Care Sheet for SkinksAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.00 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 08/09/2007 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Skinks |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Anonymous |
Years Experience: | Under 1 Year |
Species: | Western Blue-Tailed Skink; aka Skilton’s Skink |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | 5-Lined Skinks |
Sexing and Characteristics: | N/A |
Mostly Active During: | Day |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Likes Organic Mulch scattered with large pieces of bark. They like to burrow in shallow burrows under flat rocks. So a few flat rocks are good. Also a log with holes and moss. If it is a juvenile they like to have a branch to climb on to vary their distance from the light source/heat. |
Lighting and UVB: | (2) 40 Watt Bulbs; One Daylight UV the other can be just a regular 40-50W store spot light bulb, not necessary to spend the 8 bucks on a special reptile light. Only the UV needs to be bought at the pet store. They need the UV light and they cannot get it through a window pane. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | He really likes the ambient temp to be around 85-87 degrees. I put both lights on one side of the tank, the hot side is right around 85, the cool side about 77. He doesn’t seem to really like it too hot. 90 is too hot when the thermometer on tank is reading that, he’ll burrow when it’s that high. But the branch, or rocks piled is important so that he can get closer/warmer to light if need be. Humidity right around 55 or 60 seems to be good for him. Not much more humid than that. Although misting one side of tank is a good thing once a day. My humidity doesn’t go too high doing that. |
Heating and Equipment: | No special heating pad or rock should be used. These guys are pretty tolerant of temperature drops. Especially the Western Skink which is what I have. I bought small outdoor thermometers at Wal-Mart with a suction cup for 97 cents each and a digital temp/humidity guage for 6 bucks that work great to check temps. The digital guage also gives you the max/min temp for that day! Again this guy likes to have rocks/branches/logs etc. in his tank. Don’t keep it too empty! Shallow watering dish that he can get into and out of easily, although mine usually just licks water from side of tank. |
Caging Provided: | 10 Gal. Tank. Big enough for now anyway. He’s a juvenile. He stays mostly on the warm side of the tank, or on his branch when basking. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | The only thing I can get him to eat are pin-head crickets. Petco doesn’t sell them you have to go to a small/local pet store and they should have them there. Others say very limited fruit and many say mealworms or waxworms, but I haven’t had any luck with those. They also will not eat fruit flies. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Calcium is recommended for juveniles, although I haven’t done that yet and he seems to be doing really well. |
Maintenance: | Fresh water daily. 2-3 Crickets daily. Spritz inside of tank daily. |
Some Words on this Species: | Many people say that this skink is the look don’t touch kind of lizard. But if you choose one time a day to get your skink out and let him crawl on you mine really seems to like it. He likes the warmth of my skin I think. He sits and looks and then crawls up my arm. The most important thing I think is not to stick your hand in every time they come out to bask/forage/drink. They need to feel safe and comfortable in their environment. Once a day I take him out from his burrow to hold him. Many times after holding him is when he decides to eat. IMP: when picking up DO NOT GRASP! All predators grasp. Scoop him/scoot him with one hand into the other. If he doesn’t seem to want to come. DON’T FORCE IT! He will come to you sometimes and other times not. |
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