Small skinks to keep in a captive colony?

[snakeynewbie]

The impending move of my blueys nt an outdoor pit has me contemplating what to do with my six foot tank and I'd love som ideas or even pics if anyone has any of small critters who will live happily ia colony type arrangement.they don't have to be stunning, I have a lot of interest in lovely little things like garden skinks,etc. I'd like to landscape the whole tank and include a small waterfall and pond. Does anyone know if common garden skinks are readily available in the hobby and how I would go about finding them?


I'd prefer something relatively cheap, I spend so much on feeding my critters already tha it's hard to justify big purchases to my long suffering other half. . :lol:

 

[jinjajoe]

Hosmers ?? Tree or Cunninghams ?? all cheap with bags of character & all will display the wild characteristics you are seeking in the large 6 footer you describe......

 

[ianinoz]

Why not a bunch of garden skinks ? Those little guys live in colonies and from what I've heard they even have communal nurseries where all the females deposit their eggs.

They'd be great fun to have and watch and being small, would be cheap to feed.

 

[GeckoRider]

I can move into the 6 footer if you like? .. i would say Cunningham's.. Not as big as bluetongues and they act more wild

 

[HonestPirate]

Good call Joe; man Ive been quietly admiring Cunninghams at our local pet emporium lately; tonnes of character !!!

 

[-Peter]

Someone expresses interest in the smaller varieties of skink and they get toldto size up. We need more people to get into the little guys, so start being positive. There are a few people around, you might give Danny Brown an email. Ive kept various common species in the past and they are a lot of fun. Some of the species lay communally, theres lots of interaction at different times of the year. You just need appropriate sized food when the young arrive.

 

[snakeynewbie]

Actually honest pirate I'd love a little colony of Garden skinks, I'm just not sure hw to get a hold of them egally, I'd rather not risk the wrath of decc if they ever decide to pay me a visit

 

[Specks]

from what i know i thought the werent on the reptile keepers list

 

[HonestPirate]

We need more people to get into the little guys..... so start being positive.

Ok, well they POSITIVELY exist up here in PLAGUE proportions. Really ? GARDEN skinks


Dan may have kept those commons; but I guarantee they wouldn't be his first recommendation !!!!

 

[snakeynewbie]

Didn't check that, would certainly stuff that plan!

Can anyone who knows their species well have a look and le me know which species off the NSW list might suit? I used to ave a cunninghams but I want something smaller than that.

I rescued on this morning where the neighbors concreter inadvertently broomed him off the path, just put my hand down and he hopped straight on and then sat on my hand and chilled for a minute before I walked over o the garden and put my hand down for him to hop off. The are interesting little critters and many have more personality than my blue tongues.

A lot of you give him hell but I do understand why Ian likes his skinks o much, they are real little characters.

 

[snakeynewbie]

As such Ian's contribution of 'why not kee garden skinks' was perfectly valid, a whole bunch of posts from people who insist on bombarding every post with giggling school girlish gibes at Ian isn't helpful.

I like common garden skinks, as I pointed out in fact in my very fist post, if I wanted something like a cunninghams I would have asked about larger skinks but I didn't I asked about very small species. You'll notice that Ian didn't suggest EWS because unlike many others in this thread he realized I was requesting info on what I could keep that was smaller.

Thanks Ian for your contribution, if anyone else would be able to make some small species suggestions I would greatly appreciate it

 

[GeckPhotographer]

I'd love to keep a whole bunch of little skinks too, if I could find them. I would suggest one that is a round, not that common in the trade is Morethis boulengeri, great little skinks with tons of character.

 

[Mister_Snakes]

When I was young I kept Weasel Skinks in a large aquarium. They were great fun to watch, I used to pick these little white worms from rotting timber out the back of my house and they loved them.

Not condoning taking animals from the wild, I was very young and not sure there were actually any wildlife licenses back. But I can see the fun in keeping some of the little skinks.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

All the skinks on a NSW class one.

Acritoscincus platynota Red-Throated Cool-Skink 2464 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Anomalopus brevicollis Short-Necked Worm-Skink 2039 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Anomalopus verreauxii Three-Clawed Worm-Skink 2295 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink Painted Ground-Dragon 2199 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Dragon
Ctenotus regius Pale-Rumped Ctenotus 2374 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Ctenotus robustus Robust Ctenotus 2375 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Ctenotus taeniolatus Copper-Tailed Ctenotus 2386 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Cyclodomorphus casuarinae She-Oak Slender Bluetongue 2574 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Cyclodomorphus gerrardii Pink-Tongued Skink 2575 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Cyclodomorphus michaeli Mainland She-oak Skink 2866 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia cunninghami Cunningham's Spiny-Tailed Skink 2408 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia frerei Major Skink 2411 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia hosmeri Hosmer's Spiny-Tailed Skink 2412 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia inornata Unadorned Desert-Skink 2413 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia kingii King's Skink 2414 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia major Land Mullet 2417 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia modesta Eastern Ranges Rock-Skink 2419 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia saxatilis Black Crevice-Skink 2425 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia stokesii Gidgee Spiny-Tailed Skink 2427 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia striolata Tree-Crevice Skink 2429 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Egernia whitii White's Rock-Skink 2430 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Eremiascincus fasciolatus Narrow-Banded Sand-Swimmer 2437 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Eremiascincus richardsonii Broad-Banded Sand-Swimmer 2438 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Eulamprus quoyii Eastern Water-Skink 2557 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Eulamprus tenuis Bar-Sided Forest-Skink 2559 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Lampropholis delicata Dark-Flecked Garden Sunskink 2450 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Lampropholis guichenoti Pale-Flecked Garden Sunskink 2451 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Lerista bougainvillii South-Eastern Slider 2475 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 SkinkMorethia boulengeri South-Eastern Morethia Skink 2526 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Tiliqua nigrolutea Blotched Bluetongue 2578 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Tiliqua rugosa Shingleback Lizard 2583 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Tiliqua scincoides Common Bluetongue 2580 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Tiliqua scincoides x Tiliqua nigrolutea Eastern / Blotched Bluetongue Hybrid T168 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink

 

[MathewB]

Eastern Water Skinks if your putting in a water fall.

 

[snakeynewbie]

Thanks GP but short of googling every single one I don't really have enough skink knowledge to know which would suit my purposes, I probably don't want to go any larger than about 3-4 inches maximum(smaller is fine though) and I want something that would live happily in a colony of 5 to 10 individuals in a well furnished six foot tank.

Thanks mathew but they are probably just a bit big for what I'm wanting this time around.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Ok my recommendations pending you can find some.

Acritoscincus platynota Red-Throated Cool-Skink 2464 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Ctenotus taeniolatus Copper-Tailed Ctenotus 2386 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Eulamprus tenuis Bar-Sided Forest-Skink 2559 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Morethia boulengeri (was menat to be on original list looks like copy paste failed._
Lampropholis delicata Dark-Flecked Garden Sunskink 2450 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink
Lampropholis guichenoti Pale-Flecked Garden Sunskink 2451 R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 Skink

 

[snakeynewbie]

Thanks heaps, I'll do some googling on those species and start hunting once my blueys are moved out and the tank can be refitted

 

[GeckPhotographer]

By the way the latter three I know are okay in small colonies, the former three I'm not sure. I think the Ctenotus and Eulamprus should be ok with plenty of hides, the Eulamprus really like climbing and pieces of wood with cracks. The Acritoscincus may be more solitary. Generally the bigger skinks do better with colonies than smaller. Let me know if you find any of these guys I'd be interested in keeping some too. Best of luck.

 

[snakeynewbie]

Thanks for your help GP,I'll PM you if I have any luck, seems like an easier way to have an intelligent conversation.