Skink setup

[tarrynveldman]

Hi everyone! I'm a long time reptile owner but i'm going to be getting my first blue tongued skink in about a month. I've been doing research for months now and finally have the tank setup. I'm honestly just wanting your opinions on it and what I can do or change. He will have lights they just aren't plugged in right now. I'll list some info below if that helps! sorry if the photos are blurry!!

Australian blue tongued skink (northern)
Bedding is aspen shavings and coco fibre mixed (mainly aspen)
there's a few big cave hides and fake plants in there, plus some logs.
I made the one side for basking (first picture) but i want to make sure it'll work okay for him.

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks so much

[Janella]

Hi there, how big is this enclosure? It is hard to tell by the pictures. I personally don't like aspen. I find it to be dry and dusty. I like using ZIlla Jungle Mix and Reptibark. I use about 3-4 inches of substrate. They like to borrow. The plants, logs, and things to use to borrow are good. I would make sure to have UVB bulb as well. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

[tarrynveldman]

Its 48 x 24 and 26 high. I just realized the pictures uploaded differently so the basking side is the other one, not the first picture. I've got a UVB strip light that takes up half the enclosure. And thank you for helping!

[Janella]

Perfect size and sounds good on everything else. Welcome!

[tarrynveldman]

Regarding the aspen being too dry; do you think adding in another kind of substrate will help make it a bit less dry? Or do I give up on the aspen completely?

[Janella]

Sorry, for some reason I didn't get my notifications that you responded. I apologize. I would not use Aspen. Just to dry and dusty. I have used what I recommended for years now and not one time have I had an issue with shedding.