Blue-Tailed Skink help.

[Tristan's 6000 Fish]

My sister turns 21 on the 19th so I wanted to get her a blue-tailed skink for her birthday. I bought it online and he seems to be in good condition, currently... She's always wanted one because of the blue-ish purple tail (her favourite colour), so I figured it'd be a good present.I believe she is capable of taking car of it, as she has a Tiger Chameleon ( I believe), a honey bee ball python, and a Zip-tie snake. She gets her degree in herpetology from GSU in June, so I'd believe she'd know how to care for one.

I've done a little research, but was wondering if yall had suggestions on a tank size, and set-up ideas.

I'll be headin to Petco for a (TEMPORARY) tank in an hour, until I head down to Statesboro. I have a Northern Ivory blue-tounged Skink, so I believe similar care would be logical for the blue tail, since they are similar species and both Lizards .I also googled care for them, just in case.

 

[tlindsey]

My sister turns 21 on the 19th so I wanted to get her a blue-tailed skink for her birthday. I bought it online and he seems to be in good condition, currently... She's always wanted one because of the blue-ish purple tail (her favourite colour), so I figured it'd be a good present.I believe she is capable of taking car of it, as she has a Tiger Chameleon ( I believe), a honey bee ball python, and a Zip-tie snake. She gets her degree in herpetology from GSU in June, so I'd believe she'd know how to care for one.

I've done a little research, but was wondering if yall had suggestions on a tank size, and set-up ideas.

I'll be headin to Petco for a (TEMPORARY) tank in an hour, until I head down to Statesboro. I have a Northern Ivory blue-tounged Skink, so I believe similar care would be logical for the blue tail, since they are similar species and both Lizards .I also googled care for them, just in case.

That's very nice you got the skink for your sister. Tbh I've only kept a Mali Uromastyx.
Hopefully the thread below will help.
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...ngue-skink-care-guide-and-info-thread.740605/

 

[CrunchyLobster123]

My sister turns 21 on the 19th so I wanted to get her a blue-tailed skink for her birthday. I bought it online and he seems to be in good condition, currently... She's always wanted one because of the blue-ish purple tail (her favourite colour), so I figured it'd be a good present.I believe she is capable of taking car of it, as she has a Tiger Chameleon ( I believe), a honey bee ball python, and a Zip-tie snake. She gets her degree in herpetology from GSU in June, so I'd believe she'd know how to care for one.

I've done a little research, but was wondering if yall had suggestions on a tank size, and set-up ideas.

I'll be headin to Petco for a (TEMPORARY) tank in an hour, until I head down to Statesboro. I have a Northern Ivory blue-tounged Skink, so I believe similar care would be logical for the blue tail, since they are similar species and both Lizards .I also googled care for them, just in case.

I’d be careful getting anyone live animals as pets although I know you mean well it’s always good to ask first you never know if they have the space and time for an extra animal and if it potentially has parasites or disease that could be introduced.
Aside from that, care for these guys is fairly simple they’re insectivores so offer mealworms, soldier fly larvae, crickets, roaches, etc, variety will be key care and setup wise a 20 gallon long would be the bare minimum with a 40 breeder being ideal for adults, a decent basking bulb (75 or so watts depending on you’re enclosures size) linear UVB bulbs, for setup a mix of eco earth or organic topsoil, sand, sphagnum moss, and some repti chip or cypress mulch. You could also find already mixed substrate like reptisoil or one stuff from the biodude, if also offer lots of different hides in the form of slate rocks and cork bark and cork rounds lots of leaf litter and a bunch of either fake or live plants, they’re not the boldest reptiles out there and are quite shy and skittish so lots of cover will make them feel more comfortable.

 

[Tristan's 6000 Fish]

Thank you. I have a Northern Ivory Blue-Tounged Skink, so I made the setup for the new guy similar, just smaller. He's only 4 inches so I got a 40 gallon tank. I'll get some live plants tomorrow, I think. Depends on what time I get off work. At the latest I'll have thm Sunday.

I’d be careful getting anyone live animals as pets although I know you mean well it’s always good to ask first you never know if they have the space and time for an extra animal and if it potentially has parasites or disease that could be introduced.
Aside from that, care for these guys is fairly simple they’re insectivores so offer mealworms, soldier fly larvae, crickets, roaches, etc, variety will be key care and setup wise a 20 gallon long would be the bare minimum with a 40 breeder being ideal for adults, a decent basking bulb (75 or so watts depending on you’re enclosures size) linear UVB bulbs, for setup a mix of eco earth or organic topsoil, sand, sphagnum moss, and some repti chip or cypress mulch. You could also find already mixed substrate like reptisoil or one stuff from the biodude, if also offer lots of different hides in the form of slate rocks and cork bark and cork rounds lots of leaf litter and a bunch of either fake or live plants, they’re not the boldest reptiles out there and are quite shy and skittish so lots of cover will make them feel more comfortable.

 

[Tristan's 6000 Fish]

That's very nice you got the skink for your sister. Tbh I've only kept a Mali Uromastyx.
Hopefully the thread below will help.
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...ngue-skink-care-guide-and-info-thread.740605/

Thank-you. I have a Northern Ivory Blue-Tounged Skink. He's 13in. long rn. It seems the blue-tailed and blue-tounged are relatively similar in care, from that thread, and what Ive read online.

 

[jjohnwm]

I've had a fair bit of experience with Blue-tongued Skinks, and they are very easily fed because they do not require live moving food.

I've never had a Blue-tailed Skink, but observed them frequently and at length in Point Pelee National Park in Ontario where I grew up. They were the only species of lizard to be found in the wild there, and one of very few in Canada. I am not certain, but I suspect they might be similar to the majority of small insectivorous lizards in not being able to recognize non-moving items as food. Such animals can literally starve while surrounded by inert, motionless food.

Again, I'm not certain, but I would suggest checking into this before selecting one to keep. Your sister already has a chameleon so she is probably well-prepared to deal with this idiosyncrasy.

 

[Tristan's 6000 Fish]

She's the reptile person, I'm the fish person. I got my bachlors degree in ichthyology, she's about to get hers in herpetology. Tbh it was a waste of time and money. Never got a job doing anything fish related.

Your sister already has a chameleon so she is probably well-prepared to deal with this idiosyncrasy.