# King Skink



## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

So, i just received my license renewal and all that jazz- Time to start hunting for that lizard/dragon!

Due to WA laws being pretty lame as to what we can keep, I've had my eyes on a larger sort of lizard. Haven't heard much of these little fellas and I'm curious as to why.

King Skinks

I've searched threads here but there is VERY LITTLE information about them. I'm not asking for how to house or feed (although any input is openly appreciated). More-so people's experiences with them and how they are as a general pet- before i start looking into how to house them and what-not.

And this may seem a silly question, but how easy is it for it to lose its tail?

Thanks, Vince.


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## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

Whether you keep them or you friend of a friend keeps them, just some sort of info! Nobody seems to like them but I think they look pretty damn cool  but looks aren't everything! Help me out!


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## Kenshin (Apr 15, 2010)

as king skinks are native to the southwest not many people have paid the rediculous WA prices plus the CALM royalty of 185 bucks to move animals out of the state plus around 150 for freight out of WA however i think danny brown has some and i have experience with king skinks also

they are a largeish communal egernia they are just like keeping other egernia's and are easy to keep/breed

just give them the biggest enclosure you can afford get as many as you can aford (3-5 is a decent group) provide rocky crevices to hide in and a hot basking spot, shovel them with insects and fruit/veg and they should start dropping litters of mini king skinks for you to send to me in qld! lol


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## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

haha! yeah i wanted to get three but my budget says 2. not to mention it'll be 1 for me and 1 for my girlfriend who i live with, might be better having two. I was talking to ken from reptiletrader and he said they CAN have a nasty bite to them. Any idea about this?

And that's understandable about the freighting etc. never thought of it, doh.


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## shane14 (Apr 15, 2010)

hey mate i know someone selling 2 very placid. PM blakeus on here.


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## Kenshin (Apr 15, 2010)

well yes most lizards that arnt gecko sized have a nice bite i primarily keep monitors and they have the worst bite of them all, you will learn how to handle them though and if they are captive bred and not wild caught they should be very relaxed about captive life

just out of interest how much is ken going to slug you for a pair of kings? if you want my personal opinion deal with Gary Davis (west aussie reptiles) or dave macintosh (pilbara pythons)


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## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

Kenshin- Ken doesn't have any in stock, not to mention he's the easiest one for me to actually see face to face.

Shane- Thanks for that, sent him a pm


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## Kenshin (Apr 15, 2010)

VinceFASSW said:


> Kenshin- Ken doesn't have any in stock, not to mention he's the easiest one for me to actually see face to face.
> 
> Shane- Thanks for that, sent him a pm



no need to get upity, was only making the suggestion for good reason but you go ahead, all good, hope you get your kings they are nice egernia's, and are fun to watch interact with eachother


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## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

Kenshin said:


> no need to get upity, was only making the suggestion for good reason but you go ahead, all good, hope you get your kings they are nice egernia's, and are fun to watch interact with eachother


 
haha, the problem with the internet kenshin! im not being uppity at all, if anything im thankful for your kind replies. 

was just explaining that gary and dave are a tad far away ><


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## shane14 (Apr 15, 2010)

I have a few in my yard, one has given me a nasty nip. They are good once they are used to you being around. There is a couple of young ones too.


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## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

How big do they get on average?


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## Kenshin (Apr 15, 2010)

VinceFASSW said:


> haha, the problem with the internet kenshin! im not being uppity at all, if anything im thankful for your kind replies.
> 
> was just explaining that gary and dave are a tad far away ><



yea you can order off dave and get whatever you like sent down via aus air express dosent cost much

and gary you can meet closer to perth or again get aae to you


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## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

Yeah the reason i wanted to see the person whom i deal with face-to-face is to:
A) Pick one/two which i like
B) Have a general talk and hold of them prior to purchase to decidce
C) I dont like the whole freighting thing, I know most of the time its good, perfect. Just dont like it 

Thanks again Kenshin


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## shane14 (Apr 15, 2010)

they reach about 2ft in length.and get pretty thick. They are awesome creatures.


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## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

Mmm, 2ft sounds nice.  Much better than tiny little western beardies over here!
Life span?


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## shane14 (Apr 15, 2010)

not sure about lifespan. Little beardeds are cool haha, lots of character.


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## Tiliqua (Apr 15, 2010)

*Kings*

Hi mate, I have had two adult king's skinks for about 2 years now. Mine are very active, and don't hesitate to chase my hands out the enclosure, with mouths open.That being said, the person i bought them off kept a very tame one house with an equally tame land mullet.
Mine are housed in a 4x2x2 foot melamine enclosure, with a 75watt spot lamp at one end, and a UVB5.0 compact globe in the middle of the ceiling. I don't believe UV is absolutely nessacery, but i'm using it and they're thriving. Sand subtrate, URS big corner bowl, and a rocky custom hide furnish the setup. Feed them anything you'd feed a bluey: insects, vegie mix, soaked lizard pellets, tinned cat food etc. I'm using a thermostat on the heat end reading an ambient temp of 25-27 degrees. 
As mentioned before, my particular lizards don't like being handled but make active display animals.


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## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

I know they're awesome little critters, but i want something larger. I'd LOVE to own an EBD. Absolutely love. But cant. Once im eligible for Cat. 4 i'll be getting a ridge-tail monitor.


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## shane14 (Apr 15, 2010)

VinceFASSW said:


> I know they're awesome little critters, but i want something larger. I'd LOVE to own an EBD. Absolutely love. But cant. Once im eligible for Cat. 4 i'll be getting a ridge-tail monitor.


 

I could applie for mine now too, but my mum is a bit hesitant cos we might be moving. Would get ackies, Frilly and Woma's


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## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

Tiliqua- What if i were to get them from a younger age, more likely to be a tad more tame? I've heard around they dont like humans


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## Vincey (Apr 15, 2010)

buuump


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## richardsc (Apr 20, 2010)

i keep king skinks,i think they are one of my fave egernias,similar to landmullets but know where near as shy,they are fiesty buggers,but i like that,dont let em bite you,unlike landys if king skinks want to bite they dont mess around and it doesnt tickle,i recomend them,they are pretty cool to keep


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## Pike01 (Apr 20, 2010)

I Keep them and they are great,their tails do come off,so never pick up or grab their tails.If you want something to play with or cuddle get a bluetongue.


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## Vincey (Apr 20, 2010)

richardsc said:


> i keep king skinks,i think they are one of my fave egernias,similar to landmullets but know where near as shy,they are fiesty buggers,but i like that,dont let em bite you,unlike landys if king skinks want to bite they dont mess around and it doesnt tickle,i recomend them,they are pretty cool to keep


 

So I've been thinking a lot and a lot, and not only am I finding it rather hard to acquire some King Skinks. Still giving what I want a real good thought, really want a stripe-tailed for sure but nobody has any


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## snakeman478 (Apr 20, 2010)

hi vince. i have 2 adult pairs of king skinks (different locales). i have had one pair since they were 6 weeks old and no matter how much i seem to handle them, they are angry buggers (but i like that) they are full of personality and are by far my fave egernia. one tip though, if you get one or two and keep them for a while then be very careful to introduce others into the enclosure as they will fight to the death if they are not compatible. trust me i have had it happen. even with males and females. but especially 2 males. mine are in a pits (1 pair in each pit) outside and they are raging. hope you get some. they are an absolute gem of a lizard. good luck. ps. if you havent found any, i should have some babies from both pairs this coming season.
cheers. johnny


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## Vincey (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks snakeman478, not sure that I'm too keen to pay freight aswell, due to me being in W.A. If i was REALLY bent on getting them I definitly would. I'm still keeping my options open as to what I want to keep. Finding out a lot of info on different species to narrow it down.

So far I've come to Western Beardies, Stripe-tail Monitor, King Skink or Bobtail. Too hard to choose.
And I'm even edging towards a SW Carpet over the passed day or two, some of them look so damn amazing. I would desire a lizard more, but eh. If the right little guy pops up i'll just have to snatch him then and there


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## Vincey (May 21, 2010)

BUMP--

Anyone else here know of any good skink breeders in WESTERN AUSTRALIA, nobody seems to have king skinks.

Snakeman, when do you think they'd be available?


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## Vincey (Jan 12, 2012)

Re-opening this lil thread ;p

I travelled for a good 18 months and never got around to getting some skinks, now I've been back for a while and can't stop wanting 'em.
Have already spoken to a few people here in WA and they've got an eye out but nothing is around for the moment.
Could anybody offer some insight on possible breeders of King Skinks?

Thanks a lot.


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## ChargerWA (Jan 23, 2012)

I've got a big one I see behind my shed regularly. I have some sheets of tin leaning up against the back of the shed and he is usually in behind them. Scared the **** out of me the first time he came shooting out. I also had to swerve around a baby on the road yesterday. I learnt the scientific name for them on here and told my wife as we passed it and she told me I was a weirdo.

Sorry I can't help with a breeder, but here is a picture of a baby my son caught last year behind the freezer.







If WA had capture laws I would catch you one.


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## Vincey (Jan 23, 2012)

ChargerWA said:


> I've got a big one I see behind my shed regularly. I have some sheets of tin leaning up against the back of the shed and he is usually in behind them. Scared the **** out of me the first time he came shooting out. I also had to swerve around a baby on the road yesterday. I learnt the scientific name for them on here and told my wife as we passed it and she told me I was a weirdo.
> 
> Sorry I can't help with a breeder, but here is a picture of a baby my son caught last year behind the freezer.
> 
> If WA had capture laws I would catch you one.




Haha thanks ;p cool pic, but if your son catches them let him know that the tails do come off! 
They are awesome lil creatures


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