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Tanzanian Legless skinks

ShannanD25

ShannanD25

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I am looking for any great info on these guys. I can't seem to find too much on the web. I am looking into getting a pair and dabbling in breeding them. Anyone have info?

Thanks
 
Shannon,

You're right there isn't much info available at all.

The one and only person I know working with them is Dave Tracer (Ophidiophile here on the forums).

I'll see if I still have any emails from when I was discussing husbandry with him.
 
Hi there. I saw my name here and decided to chime in. I have a colony of 6 Acontias skinks that I've been maintaining for several months. They seem to be doing well and I haven't lost any (though initially one arrived DOA). I am keeping them all together in a 32 quart sterilite in a rack system. The ambient temp is around 78 and heat tape at the back/bottom of the container provides a hot spot that is about 8-10 degrees warmer. For substrate, I'm using mostly sterilized compost with a small bit of cypress mulch mixed in. They burrow in it like crazy. If you get them - don't expect to see them much, they spend just about all their time underground except when it is completely dark in the room. I do keep a water dish in the cage at all times and I also mist the cage down several times per week, though I've actually never seen them drink from either source. I have tried feeding them roach nymphs, small crickets, small earthworms ('red wigglers') and mealworms, and the only food sources I can say with certainty that they've eaten are the earthworms and mealworms. They just seem too slow to catch crickets or roaches except occasionally by chance. They do much better with slow moving prey and I suspect that in the wild, they are probably specialty feeders on worms and insect larvae. They seem to shed every 4-6 weeks and, like snakes, go opaque and turn a bright blue-grey. If they have enough humidity, they mostly shed in one piece like a snake.
According to the lit., Acontias percivali are live bearers (ovoviviparous) and have 1-5 neonates at a time. I have made guesses about the sexes of mine on the basis of hemipenal bulges at the tail, but I'm not 100% positive.
Overall, I have found these skinks to be pretty hardy and easy to care for. They are also docile, though every once in a while, one will try to nip me.
That's about it. If you have any more specific questions feel free to email.
 
Thanks for the info.
I don't know why but these guys fascinate me. Probably becuase I am afraid of snakes and this is the closest to a snake I'll ever get:)

Are most that are available now days wild caught or captive bred?
 
To my knowledge, they have not yet been cb in the US. All the available ones lately are wild-caught imports.
 
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