Cunningham skink info please lots of questions!

[andy1990]

hi everyone, now i have searched the form today been reading alot but still have some questions, my room mates cat caught a cunningham skink took me a while to get it out of the house (really hard to catch, fast) and then the next day the cat brought him back again! so i had words with the cat (i hate cats)... anyways hes was looking a bit under the weather (as you would to if a cat tried to kill you twice 2 days in a row) so i made a little house for him and hes looking ok so far but u can tell hes been in a fight with a cat (dam cats), his mum must be close by right???? how big do they get??? because i believe he is a baby because he is about 9 cms long, anyway..

i want to care for him till he recovers from this ordeal he has been put through you can tell he is very happy atm, i went o the pet shop and got him some meal worms and a strawberry, got him in a plastic box about 40cm long by 25cm and 30 cms tall lots of air holes and a 50watt daytime heat light, now comes all the questions..

1. how long do i leave the heat light on??? cos it feels very hot after a while! and i dont know if its to hot for him or not remember its a plastic box.
2. how often do i feed him? how much do i feed him? what do i feed him?
3. how old would he be? he is 9-10 cms long
4. how do i know he is healthy? is it by the thickness of his tail?
5. if i am caring for him (not keeping him) do i need a license and if i was to put him back in the garden do i need to find where his mother is? as i read they are family dependent.
6. is my enclosure big enough and what should i have in it, i have photos below.
7. at night time is it ok to turn the heat light off, i dont want him to die of cold.

that's all i can think of at the moment any help would be great.

p.s after a while with the heat light on maybe 45-60 mins he will just go nuts and try and climb the wall is that cos its to hot for him or is that his way of saying i want out? only happens when the heat light is on.

 

[Tsubakai]

If it has been bitten by a cat it will die without veterinary treatment as it will need a course of antibiotics.

 

[andy1990]

ok, so should i take it to the vet? or pet shop? is there any of those other questions you could answer? would be helpful.

If it has been bitten by a cat it will die without veterinary treatment as it will need a course of antibiotics.

 

[MathewB]

If required take it to a vet not a pet shop, they'd be more then useless.

See if you can find a reptile vet or even better an organization like WIRES/Wildcare

 

[Bluetongue1]

1.how long do i leave the heat light on??? cos it feels very hot after a while! and i dont know if its to hot for him or not remember its a plastic box.
You need a thermometer to determine the actual temperature within the container. Otherwise you could end up killing it from overheating. There should be a range of temperatures from 30[SUP]o[/SUP]C (no higher than 32[SUP]o[/SUP]C) at the warm end and at least 5[SUP]o[/SUP]C cooler at the other end. You may need to increase the ventilation at the cooler end to help. It is very important to ensure there is fresh water available at all times. Also bear in mind that the temperature inside will go and down with changes in the surrounding air temperature. So without a thermostat to turn the heat off on hot days, you might be better to just leave it off .

2. how often do i feed him? how much do i feed him? what do i feed him?
Offer it as much as it wants to eat three times per week. I have discussed diet on your other thread.

3. how old would he be? he is 9-10 cms long
Sounds like it might be this year’s young, late summer, early autumn.

4. how do i know he is healthy? is it by the thickness of his tail?
By the level of activity when it is warm. If it takes off at a rate of knots when you suddenly appear, then it is healthy. If it is eating well then this is another good sign. Bear in mind they will not eat if stressed, too cold or feeling threatened. So put the food in and don’t enter the room for at least 30 mins to give it a chance to settle and then eat.

5. if i am caring for him (not keeping him) do i need a license and if i was to put him back in the garden do i need to find where his mother is? as i read they are family dependent.
To legally care for any injured wildlife requires a licence. Although the young will often stay with the parents for a number of years, they are not dependent upon them. Some young stay on, others go off and make their own way.

6. is my enclosure big enough and what should i have in it, i have photos below.
It is if you can maintain a proper heat gradient for it. The lizard needs to be able to chose to warm up or cool off so it can keep its body at the right temperature.

7. at night time is it ok to turn the heat light off, i dont want him to die of cold.
If it is kept indoors, turn off the heating light and the lizard will be fine. And 8 to 10 hours light during the dqay is adequate.

It sounds like the skink is still healthy. However, you should examine for puncture wounds from the cat’s teeth and if it has any, get it to a reptile vet because they can introduce infection. Explain up front it is a wild animal and just check with them that you will not be charged for the treatment, which is normal procedure.

If you know whereabouts in your yard it lives, you can try spreading out some chook wire, supported on brick, over the area where it basks and forages. They do not wand3er too far from cover. That will help to keep the cat at bay.

Blue