Hello Rosebuds:
That's really a good-looking skink you have there. They are a little difficult to sex but in general female skinks usually are not as colorful or have as large a head as a male would have. I had a pair for quite a while that i originally picked up for a friend of mine. He kept them for a little over a year and wanted to move onto snakes so I got the lizards back and got him a couple baby Boas instead.
Shortly after I got them back the female died but I still have the male who is slightly over 14" in length. He's really a large skink. I plan on getting a couple more over the next few months.
As far as care is concerned I keep my male in a 15 gallon aquarium that has about 3-4" of cypress mulch for a substrate. I've allowed the mulch to dry out but once a week I will cause a small "rainstorm" over the substrate with about 4 ounces of water just to add a little moisture to the habitat. It always dries out in a couple days. I also have a log in the cage which he lays up against while buried under the substrate. These lizards sre very fossorial so even as beautiful as they are one rarely sees them above ground. Mine seems to be most active early after sunrise and then spends the majority of the rest of the day underground...except when food is offered. Then he comes scrambling out from his underground tunnels and greedily snaps up all his crickets. That's how I show off his gorgeous colors to people. I feed him. By the way, he does also have a permanent small water dish in the terrarium but I rarely see him drink from it.
Though mine is fairly picky I have had others that fed on all sorts of insects and some will eat young rodents as well. A few will eat prepared veggie and fruit plates but not all of them.
Lighting is usually provided with a heat lamp though younger animals benefit greatly from UVB exposure.
I hope this info helps.
Have a Great Day!!!

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