Zeke is looking faaaabulous~

[Nae]

Well, for a while Zeke was looking quite dull and yucky, so I thought that perhaps we was about to shed. I waited and waited and waited...But then he just disappeared. Now, because I painted the inside of his hide black, I cant see in more then about 2" from the entrance, so I couldnt see him. But, whenever I left food out, went to work and then came home, it was gone, so I knew he was ok, so I just left him be. But its been about 5 days since I last saw more then his head, so I decided to tempt him out with some grape.

And there he was, looking stunning And I swear hes grown bigger! Mum disagrees with me though







I think he may be contemplating brumation though, as normally hes out like a shot when it comes to food. I hope he doesnt~

[NennaMeerkat]

Awww he's so pudgy and cute! I bet he hid while he shed.

[anchietae]

He's quite the handsome devil.

[Katrina]

Very cute!!! Love the photos.

[Richard.C]

nae,do u warm him at night?being of more northerly areas cooler nights can trigger them to brumate

[Nae]

I have his timer set to drop his night time temps down to 23 - Should it perhaps be hotter?

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Are you crazy!!! 23 degrees? Oh course it should be hotter! 90-100 degrees is better!
And he looks overweight!

[Richard.C]

23 degrees celcius should be ok,even up to 25,should keep them active,it does look like a fatty,but centralians are like that,especially bubs,they are probably the timidest blueys,well for australian ones,so often hide away until no ones around,but will grow out of it

[Jeff]

Love that little guy Nae. Sorry he's so ugly though.

[acanthurus]

Looking good Nae. 23 degrees at night is fine. Gets cold at night in desert even in summer, and temps can go well below 23. Make sure he has adequate day length and temperatures and he will stay active and healthy. Remember these guys hate moisture like shingles so must be kept dry. I wouldn't leave water in with him. Centralians are naturally fatter through the body, esp when young, probably as they store more fat in their body than tail compared to other species. His weight looks spot on. As stated above these guys are a bit more cranky and sounds like you are doing the right thing by giving him some space to settle into his own routine.

[El Lobo]

Are you crazy!!! 23 degrees? Oh course it should be hotter! 90-100 degrees is better!
And he looks overweight!

Gosh ML, I didn't realise you had experience with Centralians to know their overnight heat requirements.

Centralians' natural habitat is desert where the night temperatures drop substantially, even in warmer seasons. Although I wouldn't expect those who don't venture outside cities to have first hand knowledge of such.

Nae ~ Zeke is awesome and you are lucky to have so many (well, with exceptions) experienced keepers here to offer you advice.

[Jeff]

I am grateful to have access to all the knowledge that is available on this site, and think you have recieved great advice. I would only ad this; sometimes it is important to consider more than just the recorded temperatures in the wild range of an animal. In some cases, an animal may have ways of avoiding the extreme temperatures where he lives. By that I mean even if it gets down to 20 at night in the area where a certain species lives, the skinks may all retreat under cover where they are not exposed to temperatures below 28. I know nothing about centrilians or their husbandry. I'm just saying it is usually better to be safe than sorry when it comes to deciding what max/min temperatures you are going to expose your animals to. It is important to remember that our charges will almost NEVER have access to all of the options they would have in the wild.

He really is a gorgeous animal Nae. I will never get tired of pictures.

[anchietae]

Are you crazy!!! 23 degrees? Oh course it should be hotter! 90-100 degrees is better!
And he looks overweight!

I think one member doesn't realize (realise) 23 degrees is 23 degrees C, not 23 degrees F. That temperature is fine for T. multifasciata at night. BTW, that's just over 73 degrees Fahrenheit. I also greatly appreciate this site and the input I have received from other members.

[Richard.C]

23 to 25 over night would be the warmest spots,cooler elsewhere in cage is ok,also centralians in the south of there range do get cool nights,but alot of there range they dont get such cool nights,eg exmouth in wa,yes it does get cooler,but nothing like ones from alice springs would cop

alice springs is the extreme south of there range,cooler area,one would say temperate,exmouth and the top of aus is alot more tropical,even inland desert areas,it does get cooler at night over winter though,but still warm to hot days,more a wet season dry season scenario

[Richard.C]

and spot on casey,celcius not farenhite

[acanthurus]

It's interesting to see everyones different opinions on these guys. Whilst I do agree summer temperatures can be above 25 at night, this would be on the warmer side throughout the range. Summer temps in the spinnerfex country where these are found, range from approx 30-42 degrees cel during the day, with a drop at night of around 15 degrees. The temps cycle from warmer to cooler throughout the summer on average every 2 weeks, meaning that whilst they will experience a few nights up to 27 they will also have a few down as low as 15 even in mid summer. Talking to the licensed collectors here, they feel centralians are more active during the cooler cycles over summer, as is also seen in westerns and shingles here in WA. Activity seems to be restricted by extremes of heat in summer, and cool in winter.

I agree regarding the difficulty of emulating the wild environment in captivity.  A temperature that is too low could result on slowing of metabolism or inducing brumation, too hot and you risk stressing the animal and inducing a hypermetabolic state. For this reason I would argue the safest option is to aim for conditions in the mid zones of those experienced in the wild i.e. around 22/23 degrees at night.

Knowing the collector/breeder that Zeke came from I imagine that you are following his advice for the night time temp. Gary is very knowledgeable on the animals he keeps, and my advice would be to stick with it. Zekes parents almost certainly came from the north of the Pilbara where 23 degrees would represent an average night. 

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

I know Nae will listen to my advice cause we're best friends

[Nae]

Ml: Yes. I want him to adjust to freezing cold temperatures so as then if an ice age hits, he will survive. And hes not fat, his fur is just really fluffy.

Jeff: Indeed Jeff! Of all the blueys in Aus, I get stuck with something pretty darn unattractive

I go to work and theres suddenly so much to repsond to! Ill just say thanks for all the kind comments and advice!

I am hoping that it is just new home wariness, especially after reading here that they are one of the more timid types, something I didnt know~ He spends a majority of his time hiding in his big, cozy hide, occasionally popping his head out only to pull it back in if someone is near (Remember when I first got him and I was concerned because he never hid?). Aside from the past couple of days however, he is always more then willing to come out if food is involved! I did however only just then have a break through in regards to the whole hiding whenever someone was near - He allowed me to sit in front in his tank and gradually inch closer without hiding or huffing, until he decided he was bored and that it was nap time

He doesnt have water all the time, I just offer it to him whenever I take him out/ pass by his tank and notice him sticking his head out - If he wants it, he can drink it, if not, its not sitting in his tank causing humidity~ I feel better doing then then only offering once a week. You will not believe how hard it is to explain that to mum, who freaks every time she notices his water bowl empty/ not in the tank

[Coomassie]

OMG! I just want to hug him and cuddle him and give him kisses! Fat is back!

[Richard.C]

in hot wether,these guys are often active after the sun has dropped,thre are alot of reports of them out at night in real hot spells,but i totally agree with you guys about variable temps,and that it can be cool at night sometimes to,even in summer,jeffs point is my reasoning in regards to keeping them at 23 to 25 at night,as in the wild they have the option of sleeping somewhere that can retain warmth from the days heat,so even with cold air temps,they can be a fair bit higher in body temp than the air temp,with mine,i actually dont give night heat,any time of the year,but give them heat all year round during the day,mine are in an uninsulated tin shed,so warmer in summer at night,but really cold at night over winter,plus day temps and back ground temps are lower to over winter,im in melbourne though so its freezing compared to where they are from,lol