It certainly doesn't look at all like what a Solomon Islands Skink is described in the link below:

www.calzoo.com/html/solomonislandskinks.html

These skinks are much larger, reaching lengths of up to 32", are arboreal with a prehensile tail. You describe yours as about 16" long and a burrowing skink.

As Eugongylus is a family of skinks...hard to say what yours is. Some better pictures showing the entire body will help. Also, is the tail prehensile? It may be a type of monkey tail skink as there are a few of them.

The pattern looks similar to that found on many blue tongue skinks though yours definitely isn't one. The tail isn't right, most blue tongue skinks have much shorter stocky tails. At first I thought alligator lizard but the head isn't right for that.

Sorry if I wasn't much help but getting a proper name for lizards we buy makes the difference on being able to provide the proper care. I know you bought it as a Solomon Island Skink which probably is wrong...as monkey tailed skinks are arboreal and herbivores, not insectivores at all. Unless it is eating cat food and burrowing because it has no other choice (ie improper diet and habitat by the previous owner.
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PHLdyPayne

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