Heating question

[Skink_aunt]

My nephew who is in his 20’s has been working nonstop lately and by the time he gets home he’s exhausted. he has a ring camera setup in the kitchen to keep a eye on his skink while he’s gone, after reviewing footage he saw that it’s heat lamp didn’t come on for 3 days when it should of because he has the light on a schedule that’s supposed to make it come on at a certain time.

after he texted me telling me that I became a little worried.. but he said that his skink would be fine if it wasn’t on, is that true it’s okay for lizards not to have a heat lamp on during the day? and if they don’t can anything bad happen to the pet reptile health wise ?

[splashy07]

There should be a day/night cycle with heat on during the day, with the exclusion of brumation periods. Daytime heat is necessary for them to perform their daily routines, eating, basking, digesting etc. If it goes off for a bit most likely no harm done but the situation should be rectified ASAP.
I have all mine on timers with a 12 hour daylight/heat cycle. Night cool downs are natural, therefore I do not use nighttime heat.
There should be a basking area that reaches at the very least 90 degrees during the day, depending on what type of skink you have. This works perfect for my Northerns, but my Easterns do not like anything above 85. Indonesian types such as Halmaheras and Meraukes seem to like it a bit hotter and definitely more humid than their Aussie cousins.