Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I finally got my camera and some of my cages in order at the same time so I wanted to post some pics.

First, here's my Tree Skink (Egernia striolata) cage, housing six, 2 males, 4 females. It is 100 gallons (I think) or about 5'x1.5'x2'.

Here's a pic of one of my tree skinks, a female. I took these pics first thing this morning, so she's opening one eye, wondering what all the fuss is about.

This is a pic of my PTS cage. She used to be in the one used for the tree skinks, but I needed one that holds humidity better. It's a vision cage, I think it's 48"x30"x30". I will give you my criticism: not enough height for an arboreal creature! But that grape log is hollow, which gives great security, and I have not seen her ever scaling the cork in the back, but I still wish it was twice as high with the same floor space.

Here's the close-up of the PTS, Berman. She (actually unsexed) is a vicious little bugger, unlike my last one, which was affectionate, but I still love the little alien.

That's it. Sorry if my post is way too long or braggy. I don't post often and I probably should post this in cage design, but I thought some skink people might appreciate these pics first. I still need to upgrade the Solomon ground skink (Eugongylus albofasciolatus) cage, right now it is too small (20 gal long, but I want to switch her into the "turtle tank" (like a square maybe 24"x24"x9, which I know is not high, but this skink, true to it's name, doesn't try to climb much, so more floor space will be appreciated, I think.) Also, my Schneidy (Eumeces schneideri) is in a 20 gal tall. That sweet little skink loves to run in it's wheel (when it's awake, it's hibernating right now) and I know would love a bigger cage, but since it uses the wheel, I am putting it off til last for upgrades. Here's a video of her running in her wheel. That was when she was in a 10 gal tank.
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Lisa Rakestraw
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1 Corucia zebrata
6 Egernia striolata
1 Eugongylus albofasciata
1 Eumeces schneideri

Those cages are awesome but I really got a kick out of the skink on the hamster wheel.My son has a little Great Plains Skink I think I will try this with him and see what he does.
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Anybody remotely interesting is mad in some way or another.

I might be able to help you with the ground skink. Mine started out in a 70 gallon fully planted terrarium complete with rocks and branches and all kinds of stuff and stayed buried about 99 per cent of the time. So I moved her into a 70 liter tub. Which cost me about fourteen dollars at Target, gives her more square inches of floor space, and the low top makes her a lot more secure. She's still usually buried, because that's what they do, but it's no longer the least bit unusual to see her sitting out either.

It's 44 inches long, over 19 inches wide, and about six and a half inches tall. Which I admit I worried might turn out to be a little TOO low, but their legs are so short she's fine with it. She slithers around under the moss, she walks around normally on the surface, she has several small logs in there to give her a variety of heights and textures. She likes to sit on/slink over those, and has enough room to prop her front feet up on one, angle herself up, and lift her head high while she looks around.

You know those long flat clear tubs that have the hinge in the middle and the clamps on the ends? That's all I'm talking about. UV's not even a problem; just get a soldering iron and planer and make a whole lot of airholes right under where the lights will be.
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0.1 Coastal Carpet Python (Boots)
0.1 Western Hognose Snake (Bebe)
0.1 Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)

Hi, this is about the Eugongylus albofasciata. I remember you wrote me about a year ago about how you had one, Minerva. You asked how I kept mine and I was always embarassed cuz mine was in such a small cage. Then it's funny that you keep yours in a tub now. I now have mine in a much bigger cage, a vision cage about 4 feet long and 3 feet deep and 2 feet high. Anyways, yes, she stays hidden a lot too. It IS neat when I see her out though. She now has a basking light (before just a heat mat) and she comes and basks under it occasionally. She eats all kinds of insects and occasionally pinkies. A great eater. And I think she is gorgeous and wish I could see her more, but if she is comfortable hiding, that's okay. Her cage has a big water dish, but now she isn't soaking as much as she used to in her smaller pyrex baking dish (I cover the water dish to give her privacy). Also, she has more stuff to climb on which she does occasionally, but mostly just hides. I think I will get another one at this years reptile show. I saw them there last year and hope they are there again. Maybe with two they will be more interactive.
Also, the Schneider is in a bigger cage now too. I will take pics and post them as well.
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Lisa Rakestraw
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1 Corucia zebrata
6 Egernia striolata
1 Eugongylus albofasciata
1 Eumeces schneideri

Minerva always basks shortly after her lights click on. Sometimes for ten minutes, sometimes for forty minutes. Usually for ten though. It just seems to be a normal response to the light, regardless of what how warm the room is. One end has an undertank heater anyway, but she's usually in the cool half.

She was soaking so much when I first got her I thought she might be semi-aquatic. Nope. Just dehydrated. If she has damp spahagnum to slither around in she doesn't soak much.

I don't have anything I need to buy pinkies for, so there's never an extra to give her. I just use calcidust once a week and stick with bugs, plus the occasional treat like egg yolk or tuna. She doesn't seem to like fruit, but just in case she needs some I feed the roaches a lot of it. She eats mostly roaches and nightcrawlers. She's a pretty smart hunter; she's figured out how to shake roaches off of their wings so she can just eat the good parts!
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0.1 Coastal Carpet Python (Boots)
0.1 Western Hognose Snake (Bebe)
0.1 Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)