how to make sure skink stays hydrated?

[wummma]

hey! I have a northern bluey that is around a year old give or take, and he's a pretty healthy little dude. however, he had a weird urate passing the other day which i researched and it was common, (most likely too much calcium or mild dehydration) and nothing super major that requires a vet visit. his calcium is under control, but does anyone have advice on how to hydrate their skink? mine has multiple water options that i clean daily but i rarely see him drinking (he does however love to just sit in his water bowl). ive tried trickling water near his face and he will lick a couple of times, but then immediately walk away. just wondering if theres anything i can be doing (or if im being paranoid, lol)

[splashy07]

They will drink when they need to. I've got one that sits in water pre-shed, but not habitually.
What type substrate do you use? Do his belly scales feel dry? I don't know if this helps but all of mine seem to like to drink water immediately after it being changed, therefore I change it often.

[wummma]

thanks for the reply, I use aspen for him, and his belly seems fine. I've spoken to a couple other bluey owners and it turns out BTS are just weird ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
turns out mine loves to lick water off of a rock, and I've seen others that like to lick it off of the windows of their cage. Any recommendations would be great though:)

[Janella]

I would personally do away with the aspen substrate. It can be too dry and dusty for BTS. As Splashy said, skinks usually don't have a problem with drinking unless they are sick.

[wummma]

thanks for the reply!
I make sure with the aspen when I get a bag I poke holes and beat it to release any dust, and I'll be switching to half aspen and half homemade substrate (reptile safe and dust free homemade woodchips/pieces). I also mist him lightly every day. Is having aspen still a super severe issue given this information?

[splashy07]

Doing without it is recommended. It's not possible to 'release' the dust it creates.