Blue Tailed Care?

[AvandisFifth187]

I'm looking into possibly getting a blue tailed skink in the future and I was wondering what care is required.

What kind of heat?
Substrate?
Moisture?
Food?
Hides?

I'm having alot of troulbe finding good information on the net. Thanks in advance!

 

[MDC_Ophiuchus]

I'm having alot of troulbe finding good information on the net. Thanks in advance!

This is probably because these lizards are not commonly kept as pets. They are often too fast for most people to bother catching, and if they somehow end up as captives, their feisty & squirmy attitudes are usually enough to deter most folks from keeping them long term.

However, temperment aside, skinks in general are fairly durable captives. A 10g tank would suffice for one individual. Some loose substrate like top soil or eco-earth would be ideal, although I suppose aspen shavings or cypress mulch would be fine. Humidity should be around 40-50%.

Although the requirement of UVB lighting for skinks is still somewhat controversial, I would still suggest that it is offered. A small heat lamp providing a basking surface of about 90'F should be okay.

These lizards eat mostly small invertebrates. Small crickets and small mealworms would probably satisfy most larger specimens, but you may have trouble finding appropriately-sized prey for the tiny juveniles.

I hope this helps.
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I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm going to entertain the possibility that you may be seeking info on the blue-tongued skink, which is a distinctly different lizard in many ways. If this is so, let us all know and we can help you accordingly.

 

[AvandisFifth187]

Thanks for the info. I was looking at blue-tongued skinks at one point, but I decided that the african blue-tailed skink was a better choice for me.

 

[MDC_Ophiuchus]

Oh ok....I was mainly thinking of our native 5-lined skinks of the U.S. when I was answering your questions (because of their blue tails as juveniles).

I've never heard of anyone specifically mentioned the African species as pets. However, except for a possible size difference, I would imagine the husbandry is pretty close.