Pet Blue Tailed Skink - Setup and Care
My two are always exploring and finding new friends. Dad found a baby Blue tailed skink or "American five-lined skink" in our garage and caught it in a little viewing tank. The kids fell in love and asked to keep it, fortunately they are easy to care for and awesome to observe! The hardest part is catching them!
Meet Blu, here he is snacking on a mealworm:
The following info is from Pet Depot and you can download the care sheet here!
Appropriate size habitat for adult skink to exercise and roam. Provide hiding areas consisting of branches and/or hide box. A log or rock for basking.
Skinks like to burrow. Deep mulch or sand type bedding. Create a dense leafy area for hiding and another area for basking. Provide clean, chlorine-free water in a shallow bowl that cannot be tipped over.
Provide 12-14 hrs of light daily. Use a UVB flourescent bulb with full spectrum. Incandes- cent light is needed for basking area.
Temperature should range from 90F(high) basking area at one end to 75F(low) cooling off area at the other end. Radiant heat is recommended; use an incandescent light or ceramic heater as the primary heat source.
Mist the enclosure lightly once a day. Humid- ity should be between 55% and 75%.
Live gut-loaded crickets, mealworms and waxworms. Sprinkle food with calcium daily and with a mineral supplement once or twice a week.
Males should be housed separately.
Up to 18 inches long 15+ years.
What you will need:
*Click on photos for direct links*
Bedding
Misting Bottle
Climbing Branches
Water
Food
*Our guy loves mealworms and crickets! He is just a baby so we feed him daily. As he gets older, we can switch to a 3-4 day feeding schedule. They should be allowed to eat as many insects as they wish thing a 5 minute period. Do not leave insects in their cage for long periods of time. This could affect their prey drive. We also offer him leafy greens and a fruit/veggie daily.
Basking Rock or Log Food & Water Dish Hiding Box
*We used this neat aquarium triceratops skull as a place for him to hide and cool himself. We also found a good sized flat river rock to put under the light to serve as a basking area! He likes to make tunnels under it and hide!
Terrarium with Secure Lid
Calcium & Mineral Supplements
Incandescent Light or Ceramic Heater Fluorescent Light
Thermometer + Humidity Gauge
*Some U.S. states impose general restrictions on taking reptiles including native American five-lined skinks from the wild without a permit or hunting license, for example Maryland (no more than 4 may be possessed without a permit),[14] Indiana[15] and Ohio.[16]
