Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

Gimmers · I'm new here... Joined: 02 Feb 2007 Posts: 3

Hi all! I'm new to this forum, but in no way new to herp keeping!
A couple of weeks ago I was in Chirk (Wales) on training and came across a Garden Centre there, and noticed that they had an Aquatics section so headed in tat direction only to find a Reptile section hidden away in the corner. I was having a browse when I came across some interesting little lizards that had only just arrived. On the viv there was a label saying 'Blue tailed Lizards', I asked the guy for a Latin name, but was told that the supplier never gave one. I said that it was fine, as it was obviously a skink of some kind, and maybe a blue-tailed skink. He looked at me weird when I said 'Skink', as if I was like the little kids you see in Pet shops who point at every lizard and say "Oh look... it's an Iguana!!!". However, I decided to buy the whole lot, 4 to be exact. I did some research and the best match I found was on a German website, they were called 'Rainbow Skinks' and the pictures matched perfectly. I got them home and observed them for a few days, and playing around with temps and so on as I had very little info to go on. I started with a 60w basking bulb suspended 6" above the basking rocks. I found that the lizards seemed to spend all day under the bulb rather than regulating, so I jumped up to a 100w just to see what happened, they still spend the bulk of the time close to the basking area, but when basking they raise all 4 limbs up as not to touch the rocks, and lie there for 5 minutes and then run off. The basking spot seemed to be too hot when I dropped some wax worms on the rock and 2 minutes later they'd died, however when I reduced the temperature by a few degrees they seemed less active and once again spent all day just lying under the bulb. After only 2 days of having the 4 skinks, I had become as fascinated watching them go about their lives and feed as I do watching Ackies. Most people say that Skinks are clumsy hunters, but they seem to be more like Laser guided eating machines. As I'm writing this post, I've been irritated by a fly, and no matter how hard I've been trying I haven't been able to get within 4' of it, then it landed on the glass of the Skink viv and I opened the door slightly and it flew in, once in the viv, it seemed supercharged and was hard to follow with the eye, yet one of the skinks jumped up and caught it, on it's first attempt, Ace!!!! Well I ordered another 4 of them, which arrived on Thursday, however they had black backs with 3 green/yellow lines running down their backs, whereas the first 4 have silver/green backs with 3 faint lines, so they're either Juveniles (they are slightly smaller by 1" than the first 4!), or females, in my opinion!

I'm keeping them in a semi-arid setup at the moment, and all 8 are housed in a 48"x18"x18" viv. The substrate is a 3" deep soil/compost mix by Terrano, that's been dried out, and easy for them to bury themselves in. They don't seem interested in creating burrows, but are more like Sand fish as in they like to move through the loose soil! I'm feeding them on Crickets, mealworms and waxworms... Oh not forgetting the occasional fly! Laughing

Sorry for rambling on, I intended on a short first post!!

I'm not sure whether these pictures will come out larger than the page. If it does, sorry!!

The moisture on the back wall was only temporary whilst the new substrate dried out!

goldenburm · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 8:49 am Post subject:

best of luck with your new beasties!!
_________________
1.0 striped supersalmon DEAD
0.1 salmon poss TH moonglow DEAD
0.1 Orangasm DH ghost DEAD
1.0 pastel motley DEAD
2.0 sunglows 1.0 LIVING
1.1 pastel het snow 0.1 LIVING
2.2 albino boas DEAD
0.2 albino ara's DEAD
0.4 boa constrictors 0.2 LIVING

jacobsecology · Contributing Member Joined: 01 Jul 2006 Posts: 153

cool looking skinks. see what you mean about not much info. do you have a latin name?

HerpCrazy!!! · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 11:04 pm Post subject:

They look a little like the Robust skink Cyclodina alani. Can't be sure though, can you get a dorsal shot? And what do the smaller fellas look like please? Smile

They do look really cool!
_________________
Licking this cane toad was the worst flippin idea you.............whoa man that penguin just put something in your pocket.

Gimbo · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:21 am Post subject:

Gimbo · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:23 am Post subject:

Gimbo · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:33 am Post subject:

I'm believing now that 4-5 of the smaller skinks are Female, as the dominenet male is trying to mate with all of them, the appears to be 2, possibly 3 males. The males (as I've guessed, are considerably bigger and have a different head structure.

More description of the Species.
1, They have transparent eye lids.
2, Love heat, hotter than you'd expect, however they raise their limbs from the rock.
3, They seem to hunt together on occasion.
4, They love to swim through soil.
5, They will climb if given the opportunity.
6, Although skitty, they become very trusting easily, mainly due to the fact that I sit in-front of their viv for hours on end every day.
7, When they catch food, they run to the basking area before devouring it!
That's all for now!

Gimbo · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 10:38 pm Post subject:

I was right, just found another set of photos with a matching latin name! Very Happy

http://www.reptilis.org/mabuya quinq.htm

[img]http://www.reptilis.org/mabuya q/2.jpg[/img]

Update: I've had several eggs so far, although I'm always too late and they're dried out Sad

But at the rate they fire eggs out, I'll strike lucky!