Skink Care

  •     Care Difficulty – Moderate
  •  Average Life Span – Up to 15+ years with proper care depending on species
  •    Average Adult Size – Up to 24 inches long, depending on species
  •  Diet – Blue-tongues – omnivore
    African fire skink – carnivore
  •  Minimum Habitat Size - 36" long x 18” wide x 10” high for one adult

Habitat size

An appropriately sized and shaped habitat to accommodate normal behavior and exercise is needed. A juvenile skink may be housed in a 20-gallon aquarium. A glass tank may be used to house an adult skink, as long as it is well ventilated. The minimum size habitat for an adult is 36” long x 18” wide x 10” high. The habitat should have a tightly fitting mesh top to prevent escape. Skinks will reach adult size in 1 to 3 years, depending on species and under ideal conditions; upgrade habitat size as your reptile grows.

 

Building your habitat 

  • Habitat - Provide a hiding area and substrate for skink to burrow in. Maintain greater than 70% humidity by misting and soaking in a shallow bowl of warm water every day to help ensure the skink stays hydrated. Provide a humid hide box (commercially available hide or upside-down plastic box with a cutout door containing damp sphagnum moss) to increase humidity for proper shedding. A humidity gauge (hygrometer) should be used to monitor humidity levels. 
  • Décor - Skinks are more comfortable when they have plants, low rocks and logs where they can hide if they want. However, as they need a lot of surface area to move around, don’t overcrowd their habitats with décor  
  • Substrate - Commercially available, pelleted, paper-based bedding, reptile carpet, coconut fiber, cypress mulch mixed with damp sphagnum moss, or Aspen shavings can be used as substrate. Cedar chips, walnut shells, orchid bark and sand are all indigestible if consumed and can potentially lead to life-threatening gastrointestinal tract obstruction. Substrate should be 2 to 3" deep as skinks love to dig and burrow 
  • Temperature – Skinks require a daytime temperature gradient (95 to 100°F in the basking zone to 75 to 85°F for the cool zone). Nighttime temperatures should not fall below 70°F. There should be at least two thermometers or a point-and-shoot temperature gun to monitor habitat temperatures. Use an incandescent light or ceramic heat bulb as a primary heat source during the day, with a ceramic heat bulb or a red incandescent bulb at night. Do not use a hot rock for heat, as reptiles who sit on them commonly get burned  
  • Lighting – Skinks require full-spectrum ultraviolet (UV) light for 10 to 12 hours a day to ensure they receive adequate UVB exposure to make vitamin D in their skin so that they can absorb dietary calcium.  Skinks without adequate UV light exposure are prone to developing metabolic bone disease with skeletal deformities, bone fractures and potential death

 

Cleaning your habitat

Thoroughly clean and disinfect water and food bowls daily. The habitat should be spot-cleaned daily to remove droppings and discarded food. Thoroughly clean the habitat at least once a week: 

  • Place skink in a secure habitat 
  • Scrub the tank and furnishings with a reptile habitat cleaner or 3% bleach solution 
  • Rinse the tank and all furnishings thoroughly with water, removing all traces of habitat cleaner or bleach smell 
  • Dry the tank and furnishings before putting the skink back in the habitat  

 

Feeding  

What to feed your tropical skink: 

  • Blue-tongued species are omnivores and eat:  
    • 50% fresh vegetables such as leafy green vegetables (collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens), squash, peas, Brussel sprouts, carrots and bell peppers 
    • 40% protein. Such as insects (including gut-loaded [recently fed] crickets, roaches, earthworms and mealworms), hard-boiled eggs and frozen/thawed feeder rodents for larger skinks
    • 10% fresh fruit such as mango, papaya, cantaloupe, figs and berries 
  • African fire skinks are carnivores and eat a variety of insects, including gut-loaded  crickets, roaches, waxworms, butterworms, silkworms and mealworms. An occasional frozen/thawed pinkie mouse may be given as a treat. Adult fire skinks should be fed every two to three days
  • Skinks should, in general, be offered as great a variety in their diet as possible so they don’t get bored and stop eating

Things to remember when feeding your tropical skink:

  • Fresh, clean water should be available at all times 
  • Feed juveniles daily and adults every two to three days 
  • Chop vegetables and fruits for blue-tongued skinks to make them easier to eat 
  • Vitamin supplementation should be alternated every day by sprinkling food lightly with powdered calcium without vitamin D and calcium with vitamin D, plus a multivitamin supplement once a week. Insects can be lightly dusted with calcium and vitamin supplements by placing them inside a plastic bag with the powdered supplements and shaking the bag lightly to coat the insects prior to feeding them to the lizard 
  • Vegetables and fruits not eaten within 10 hours should be discarded 
  • Offer food from a shallow dish or feeding tank rather than feeding off the habitat floor to lessen accidental ingestion of substrate

 

Tropical skink care

Skinks regularly shed their skin; ensure humidity of habitat is at the appropriate level (40 to 60%) to allow proper shedding. To facilitate shedding, soak in warm water in a large, shallow container that allows the skink to immerse their entire body but that is easy to climb out of, as skinks are not good swimmers. Alternatively, provide a shed box, a hide box with damp sphagnum moss that will aid in shedding.

 

Habitat mates 

House adult skinks separately, and do not house different reptile species together. Occasionally, a male/female pair or two females may be housed together, but they must be monitored closely for fighting.

 

Health  

Signs of a healthy skink 

  • Active and alert 
  • Clear, bright eyes with no swelling or discharge 
  • Full, muscular tail 
  • Supple skin with no sores, swellings or discoloration 
  • Droppings are firm, not runny or bloody 
  • Eats and passes stool regularly 
  • Clear nose and vent 

Red flags (If you notice any of these signs, contact your veterinarian.) 

  • Weight loss or decreased appetite 
  • Discharge or bubbles from eyes, mouth or nose 
  • Lesions, swelling or discoloration of skin or retained shed  
  • Lethargy 
  • Sneezing, runny nose, difficulty breathing 
  • Weakness or paralysis of limbs 
  • Runny or bloody stool or lack of stool