We are going away to florida in a little over two weeks and I need some suggestions. We are gunna be gone for like days and I'm not quite sure how to accomadate my Schneider's skink. I have one of those reservoir (dont think i spelled that right) water dishes, u know the ones wiht the little tanks. But he still fills even that up with sand and stuff. Plus i don't know what to do about food. We can't find any of the kinds of dry lizard food in the stores that we used to give him, I don't know why they don't sell it any more. And leaving crickets or fruit will be bad cuz they will die and the fruit will go bad. Pleez give me some suggestions..thanks!
-----
Reptile & Amphibian Forums
Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.
Going away...what to do?
kittycatgurl36
Mar 09, 2005 02:26 PM
Replies (4)
Zachariah
Mar 12, 2005 09:34 PM
From bluetongueskinks.net caresheet....Good luck!
"
Going on vacation
Of course, we all like to get away for a week or two. The question is, what do we do with our precious pets? There are several common options. One would be to have a reliable friend stop by every other day to feed your animal. Your lights can be set on automatic timers. Remember to be sure your animal remains on its 12 hour photoperiod (light on at 9am, off at 9pm). Another option would be to board them out. Many pet stores offer this service on a day-to-day basis. If you're only going to be gone a few days, feeding your blue tongue a regular portion of food before you leave is fine. DO NOT leave water. Blue tongues are very hardy animals, and will be fine for just a few days. If you leave water, the chances of them defecating in it are high. Then when they drink it...bad news. Do not get a few days mixed up with a few weeks! They cannot go without water for weeks at a time. Remember to be sure you have automatic timers for your lights, and that they are working properly...proper light and day is more important than most people think. Be VERY cautious with timers however, whether you're on vacation or not. While handling your blue tongue, you will obviously remove the heat lamp from the top of the tank (if it is permanently hung, you have nothing to worry about), and place it temporarily on the floor, bed, chair or wherever. Be sure to place it back to its proper place! If the timer kicks in, and that lamp is on the carpet or somewhere else, you will have a real problem. Many people just slide the lid to the left or right to access the animal, and that is fine. Use caution doing this as well, and be sure to replace the lid immediately. If your heat lamp is turned on and gets positioned funny, it could very well melt the plastic edges of your tank creating an ugly and smelly mess."
desaix
Mar 15, 2005 09:36 AM
Good warning! I almost bunrt my house down by leaving a heat lamp on a pile of clothes. Came home just in time to see smoke coming from my room... Now I have stands that the lights permanently hang from.
kittycatgurl36
Mar 16, 2005 03:43 PM
well...my skink is a schneider I don't know if that makes that muhc of a idfference but thet care sheet was for bts's. either way I still kinda dont know what do because I give my lizard live cricket and I don't have any friends or family that would have the slightest clue how to feed him or want to. I really wouldn't trust them to do it right. I could however have somone replace the water. It's the food thats the issue. We are gunna be gone for a total of 10 days so ya.
-----
herpsplendor
Mar 17, 2005 01:30 PM
What I do is get a large container of about 50 mealworms or more (if you feel it's appropriate) and one of those reservoir watering cups...you know, the kind that has a bottle that's screwed in upside down and feeds into the cup as the water is being used up. Just before you leave, fill the feeding dish to the brim with the mealworms, put in the watering device and that's it. The lizard may gorge on grubs at first, but will leave the dish and return as it needs more. Mealworms are not real easy to digest, so the meals will stick with him. This is the only time I think mealworms really show what a great feeder insect they are (they're also a good back-up when the crickets get scarce). Healthy reptiles are amazingly resilient and will go for 2 weeks easily with this kind of care. I have never lost a reptile yet on my 2 week vacations with this method. I had a snake escape in my house for over 2 weeks and when I found him, he was still scappy, had dust all around his mouth and recovered fine...this meant he went like 18 days without ANY food or water. I would never recommend treating a reptile like that intentionally, but I think it speaks very strongly about the strength of reptilian metabolism.
