New Skink Owner

[Shagrath]

Hello everyone. I recently became an owner of a Golden Skink (On top of owning my Red Eyed Tree Frog & Whites Tree Frog). I have a few questions regarding the care for my skink, as I'm having a really hard time finding information on the care for them.

To start off, I have had my Skink for 3 weeks now. I have him/her in a 10 gallon tank with bark subtrate about 2 inches deep (Which my Skink just LOVES digging in!). I have a larger hiding hollowed out half log on one end of the tank. On the other end, I have a basking log with a plant kind of around it with a heating pad right below (I have a desert heating pad that covers half of the bottom of the tank, so one side is warm, the other cooler for my Skink). I also have a smaller water dish for my Skink.

I know that my Skink will require a certian level of humidity in his tank. I lightly mist the tank down twice a day. Is there a spacific level of humidity the tank has to stay at for my Skink?

Does my Skink require day/night light over head?

For now, I have been putting the odd cricket in for my Skink. I have also put some gratted carrort and a piece of green leaf lettace in, but both went untouched. Should I try meal worms for my Skink as well? How often should I give produce to my Skink?

Thank you all in advanced for your help!

[tegu_man]

would be helpful if you had some pictures. are you talking about Mabuya multifasciatus? if so a quick google comes up with a few care sheets.

[Shagrath]

Skink 2.jpg

Here is a photo of my Skink. I have looked at several care sheets online, but a lot of the information is diffrent, so I'm having a hard time figuring out a few things for my Skink.

[Spankenstyne]

would be helpful if you had some pictures. are you talking about Mabuya multifasciatus? if so a quick google comes up with a few care sheets.

The problem with online care sheets is there isn't any standard of truth required to be upheld, anyone with any level of experience can whip up a "caresheet" and muddy the waters for those looking for basic care information. If someone doesn't have a strong BS detector to sift through to find good info or is inexperienced they can easily be lead down the wrong path. What I would recommend is looking up the areas where they are found in nature. Not just the climate & habitat as a whole, but more importantly looking for information on the microhabitats they inhabit and any behavioural information you can find. Looking for research .pdfs can prove helpful sometimes for this & can help you to try and replicate it's natural conditions in some way. Care sheets at best can offer a starting point to work from & adapt from. As we like to say on here "reasearch research research".

It kinda defeats the purpose of a message board for reptile enthusiasts to discuss promoting education and proper care if we just simply tell people to "google care sheets".

If someone has helpful first-hand experience & information hopefully they will share. Neat looking little skink.

[tegu_man]

Had I any information I would have shared it, as it is I don't. was hoping a picture may help some of the more broadly informed of us to identify it and help from there.

[Spankenstyne]

Plus it's aways enjoyable to see pics of people animals

[Shagrath]

Thank you both so much for your help and input. I guess it helps that I've owned a Leapord Gecko in the past, so from the little bits of information I can find online, I can make sence and figure out a few things for my Skink. My Skink seems to be thriving at the very least, though I don't see him/her much, as he/she just loves to burrow and hide in the substrate.

If anyone who's experianced with these little guys also happens to know what gender of Skink I have from the picture I posted, please let me know. I have a feeling that I might have a Female, as the stripe of colour along my Skunks side is pretty dull (I have heard that males are very bright). Thank you in advanced.

[tegu_man]

well it looks similar to schneiders skinks and fire skinks, I would venture a guess that they all act similarly birrowing under the sub and hiding all the time. I just don't have any idea where your guy is from to make any reasonable assumption about temps or humidity.