Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just had a friend from a pet store call and say they found a skink and needed a home for it, because it's in bad condition and they can't sell it. Stupid chain stores. Anyway, they don't know what kind it is, but I figured i'd go grab it anyway. Is there anything special I should know about general skink behavior? I don't know what kind it is, because I havn't seen it. To my knowledge, there are two different main types, right? Tropical and Desert? Do all skinks need basically the same temperature range? Also, what size cage should I be thinking about here? Thanks in advance.

There are many different kinds of skinks that require many different types of husbandry.

Find out what kind it is ASAP.
Post a picture when you have one.
-----
3.3.3 L. getula californiae
1.1 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
2.3 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

I will hopefully be picking it up Wednesday. Supposedly it has been running around shop for a year, so I expect it to be in awful condition.

Alright, so the little guy is deffinately a true fire skink. He's really nippy, understandably so as he's been runnin' around a store free for 3 weeks. Any idea on caging?

They need a type of savannah setup. Basicaly most skinks like to burrow, so provide some kind of loose substrate. Careful that the substrate is not sharp (like some sands), can be passed through when digested by the skink (some larger pebbles are out of the question, to much sand can also do the same, as do woodchips that are small enough to be eaten by mistake and wood shavings). Some people use soil, but its kinda messy. Also make sure that the setup cannot injure your pet, for instance a large rock put simply on top of the substrate, where the skink can burrow below the rock and possibly get crushed, make sure everything in the setup is securely in place. They of course need some kind of water dish, just a shallow lid or a small plant saucer can do just fine. Replace water in dish daily. U can use plants, make sure it doesnt use any chemicals/pesticides/herbicides on them, and some plants can also be dangerous to reptiles. Realistic plastics are far better choices, plus they can withstand the skinks hyperactivities If you are keeping a single skink, something around AT LEAST a 20gal long tank, bigger is ALWAYS better. Some heating is required, especialy if you live somewhere cold. An underneath heating pad under the tank can do, as well as some type of lighting like a small spotlamp/those lamps made for reptiles. UV is, according to me, optional as skinks have a type of skin scale that reflects UV, so it is still quite debateable to wherever skinks realy need UV, but from past expiriences my BTS's seem to enjoy some type of UV lighting once in a while, so better save than sorry ( its interesting to see the shimmer in the skinks scales, like the rainbow skinks i kept a while ago). A plant lamp will also be needed if you ever opt for live plants.
There are lots of info on the net, just google what you want to know and choose 1 of thousands of caresheets you can find. Goodluck!

P.S. : dont forget to quarantene every new animal you get. For this, its better to use a simple setup of a piece of paper towel substrate, hidebox, and heating. This will make it easier to monitor any illness your new pet may have, since it may be in a bad condition and need to recover. After about a mont of quarantene, you may transfer him/her to his/her permanent home where he/she can enjoy the new sights etc
-----
My "babies" :
1.0.1 Indo BTS (Tiliqua gigas gigas)
1.0.2 RES (Trachemys scripta elegans)
0.0.1 Amboina box turtles (Cuora amboinensis)
1.0.0 Chinese softshell (Trionyx sinensis)
1.0.0 Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata)
1.0.0 Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
1.0.1 Indonesian Whites Tree Frogs (Litoria caerulea)
And hopefuly still growing...

Dude, dont EVER take in an animal you dont know. Do research until your eyes bleed from the computer screen. Online caresheets are 50 % BS so you need to be VERY careful about where you read.

Fire skinks are pretty easy to take care of. You need a 20 gallon long with at leats 6 inches of substrate. You need potting soil or Eco Earth. Either is fine. Yes, the lizard will get messy. Its a burrower and they LIKE being messy lol. I dont think it cares what it looks like, so get potting soil or Eco Earth. For heat, a 40 watt basking lamp is fine. The water dish the other person recommended is fine also. But next time, do research BEFORE you get an animal. And you REALLY need to quarantine him. A subrate of paper towels, a secure hide, and a water dish is all you need for that. And heat of course. Make sure you have many layers of paper towels so he can get under them if he wants. Some skinks prefer to burrow, some prefer to hide. Either way prvide a deep subrate AND a secure hide. And after you quarantine him in the 20 long, make sure you clean it ou before putting the soil and new stuff. I reccomend the Large size Exo Terra magnetic rock cave. Its very secure and it looks nice.

Well, hope hes ok and good luck with him!

Ryan