Hide question

[chosen2030]

Hello everyone, I may be getting an adult IJ and was wondering what kind and size hides you all like to use for your adult animals?

[Jeff]

My favorite hides are pieces of cork bark that you can get in just about any size. You can get it at Pets Inc. In Tempe. You can pick out what you want, and they sell it by the pound.

[chosen2030]

Do IJ's need a moist hide or a water bowl big enough to soak in?

[Nae]

My enclosure has hides built into the decor made from foam which are soon to be covered in grout and such. They are great because they make valuable use of space as he can go under them or ontop!

*note I do not yet have a bluey in them, I dont think using just foam would be such a great idea



There is a hide on both ends under the platforms.

Otherwise you could also use cardboard boxes, piles of old shirts (Make sure there is nothing to get his claws caught on!) - Doesnt need to be fancy

[chosen2030]

Can't wait to see the finished product! Anyone have an outdoor enclosure part of the year?

[Coomassie]

I have a cork log which Coomassie spends a lot of time in snoozing. I also have a large half log which is less for hiding and more for shedding. I've also used long cardboard boxes with one end cut out of it. Also, I give Coomassie a ton of substrate so he has burrows dug EVERYWHERE.

[Katrina]

Give an IJ a large water dish. Humid hide only necessary if there are shedding issues several sheds in a row. Like Jeff said - snug, tight hides like cork bark are great.

[Fatal_S]

One thing with built-in hides is that you have a terrible time getting the skink out when you want/need to. Just something to think about.

I agree, snug hides are much-loved. You can get store-bought ones, corkbark hides, or tiles on top of a couple bricks. You can use just about anything really, even shoeboxes or such.

[Nae]

Its all good - mine are separate so they are easily removed Although yes, definitely ensure they aren't actually built into anything

[StaceyLeigh]

Thor's favorite hide is a hand knitted/wet felted bag I made. It is tough to get him out some days. Here is a picture of him in it:




He has a half log on the other side, but this is by far his favorite!

[Coomassie]

Soooo cute!!!!

[reaperreptiles]

I created hides using a large 12 by 12 tile, then attaching 4 small pieces of pvc as legs, creating an elevated hide. I also use large pvc for hides, cardboard boxes, and small towels. Theres not alot of options for store bought hides, especially hides big enough. I always keep a box and there tile hides available but switch up the other ones once a month so they have to explore new things. My baby likes paper towel rolls to hide in, along with his cave that i stuff with moist moss when he is going into shed. Stacey leigh, where did you get that little bag thing, i would love to get a few for my guys ...or gals.

[StaceyLeigh]

I make these bags. I hand knit them with wool, then wet felt them(washing machine) I was thinking of making up a few and see if anyone was interested on the site. I have tried several other things (shoebox, half log,etc.) this is by far his favorite!

[StaceyLeigh]

Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:22 am Post subject:
I created hides using a large 12 by 12 tile, then attaching 4 small pieces of pvc as legs, creating an elevated hide.

I love this idea, how do you attach the pvc legs?

[reaperreptiles]

I used aqauarium sealant, its safe and dries in a few days. you can get a huge tube at lowes for like $6

[Spindown]

lol my I.J. likes something similar to those bags, i just tossed in a small cloth and he loves it! that and his open ended Pringles tube

[StaceyLeigh]

Pringles Tube LOL What a great idea, and a great excuse for my favorite snack!

[James Wilson]

I love good old hide logs (10 inch size works great for most adults), and my skinks seem to love them as well. They are great to climb on and bask, and they provide good cover while still allowing you some visual access to the skink.

[Adalon]

I've used towels, rags, cork hides, halved logs, paper towel rolls, tupperware and cardboard. I've found that Adalon seems to prefer things low to the ground and snug. When he was young without a doubt paper towel rolls were the favorite, but he grew out of those in a few months.

What I ultimately ended up using for his main night time hide was making a perfect fitting cardboard hide that was low to the ground but had enough clearance to fit both him and some cloth. It's not pretty, but it's absolutely perfect for what I wanted and what Adalon seems to like. I keep a 12"x12" tile underneath it along with a small heat pad for cold nights and I moisten the cloth when he's getting close to shedding. He will sometimes go in his hide during the afternoon and evening and position himself in such a way that he can peak out and watch me while still being snug and secure. (pic related )

The cardboard does start to wear out after a while and I just cut the edges back a bit more to keep it from curling too much, but I do need to make him a new one once I find a good box for it. I just don't really see too much of a reason to buy a hide or make anything elaborate other than for my own aesthetic reasons since he seems to really enjoy the cardboard already. I may have to try that pringles can idea, I'm sure he's missed those paper towel rolls he had as a kid.

[Spindown]

yeah i got the idea for the Pringles tube because my guys were growing so fast that they quickly got stuck (and had to be "unwrapped") from the paper towel tubes.

My skinks totally ignore the hide logs, even though they all have them. *sigh* My merauke likes this bread bowl DIY type thing I made, but i think that is because she is completely enclosed and can just poke her head out. My indo just buries under the substrate wherever, my northern has a plastic version of my DIY enclosure that he loves, and my I.J like i said, is usually hiding under his rag.