Skink tank?

[GeckoQueen]

Hello!
soon to be first time skink owner here (lol)
i wanted to make sure my setup is alright

my tank is a 60 gallon vivarium (its used but seems to be in very good condition minus a missing left door, which has been replaced by a piece of wood)
so far i have a water bowl, a lamp holder and a thermostat
i know i need alot more things, im buying them as soon as i can

my main concern is that i cant seem to find any info on if i should get an uvb lamp or not, everyone seems to have different opinions on it

another question is, do you guys have any infomation you learned after you got your skink (something that isnt usually mentioned in care sheets)

(sorry if this is kind of messy, i rarely use forums)

[Edward]

Roughly what's the floor area of the tank?

[GeckoQueen]

:welcome:

Roughly what's the floor area of the tank?

i cant remember the exact measurements for the width and height (i cant check because the tank is currently in my garage)
but i believe its atleast 44x20x20 if not more

[GeckoQueen]

EDIT: i finally have it inside and measured it to be about 44x24x24

[Edward]

Thanks. That's an excellent size.

[GeckoQueen]

@Edward
Thank you! Its quite the lucky find for free of all things

[alichamp]

Its quite the lucky find for free of all things

Make sure you scrub it out really clean if it is second hand using a bleach/water solution and rinse and dry really well before use.

About the UVB: you are right, the reptile world is divided. The lack of UVB has been implicated in MBD issues with skinks in captivity, but now people think main cause is diet so it's vital that diet is correct and you supplement with vit D3/calcium powder then MBD is not so likely to occur.

The way I see it, we should leave those debates and decisions to the highly experienced keepers - the rest of us tend to provide UVB because there is no harm in doing so.

Anyway, feel free to post pics of your enclosure set up once you've got it sorted, and we love to see skink pics too!!

[GeckoQueen]

Yeah i have already cleaned it once but i plan on doing so again in the near future
it will probably have plenty of time to set if i end up using a bleach solution since i dont really have any of the items i need for the skink yet lol

[Noah H.]

I personally do not use UVB because:

a) I'm a poor college student

b) I use D3/calcium powder supplement.

c) My skink gets frequent exercise time outside in the sun (even winters can be pleasantly mild and sunny around here).

That being said, it truly is personal preference. If you want to go all out on your enclosure, kudos to you!

[Chico da Herper]

There are mixed opinions on the subject of UVB lighting. Many keepers have been able to successfully house skinks in a terrarium without problems. Personally though, I would not take the risk, but once again that is a personal preferance. Hope i helped even though I responded late. And by the way that is an excellent terrarium size!