The male American blue-tailed skink also has a bigger, wider head than the female. These options are safer than buying from a pet shop. A pet shop may not have animals in top condition. Wild-caught individuals may also carry parasites. When buying a skink, first check the condition of the skink. Blue-tailed skinks feed on a wide variety of insects but they also consume other arthropods and even small vertebrates.
The larger five-lined skinks can eat small lizards or even baby mice, and invertebrates like spiders and earthworms. You should feed hatchlings, and very young skinks, fruit flies or baby crickets. This is particularly true with crickets. You can choose from pinhead size up to full adult size crickets. Crickets and roaches are excellent sources of protein.
Feed your skink about as much live food as they will consume in five minutes. Use gut-loaded insects for food. Pro Tip: Gut loading is when you let your feeder insects feed on nutritious foods before offering them to your reptile. You can buy commercial gut loading food for crickets or feed them nutritious and mineral-rich foods. Lizards need a ratio of calcium to phosphorus. Calcium and vitamin D3 are important for healthy bones.
In the wild, blue-tailed skinks live in hardwood forests, on the edges of thick bush, and in rocky places. You can find them on:. These skinks like to bask on piles of brush and logs. Blue-tailed skinks prefer some moisture. You should aim to create a natural-looking environment for your animal where it can exercise and hide. You can purchase an aquarium or wooden terrarium at a pet store BUT also buy a proper mesh lid that fits.
A good rule of thumb is to offer 20 to 25 gallons of space per skink. Aggressive male-on-male behavior can lead to injuries like bite-wounds. Place plants , logs, bark, and rocks into the habitat to provide places for the skinks to sit and as hiding places. Expert Tip: Use live plants rather than plastic plants to create a natural environment. The back of the skink is usually a lovely golden color that complements the red of the scales. Like some other species of reptiles, fire skinks may exhibit a slight color change.
This color change is usually due to mood or environment, and is typically nothing to worry about. This stocky build really adds to their overall appeal! The average fire skink lifespan is between 15 and 20 years. This makes them a great choice for owners who want to build a strong bond and have their pet for quite a while! Expert Tip: Of course, the lifespan of an African fire skink can be strongly influenced by the quality of care they receive.
A good habitat setup, nutritious diet, and careful handling go a long way. The typical size of a fire skink is 14 to 15 inches in length for males, and a few inches shorter for females. Hatchlings are usually around two inches long and will reach their full size in about a year.
The main factors that can impact their size are care, genetics, and the manner in which they were bred. Buying your reptiles from trustworthy and knowledgeable sellers will increase the chance of you owning a big and healthy fire skink.
Fire skink care is pretty easy compared to other pet lizards. However, they still need to have certain basic requirements met. Your African fire skink is also going to need a healthy, nutritious diet and proper handling. For the health and happiness of your pet, the enclosure needs to be immaculately clean as well. Wipe down dirty areas, scoop up messes from the substrate, and replace the substrate often to prevent mold and mildew build-up. Being consistent about addressing the points above will help you have an enjoyable and long-lasting relationship with your pet!
Making sure that you keep them in the correct tank size will go a long way towards ensuring the health and happiness of your fire skink. We recommend using a glass gallon tank.
Expert Tip: Never put two male African fire skinks together in the same enclosure. They can become very aggressive and will often fight to the death.
If you have a big enough enclosure, you will be able to house a male and several females together. The scales create a spiky look. Each spike curves backward, giving them that crocodilian or dragon-like appearance. Overall, the body of the red-eyed crocodile skink is stout and heavy. They have strong bodies with equally strong legs.
The color of the reptile is relatively muted. Most of the body is covered in a deep brown color. The exception is the belly, which is a lighter tan. Around the eyes, the scales are vibrant reddish-orange. Juveniles are usually lighter in color. They have a thick band of tan that runs along the back. It pairs nicely with the tan-colored head. Expert Tip: Mature adults are sexually dimorphic, but the differences are subtle.
Males will have a stockier build and large pores on the hind feet. Some may even have some orange scales around the umbilical scar. The average red-eyed crocodile skink lifespan is roughly 10 years when kept in captivity. Some lucky owners have reportedly seen their lizards live up to 14 years in captivity, but no official reports or studies can confirm this. From what scientists know so far, the average lifespan in the wild is a mere six years.
Expert Tip: Because this reptile is still quite new to the trade, information is still sparse. But one thing enthusiasts can agree on is that quality of life has an impact on their life expectancy. Poor husbandry and care can lead to bad health, disease, and early death.
The typical red-eyed crocodile skink size is about seven to nine inches when fully-grown. Some may reach lengths of 10 inches, but those instances are rare. Red-eyed crocodile skink care is not an exact science. Enthusiasts are still learning new things about what this species needs and prefers. Luckily, there are some established care guidelines you can follow to provide the best life possible.
They will climb branches every once in a while, but most are going to spend their time on the floor of their habitat. The best enclosure is going to be a traditional terrarium with front-facing doors and vents. Traditional glass aquariums work, too. For instance, Australian blue tongue skinks require a dry substrate, while Indonesian skinks require a humid substrate.
A loose-based substrate is typically loose. Those substrates can produce dust and debris that are ingestible by your blue tongue skinks. Thus, they expose your blue tongue skink to impaction.
Clogging of your blue tongue skink digestive system is what is referred to as impaction. In return, it becomes difficult for your blue tongue skink to move bowels. This condition is extremely serious and can cause death for your blue tongue skink. However, blue tongue skinks are burrowing animals. Thus, they require a soft, loose substrate to burrow in. And, even though wood chips are inadvisable, you can use shredded wood bedding rather than shavings.
It is one of the best substrates to use for all blue tongue species. Also, it creates a natural habitat for blue tongue skink in the terrarium. However, you should only use filtered and hypoallergenic aspen wood beddings.
It is because; they do not contain excessive dust capable of causing respiratory health issues. Also, it is difficult for your blue tongue skinks to ingest larger pieces of wood, and therefore, cannot cause impaction.
They are ingestible, and the dust can cause respiratory infections to your blue tongue skinks. It is the best and safest type of substrate for blue tongue skinks. They do not cause impaction or eye and nose infection. It is because they do not contain ingestible dust. Besides, your blue tongue skink being burrowing animals, they might try to burrow under the carpet. And, ceramic tiles are slippery and thus, not so comfortable for blue tongue skinks.
Thus, you should ensure that you lay down the non-toxic adhesive and topsoil to give it a grip. Blue tongue skinks get dirty quickly, and thus, cleaning their enclosures is essential. Poor sanitation can cause health issues to your blue tongue skinks.
Whichever substrate you choose to use, you should ensure that you remove any droppings as soon as they appear. Also, you should ensure that you disinfect the enclosure at least once a month. And, thoroughly clean your hands as soon as you are done handling the enclosure. Can you imagine living in a void house? It must be boring! Even for blue tongue skinks housing, it is critical to add accessories to make it comfortable and happy. In the wild, blue tongue skinks have a habit of climbing on a rock when basking.
In captivity, you should also provide them with a rock where they can comfortably sit and bask. The rock helps to rise above the ground level and be a bit closer to the UVB.
Blue tongue skinks need to bask for proper health and digestion.
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