Anyone own a skink?

Status
Not open for further replies.

jgodman1011

Hatchling Member
Just got one from a young guy who had to regime his due to leaving for boot camp. Been doing some reading just wondered if anyone had any tips or advice. I know they can't be with my beardie. The skink is in my spare room at the moment. But the man didn't use UVB which I plan to . He seemed to really care for it but I already know a few things by reading he may have been doing wrong I'm just hoping it doesn't have any health issues or mbd. Thanks to anyone who can offer any info!!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi there....what kind of skink is it, there are lots of different kinds. I have had a fire skink for the past 10 years, he was already an adult when I got him [ wild caught no doubt ] from a reptile show. Fire skinks are ridiculously hardy + easy to care for.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Meet Wriggles , my Eastern (Australian) Water Skink. viewtopic.php?f=26&t=217016

I've also a pair of Eastern Bluetongue Skinks (George and Mildred) .... maybe I should create a thread about their adventures and exploits and quirks.

Both species are very common endemic native species frequently found in people's suburban gardens and yards and under homes and in shed here , Wriggles, George and Mildred are all captive bred and terribly spoilt. As are my 2 beardies (Puff and Rex).

All are very inquisitive, cleavour and very affectionate and gentle, I trust them around our little grandson. They genuinely enjoy interaction with us and frequently follow us around (like a dog will) and my two BTS come when called (by their name) , their favourate activity is snuggling up under our chins , in our shirts, and snoozing while being petted. They also get freedom of the house when out of their enclosures , we simply close the doors to the rooms we want to keep the dragons and BTS out of.

Can't comment on the husbandry of American skinks, but I expect they will require at least a UVB150 or equivalent, and will benefit from a basking lamp , and opportunities to explore and climb and burrow, and perhaps to swim and splash about.

Bluetongue skinks are something I can comment on.

I kept one as wild caught pet as a child, and recently started keeping lizards as pets again after retiring. I have 2 BTS , 1 water skink and 2 CBD. They are all greatly loved companion pets for my wife and myself. I plan on adding a pair of Shingleback Skinks, some Pink Tongued skinks (a mini version of BTS) , and some more water skinks soon too.
BTS have always been a favourate lizard.

I brought my two BTS home as 2 month old babies (BTS give birth to babies , they don't lay eggs) , they are now 4 years old.
They have had one litter of babies (but I've prevented them from mating since, I used to let them roam a couple and a pregnancy resulted ..... LOL ....), was fascinating all the same watching 5 baby BTS being born and they were cute as can be (my wife and I had a very hard time parting with the babies when it came time to move them on at about 2 months old when we were sure they were eating their insects and salads and greens and veg and were thriving (we kept our babies in 100L rearing tubs 2 or 3 babies per tub , to avoid conflicts and overcrowding) - we gave our babies away to friends).

Enclosure , at least 4' x 2' for each BTS , some people house more than one BTS together, they risk fighting and serious injuries (even death).

Substrate - they seem to really like is mixture of course Kritter's Krumble + explanded dried peet coir (I also add gumtree (eucalyptus) leaf litter and twigs and bark (that I get for nothing from my big bluegum tree in my front yard).My 2 love burrowing through their bedding , I think it tickles them , especially when they are in shed.

Shallow water dish (that they can get out off without help).

Basking lamp I use is a Philips par38 clear colourless spotty (basking spot temp 35oC (on top of their fake hollow log hides).
The lights are on a simple 24hr 7d timer, on 6am, off 9:30pm.
I also provide a 7W heatpad (sandwiched between 2 layers of ceramic tiles and controlled by a simple switching thermostat , set to give a pad temperature of 34-35oC , this is set and forget).
UVB150 in a dome style reflector for UVA and UVB ,.... yes they require UVA and UVB.
Bluetongue skinks are not very good climbers, but will benefit from some easy climbing (via ramps and stepped structures).

Diet - essentially the same as a beardied dragon , my 2 particularly love banana, hardboiled eggs and even raw eggs (but only get them as treats) , they also like a bit a boiled lean chicken mince , again a treat, some people here feed their bluetongues with dog and cat food - dry pellets are often in the menu - yes I know it's very common for wild bluetongues (and water skinks) to raid dog and cat food boils , - but I don't use cat or dog food to feed my skinks because it's the wrong kind of proteins and fats and cat / dog foods are full of preservatives. I do offer Bearded dragon pellets and vetafarm lizard pellets - mixed with their greens and salad and vegs.
The BTS particularly enjoy fruit such as sliced pairs, apples, pineapples, kiwi fruit , seedless green grapes, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, but I try to limit these to treats (as the sugars can rot their teeth).

Being endemic (and native) to my area, I don't really need to provide heating for my water skink or BTS, but it helps them metabolise their food and keeps them happy and healthy and it's too dangerous to let them roam outside (too many dogs next door - 8 &*)&U(*U dogs in their@#$$$ yard that never go anywhere and are known to kill lizards and frogs and their &(^* cat roams 24/7 and kills birds , lizards, small native marcupials and frogs regularly. So my lizards are inside (house) lizards.

My 2 really like superworms, silkworms, crickets, and garden snails (that I catch for them and then feed up and gut load with kitchen scraps, this way I can be sure the snails are purged, haven't been nextdoor / been poisoned and are full of goodness).

I let my 2 BTS out one at a time with a beardie for walkies for at least 1 -2 hours per day each and they all get cuddles from mommy or daddy each day.

Bluetongues are a fabulous pet and are virtually bullet proof.
 

jgodman1011

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
I thank you so much for all the info you provided!! This poor boy is a little skittish at the moment, he hides when i come into his room. I think i'm going to try handling him a little today and provide some food in my lap. Unfortunately, he's 2 already so i'm sure this is all new to him and hes frightened, hopefully he'll come around.

I did give him some quality 96% grain free dog food last night simply because he hadn't eaten yet and i wanted him to have at least something, i have other things ready for when he gets a little more at ease. He's only in a 20 gallon tank at the moment but that will be changing this weekend i have something much bigger for him, just getting everything together and making sure i have the lights, etc.

His previous owner wasn't using any UVB and i plan to do that for sure.
Thanks again!!
Jenn
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
jgodman1011":2muzz9h1 said:
I thank you so much for all the info you provided!! This poor boy is a little skittish at the moment, he hides when i come into his room. I think i'm going to try handling him a little today and provide some food in my lap. Unfortunately, he's 2 already so i'm sure this is all new to him and hes frightened, hopefully he'll come around.

I did give him some quality 96% grain free dog food last night simply because he hadn't eaten yet and i wanted him to have at least something, i have other things ready for when he gets a little more at ease. He's only in a 20 gallon tank at the moment but that will be changing this weekend i have something much bigger for him, just getting everything together and making sure i have the lights, etc.

His previous owner wasn't using any UVB and i plan to do that for sure.

Thanks again!!
Jenn
Might be a bit stressed by it's change in circumstances , can take a week or 2 to get settled, don't rush him, it'll only stress him more.

I'd work up gradually towards handling him if he's not used to being handled by humans, it's a building trust thing, and it will take a little while, but if I can get wild (ordinarily very skittish and shy wild water skinks to trust me and like me and allow me to handfeed them insect treats and even pet them and handle them, then I'm sure your BTS will come around.

I'd spend a lot of time hanging out near the BTS' enclosure talking quietly to it, let it see you are not a danger. Start off maybe by petting it when it's eating it's greens and pellets and veg and salad, and get some insect treats (superworms, silkworms, hornworms (?) and if you can find them natural garden snails (make sure they have not been poisoned or sprayed)) that you can offer as delicious food treats on a regular basis , even an adult BTS will need some insect protein a few times a week for a balanced diet, and nothing speaks louder to a lizard than a really juicey tasty LIVE bug offered as treat.

Handfeeding the treats is a great way of building trust and a bond.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,898
Messages
1,255,672
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom