Thinking about getting a BTS

[Hazeee]

The guy is offering me a full set up but I'm wondering if his husbandry is good enough.

He has a 80g tank with deep bioactive substrate.
On one side of the tank is a large water bowl and the other is a large hide.
There's no UVB but he has a 50 watt floodlight basking onto the hide and the temp gradient is 75-102.
He feeds a mixed veggie diet with gut loaded crickets and 2 hoppers a week.
Nails are never clipped but they're not long and all toes are in tact.
Doesn't appear to be overweight from the pictures I've seen of obese skinks.

[Spindown]

Nothing sounds wrong about that setup to me, except the crickets and hoppers...crickets are not very nutritious and hoppers are very fatty. All insects could easily be replaced by dogfood.
You could add another hide but with deep substrate that isnt a total necessity. Blueys do not require UV if supplemented with calcium with D3. If the nails arent curling under, and he has all his toes, thats awesome! Some skinks have very slow growing nails, I have one or two that I've never had to trim.
80 gallons is a huge tank. Honestly, other than tweaking the meat sources, I'd say thats one spoiled skink!

What are your concerns/why are you doubting his husbandry?

[Hazeee]

That's good to hear.

I've only really owned snakes besides one Tokay gecko so I just wanted to make sure everything he was doing was right.
I think I'm going to use my double light fixture with his flood and a UVB just to be safe.
Once I get everything set up at home I'll make sure to post pictures in case I need any corrections.
And about the food I feed my pup high quality protein food so I'll substitute the crickets with that and throw some snails in occasionally.

[Spindown]

Be extremely careful and research UV products before you buy them for animals that do not require them. IF you do it incorrectly or use sub-par products it can cause serious and permanent eye damage.
Snails are a great feeder item choice, as are roaches.

ETA: if you havent already, please read the caresheet. It can answer almost any questions you may have as a new owner. We can answer the rest, but PLEASE use the search function before starting new threads that have been discussed over and over and over again.

[Hazeee]

I just wanted someone to tell me if anything I listed was done wrong :p I've read over care sheets many times but they're not always up to date.

Do you know by chance if the red lights give UVB? I have one not sure of the wattage though.

He also said the skink wont touch roaches.

[Spindown]

Red lights are not designed to give off UV.

This care sheet on this site is extremely comprehensive, and almost all of it is still up to date. There is an updated food chart stickied. I dont know about other care sheets, as I havent looked at other sources of care sheets in some time, as most of the ones I found were pretty terrible, except for the one here.

Some wont chase roaches and you have to hand feed, and some are scared of them. Its always good to try once yourself to see if what the previous owner said is true, because I've been told things by well-meaning folks that were just not true. Basically anything is better than crickets.

[Hazeee]

Any chance you can identify what kind he is?

[Spindown]

I cant see the picture?

[Hazeee]

Now can you?

[xXZoeXx]

That looks to be a pretty northern.

[Hazeee]

That looks to be a pretty northern.

I was thinking it's a Northern because he keeps low humidity and gets full sheds.

[Spindown]

Its a northern because of how it looks, not because of how he sheds

[JoshChimera]

That is a great looking Northern. My skink has been fed roaches and he is doing well. You should consider some P. Dubia. I did and never have to buy crickets. I have fed canned Zoomed grasshoppers, which my skink liked. But since he is still eating only once a week, due to the cool winter months. He is only eating a fuzzie mouse and not excepting any roaches. Another food source I have had success with is nightcrawlers. My skink has taken to cantaloope and banana lately, though he ate no fruit last week. Just some food's to consider. My two cents.

[Linnea]

very pretty northern!