BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello everyone! Newbie member here! After many years of wanting a skink, I finally have the means and space and I'm so excited!!! I've been doing ALL THE RESEARCH, but I was wondering if anyone here might have some useful suggestions for things like heat lamps and UV bulbs. What wattages/brands have you found work best or are you personal favorites? There's a lot out there so I'm just looking for some direction in my searching so I can get a rough set up budget worked out. If I'm lucky, I'm hoping to get my tiny dragon friend in a few months!

I personally have a 100watt heat bulb, and a "moonlight" 45 watt bulb, for the hot and cool ends of the tank, respectively. However, I've heard that 50-75watt bulbs work fine for the hot side, which I've been considering downgrading to since 100watt does get very hot and a bit above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

As for UV, that's more or less optional, so long as you add repti-calcium with D3 to a skink's diet. Some people say the UV better benefits blueys, while others say they couldn't tell any difference. Either way, your skink should thrive quite well, it's just a matter of your preference.

I don't have a personal brand favorite for my bulbs. I use a 100w incandescent bulb for heat, and a 13w fluorescent bulb for light. I bought a lamp dimmer so I can easily adjust the heat output of the basking lamp. This setup has provided me with the correct temp gradient, and I got everything at Home Depot for much less than a pet store. UV is your preference; I'd just go with repti-calcium and some outdoor play. Good luck!

I'm using a 36x18x18 enclosure. The heat bulb sits roughly 10 inches above the basking area. For that, I use a 53 watt halogen bulb. Since the basking area is slate tile, it will reach 100 degrees f. I do not use a heat source for the cool end. However, I do use a uvb CFL on the basking end with the heat lamp.

Using rock or slate tiling holds heat much better than other surfaces; this helps lower wattage bulbs reach the desired temp easier.