Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello. I am very interested in getting one of these awesome lizards. I have read everything I can find on these guys and even found them for sell at lllreptile.com... and I will be attending several herp expos where LLL will be at, so I am hoping I can find one...or two if really lucky.

I have a few questions though,

How do I pick a healthy skink? Assuming it is wild caught, would a vet visit be wise? What should they look for?

How should the tank be setup? It will be kept either in a 20 or 30 gal long.

This is my first attempt at these skinks, would it be better to keep just one for now, or jump in and try to find a sexed pair?

I am not a herp newbe, but I just want to make sure I understand what these lizards need. I want to have everything ready to go...before I actually get one...

Thanks in advance,

Billie
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Have You Hugged Your Herp Today?

Well... I didn't take my pair to the vet. They've been plump and eating so I wasn't worried. Health signs I would look for would be good skin condition, a nice round tummy, non-sunken eyes... stuff like that. Then watch and see if they eat. I've heard they prefer beetle larva and worms. They're so shy that the best way to tell if they're eating is to watch for poo. I've also heard it's BEST to keep them singly, and if you're going to keep some together, it should be a pair. And they do definately love to go swimming at night.
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

Well, i have had my gil for almost one year and she is doing great!No, i didnt take her to a vet, first because she looks great, second because i dont trust the vets around and third because she is very nervous and shy with people she doesnt know and im afraid she will have a heart attack at the vets clinic!

I put her in a 20 gallons cage, a plastic one with a lid with holes in it.I use soil as a substrate , i put a bowl of water with a sponge in inside her cage.She loves to surf on the sponge! I give her mealworms, superworms and earthworms to eat.She prefers earthworms but she eats all 3 very well.She likes to dig and to search for her food!As she eats her own poop i rarely find any inside her cage but i can see she is healthy because her tail and limbs are fat, her eyes brilliant and she is VERY active!

As she does need sunlight, i put her 3 or 4 times a week outdoors for 15 minutes to take some sun.But i do that only in the early morning because i live in a very hot country and i dont want to bake my baby!lol!

Her cage is placed indoors, on the top of a closet and the room temperature varies from 78F to 84F.

All the info has been so great, everything I read about these odd looking skinks only draws me in more.. I have never really been a lizard lover before... I think that will change...hopefully soon..

Thanks again,

Harpy...
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Have You Hugged Your Herp Today?

Yeah, I've only got 6 lizards, but I'm a sucker for anything that looks like a crocodile... and I don't have room for caimen tegus.
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch