Austin in Arizona U.S.A.

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Scincoides
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Austin in Arizona U.S.A.

Postby Scincoides » Tue Aug 09, 2016 2:15 am

Tanimbar (T. s. chimaerea):

This is one of my personal favorite species. Tanimbars hold the title of the only confirmed scincoides species to be found outside of Australia. Care for Tanimbars is very similar to Northerns.

Temperatures:
Temperatures in my enclosures for Tanimbars are 96°F in the hot spot and mid to high 70’s on the cool end.

Humidity/Substrate:
I try to keep humidity around 50-60% or so, which is easily achieved by keeping them on cypress with a good sized water bowl. If the humidity falls lower than that, I start to see shedding issues.

Brumation:
Brumation is pretty straightforward at 4-10 weeks, however, I take care to keep temperatures above 65°F while cooling this species since the average winter temperatures for the island chain they hale from are warmer than what the other scincoides species would experience in Australia.

Additional note:
Tanimbars have a terrible reputation which, in my opinion, is largely undeserved. It has been said for years that they are terrible, bitey captives, but in my experience, if you put in a little bit of work, this proves to not be the case. It is true that most import Tanimbars (imports in general, for the most part) come in with terrible dispositions and an inclination to chew on their new keepers, but if you think about how awful the trip here must be, let alone the fact that they were snatched out of the wild in the first place, their disposition is pretty understandable.
It has been my experience so far that, with a little work and the right approach, even WC Tanimbars can calm down pretty well and actually have the ability to make great pets.

I’ve noticed with mine that they absolutely do best in enclosures that open in the front. Tanimbars do not like being touched from above; many react defensively, with some babies even playing dead!
(I heard a theory a couple years ago from Ray Gurgui, that perhaps the abnormally feisty temperament and fear of being approached from above is an evolutionary response to large populations of predatory birds on the island. A quick search of native predatory species in the area shows that there are quite a few eagle and owl species on the islands. This seems like a very reasonable theory based on the behavioral characteristics that we see in these animals in captivity.)

To sum this up: if given a secure, front opening enclosure with a few good hides, this subspecies can adjust well, and may even calm down into an easily managed animal, as long as they are approached gently and confidently.
Austin & Danielle
12.28.12 Northerns
4.6.2 Kei Island
12.6.2 Meraukes
3.4.8 Irian Jayas
2.5.3 Easterns
1.2 Halmahera
1.1 Indonesian
2.3 Tanimbar
0.0.1 Blotched
1.0 Egernia Striolata
1.1 Egernia Cunninghami
1.1 Egernia C. Krefti
1.2 Bellatorias frerei
1.1 H. Gerrardii

http://www.scincoides.com

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