Winter Sunshine photos

[Lea]

It's been a beautiful day, after some torrential downpours this week. I didn't expect to see the skinks out today, as it was still a mite bit cold in the shade, but they were determined to catch some rays and spent a good bit of time sunbathing. They were active and bombing around the enclosure, so I decided it was a good day for some photos and took them out for a weigh in and to explore the garden.

They have all maintained their weights this year, with Nippy actually managing to gain weight while on his winter fast he's just shy of 800g, almost double that of the smallest in the bunch, Hermione, who tips the scales at a slight 450g. She's a small build, so still a healthy weight for her size.

Anyway, here are some photos of the day's events!

[Dakota]

Very gorgeous!

I'm sorry, but are these all T. r. aspera? I'm terrible at shingles.. trying to learn a bit..

[Richard.C]

yes dakota all asperas

they look rather spritely,been nippy over here lately,only the odd blotchy popping out to bask here and there

[Lea]

They surprised me by coming out in force today. I found it quite chilly out of the sun, but overall, they've had an active winter and haven't been put off by the cooler days. The only days I haven't seen them all this season have been the wet days. The enclosure is a bit of a sun trap, so it heats up nicely once the sun is out. They haven't eaten much that I've seen, but their healthy weights tell me that all's going well, so I try not to fret about them being awake so much.

[Coomassie]

I <3 Nippy! I'm the president of the Nippy fan club.

[Lea]

I <3 Nippy! I'm the president of the Nippy fan club.

Oh, but you can't be! I'm the president! Will you settle for my deputy?

[Coomassie]

I <3 Nippy! I'm the president of the Nippy fan club.

Oh, but you can't be! I'm the president! Will you settle for my deputy?

Edit: I'll be president of the North American chapter and you can be the organization.

[Linnea]

ill be the european president.

theyre adorable! sun in winter is a bit of an unimaginable event o__o

[Bowdoin55]

Be still, my heart! The rugosa capacity to radiate sweetness never fails to amaze me. Gorgeous lizards.

Many thanks for sharing,

David

[Jeff]

Great pictures Lea! They are all looking fantastic. I wish we had more varieties of shinglebacks over here. I have never seen any like yours in person.

[Richard.C]

lea what was the temp there that day

a while back on a 16 degree sunny day, i brought temp gun out to suss some temps after feeling how warm the ply of my sand monitors cage was in the sun,in the shade on lawn it was 6.5 degrees,3foot away on lawn in sun it was 18.5,the plywood wall of sandy cage in sun was 45 degrees and the brickwall of shed from house behind us,its part of our fence line was 50 degrees,perhaps being sheltered a bit your stumpies get a bit of nice warmth if windchill factor is down and suns out

they all look in great shape,love the light brown coloring in them to

[Lea]

No, I didn't think to measure the temperatures! I'll do that next time and see what the actual basking temp is, compared to the ambient. All I know is that the skinks warmed completely and zipped about like it was summer, seeking shade under the greenery once they had warmed up. Not very precise, but considering I was layered up in jumper after jumper with a hat and scarf, I am guessing they were utilising the winter sun warmth a lot better than I was!

[Richard.C]

yep must have found a sheltered warm patch,in early spring on cool misersble days,often the blotchies get wuite active and when picked up feel very warm ,perhaps warmed from earlier in the day,temp guns are fun,giving me some ideas for tedting a few things outdoors

[El Lobo]

Your shingles always have a look of total contentment with their lot in life.

[Fred Gaal]

They look so sleepy.LOL

[Graymatter]

Gorgeous Animals! I can't wait to see this species in person, very cool.

[Lea]

Thank you, everyone.

Richard, it's a bit grey today, but tomorrow should be bright again. Ill get out with my temp gun ASAP!