a particular one you want, my advice is to claim it as soon as you receive a quote and not to inquire before you are prepared to commit. Once you receive a favorable response to the particular skink inquiring about, I will put a 24-hour hold on your baby free of charge while we sort out payment details.
Payment methods accepted:
Cash,
PayPal,
Venmo,
CashApp,
Stripe through HappyDragons
Deposits
Deposit holders will receive preferred selection once babies are born and uniquely identified. All deposits are non-refundable but will be applied to your final purchase price. To submit a deposit, just reach out and ask. Please address which species you would like to put a deposit down for and have payment ready.
There are Three times I accept deposits:
1) There exists a very small list of deposit holders for skink seekers who want to guarantee a skink far in advance and are sure they want to purchase from Dave’s Skinks. One of the mottos of Dave’s Skinks is “To Under Promise and Over Deliver.” Keeping that in mind, I feel comfortable guaranteeing a healthy baby to every deposit holder while accepting a limited number of Northern deposits and a very limited number of Irian Jaya deposits prior to birth. This list is available at all times but fills up well before babies start being born in late May. It will be a $50 deposit and I will require the following form filled out for appropriate record keeping:
Name:
Email:
Phone Number:
Desired Species:
Shipped or Local Pick Up? If shipped I will need your zip code at least:
2) There is a 2-4 week period after babies are born, but before they are ready to be uniquely identified and posted online. I post general updates about each litter immediately on the Dave’s Skinks Instagram and Facebook social media pages. When it is known how many babies will be available within a given litter, I take additional deposits on the littermates. It will be a $50 deposit and I will need the following form filled out:
Name:
Email:
Phone Number:
Desired Species:
Shipped or Local Pick Up? If shipped I will need your zip code at least:
EXAMPLE: Just for number’s sake, say 15 people put down Northern deposits in advance before any births. Then the first litter is born. It is 9 babies. I reach out to all existing deposit holders and ask if they want to designate their deposit on this litter or wait for another upcoming litter. 4 deposit holders respond that they want in on this particular litter and 11 deposit holders elect to wait for a different upcoming litter. I know 4 from this litter are spoken for and 5 babies still need loving forever homes. I will then open up the deposit list on this particular litter for the remaining 5 babies.
Say it is 3 more weeks before the babies from this litter are ready to leave the nest. And in that time I accept 4 additional deposits. That means when it is time to take individual photos, type up descriptions, and set individual prices, the 8 deposit holders will get to make their selection before the general public, and once they’ve made their selection, the lone remaining baby will end up on the website available for anyone to claim when they’re ready to adopt.
3) Once a baby is posted on the For Sale page with an individual product ID, I will accept a $100 deposit to hold your specific skink that is good for 2 weeks while you sort out housing and the remaining balance.
Price Determination
Prices are set by the present physical characteristics available after their first shed. These characteristics include: color, vibrancy, pattern, uniqueness, skeletal health, and suspected gender. Babies will get more vibrant with each shed for the first 6 months or more, after that they each mature differently. I’ve seen vibrant juveniles end as dull adults, and several ugly ducklings turn into beautiful swans. When it comes to suspected gender, I can only offer my opinion on how the babies look today. The assessment of their gender is an educated guess, guided by a comparison and contrast to each sibling. Officially, they are all sold unsexed.
My prices are set to sustain Dave’s Skinks, the welfare for all animals involved, and expansion to offer more babies in the near future. Though I am friendly with most BTS breeders around the country and happy to make an alternative recommendation, I do not know of anyone ethically producing healthy Northern babies this exquisite at more affordable rates. If a Northern exceeds your budget, please consider an Irian Jaya. They are just as lovable and may grow bigger and live longer thanks to an influx of imported genetics.
Our biggest expense is the custom-built, large display enclosures. If you see another breeder utilizing the minimalist racks or cramped, lightless-drawers, those breeders have their cost-to-produce below $100. They may be charging hundreds of dollars more than us, but those are the types of breeders who have the financial capacity to charge less. We do not engage in those types of practices here but do our best to keep prices as reasonable as possible.
Payment Options
If you would like to meet in Chicago Illinois or suburban Cook county, I am happy to arrange a meeting. In-person or via snail mail, I accept cash. All cash payments are eligible for a 5% discount. PayPal, Venmo, or CashApp can also be used in advance. If paid in advance, I am willing to drive up to 45 minutes on a weekend to meet you at your convenience. Please bring your own travel container for your new skink companion.
The 2022 season was our first year selling on the HappyDragons marketplace – a new online marketplace exclusive to ethically-keeping breeders. HappyDragons accepts Stripe as their payment method. Shipping payment arrangements need to be independently arranged between buyer and Dave’s Skinks on the Happy Dragons platform.
If your baby is to be overnight shipped, the price of the skink plus shipping must be paid in full prior.
This is a taxable business and we do pay our fair share of state and federal taxes. Sales tax, costs of feeding & care, and the cost of shipping materials are covered by me at no expense to the adoptive parent(s).
Shipping
I exclusively ship via FedEx Priority Overnight. All animals are shipped in reptile-safe styrofoam lined containers that comply with state and federal regulations, and have enough oxygen for the journey of your baby. Dave’s Skinks can ship to anywhere in the continental 48 US, and for an extra fee, Canada is possible. For Canada, please see the section below.
Shipping rates fluctuate and can range between $24 – $94 depending on location in the country. I cover the expense of the shipping materials and crosscheck shipping quotes from 3 approved distributors to provide you with the most reasonable rate possible. Together, we will coordinate your shipping day. You must be available to receive your lizard during the agreed-upon day at the agreed-upon location. Though FedEx is typically punctual with their anticipated arrival time, they often leave the package at the door and will not ring your bell. Shipping to a nearby FedEx Hub is also possible. I only ship Monday-Thursday when the weather is decent in both the sending and receiving locations. If your skink is to be shipped, the balance + shipping must be paid in full prior to shipping.
To recap how shipping works:
- Together we select a Tuesday-Friday for you to receive your skink (I ship M-Th.)
- The weather must be decent at the receiving destination and Chicago (technically ship out of Skokie, IL)
- I purchase the postage and FedEx provides an estimated arrival time
- Your skink housing is read to go
- You are home and ready to receive your lizard at the door on the agreed upon arrival date
From the moment your reptile leaves Dave’s Skinks, you will have it within a 20-hour window, barring unforeseen incidents. I will hold and care for your skink free of charge while we make such arrangements and set a date.
Insurance
Since COVID, the only shipping distributor that offers late-arrival insurance is ShipYourReptiles. Please let me know in your inquiring email with the shipping address if you would like insurance. In order to purchase insurance, you must also agree to a signature confirmation, pickup at your local FedEx Hub, and agree to an arrival day of Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. The signature confirmation is an additional $2.50. Insurance rates are calculated at $2.60 per $100 of valued animal, rounded up. Because of COVID these rules are continuously evolving. Please request I look into late-arrival insurance immediately prior to shipping to ensure it is still accessible.
EXAMPLE: The insurance on a $560 Northern skink would be $15.60, calculated: [$2.6 x $600], then there is + $2.50 signature confirmation, on top of the reptile and overnight shipping fees. If shipping is $60, insurance + confirmation is $18.10, and the reptile itself is $560, total price = $638.10
Late arrival insurance only activates when they miss their expected arrival day by more than 24 hours and it causes harm to the living creature. To date, I have never had a package arrive more than 24 hours past the expected arrival time, or had any harm done to the animal in shipping (knock on wood).
Shipping to Canada???
YES. Dave’s Skinks can ship to Canada. Irian Jayas and other Indonesian-native species only. There is a kicker though. You have to live near a major city. If you live near Richmond Hill, Ontario – that is best. There are also additional fees to cover: Shipping, Customs, Import, and a Final Value fee. To ship one skink to Toronto is approximately $250. If you are willing to foot the bill and take a chance, it is possible and legal.
Replacements and Refunds
Dave’s Skinks is a wholesome, but small time, breeder-hobbyist business. Every baby is shipped alive and well. I can offer photos or a video of me packaging the baby for you. Almost all of the time do the babies arrive unharmed, but intense cabin pressure is capable of extinguishing their life beyond my control. The goal is to someday be adequate enough to guarantee a replacement skink in the event this happens. I apologize not being in a position to offer such a guarantee, should God forbid, something happens.
I have never had an incident to date sending or receiving since the first frog I received by mail in 1996.