Blue Tongue Skink questions...

Question
QUESTION: Hi Diane,

I have a perfect habitat and heating for my Blue Tongue Skink (92 degrees on the basking rock, 77 degrees ambient on the opposite end of tank) and he is growing well and happy.

I just have two questions for you about my BTS who was born on 6/22/2008:

1-  I feed him every other day.  He gets veggies/greens, 1/2 of a 3oz can of premium beef chunk cat food and I sprinkle Calcium/Vit D additive powder into his food.  He's growing like crazy (seems to have gained about a third of his overall 10 inch length in the past few weeks), but he only eats about half his food, before I have to take it out at night and throw it away (I give it to him before I go to work and take it out before he goes to bed at night).  Should I try feeding him every third day instead of ever other day?

2-  Lastly, he doesn't really seem to like to bask on his rock.  He sits out and is fairly friendly, as far as that goes, but doesn't seem to bask a lot (and I thought they were supposed to do that a lot).  It's not too hot, I checked.  it is exactly 12-13 inches from his 100W Mercury Vapor Heat/UV bulb.  Now, I made the basking rock/cave from styrofoam and grout, like seen on the web.  It is completely grouted in several thick coats so there is no foam at all showing (I know that's bad for him).  Is this ok...my rock and him not really basking...or should I get real stones and put them in there?  

Thank you for your answers.

Regards, Mark

ANSWER: Hi Mark,
Actually, your basking temperature does need to go up a bit..the basking temperature needs to be a gradient (slowly rising) of 95-100 degrees.  When they don't have those temperatures, their foods digest too slow, which can be why your BTS does not have the appetite he should have.  
Remember, their diet is based on a 50/40/10 diet... 50% greens and veggies, 40% meat and 10% fruits..
He really does need to bask...but...I think I may know what part of your problem is..  when using a MV bulb, the reptiles get their needed uvb in a shorter period of time, but they still need to have a basking area to get up to proper temperatures. That can also cause him to not eat as much as he should...slower digestion. You don't mention how large his cage is, but...what you want to do is set up a 2nd basking area, minus the uvb...just use a basking or halogen bulb that produces light and heat, no uvb in that area. This is a new area of research, so not a lot of info is out there about it..but I can attest to it with my iguanas as they all have the Mega Ray MV bulbs from www.reptileuv.com
I would not feed him less often at this point.  First I would try getting the 2nd basking area and the temperatures in the basking area in the correct gradient range.
I like this site for care info on the BTS
http://bluetongueskinks.net/care.htm#adult
Let me know how it goes with getting the 2nd basking area and if it helps your BTS.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you Diane.  

I currently have that 100W Mercury Vapor UB/Heat bulb on the basking rock and a 75W red heat bulb to keep the temps right (well, I guess almost right).  Do you think that if I replaced the 100W UV bulb with,say, a 125W straight heat bulb (to try and increase the basking temp from 92 to 95 degrees, and then replaced the 75W red with a 26W Reptisun 10.0 compact UV bulb (or should I go with the 13W one?), that that would maintain the better temps and be the more correct UV allowing him to come out and bask on a warmer rock?  

Just for background, my tank is a 36" x 18" x 18" tank.

Have you ever heard of the self-made basking rocks from styrofoam and grout?  I'd just like to know if you think it's ok or should I put in real rocks?

Thanks again Diane.

Regards, Mark

Answer
Hi Mark,
As to the "fake" rocks, yep I've seen them and they look nice...and I know of no problems with them.
You need to check the surface temperature of the "rocks" to see if its getting warm/hot enough for your skinks liking and needs.  If its not getting a good surface temperature, then you might have to go to a real piece of field stone to tile. Temperature guns  or the thermometers with the wire and a probe on the end work the best for this.  Also, I want to mention that in order to get a correct temperature reading in the basking area, you need to measure the temperature at your skinks level, where he lays. In my WEBSHOTS, there is a folder and pictures of how to properly use the thermometer with the probe on it in the basking area. I'm going to include some of my info I wrote on uvb below, and vital links to read about what is and isn't good uvb..and ones that are actually dangerous.
Before you replace the MV bulb(which is the best uvb out there, providing its a recommended brand) I would switch the red heat bulb to a regular basking or halogen bulb of 100 watts.  Your PTS may not be drawn to the red heat but would be able to see the brightness of a regular white basking bulb.  The red heat is fine for night if needed, provided your skink doesn't try to hide from it, which would mean its stressing him out.   As to the 13 watt....or other compact, at this point, I would stay away from the compact fluorescents until further testing results are done...see the info in the links below.
Getting the temperatures correct are one of the hardest, if not the hardest things to do!!!  Even though I have had iguanas for many years, every seasonal change I go though the adjusting lights, etc to get the proper temperatures again. Its one of those things that it doesn't matter if you have had reptiles for 20 years or a month, we ALL have to suffer through it over and over again.
Also, with various bulbs, there are spot and there are flood.... your spot direct the beam into one narrow area, where the floods spread the beam over a larger area. Many times, just switching to a spot or a flood, or visa versa is all that is needed.
Since I started using the Mega Rays...I won't go back to using the tubes for anything other than more lighting, in which case, I only use non uvb tubes for the light and for the uvb its strictly the mega rays. I know that with tanks, it gets to be a pain the more fixtures you have on top the lid(thank goodness all my igs are in huge enclosures) so using the MV lamp and another white heat source is much easier.... Its tough to cram all the needed lighting/heat on top of a 18 inch wide space.I've been there with little igs and that was in a 75 gallon tank!!!! Also, remember...you aren't looking for a temperature of 95 degrees...but a gradient temperature of 95-100 degrees... basically, what this means is that if your skinks tail is in 95 degrees, his head end will be in the 100 degrees...what it simply means is that you are pretty much aiming for 100 degrees..and the farther from the heat source you go, the temperature gets lower.. kinda like this...   95..96...97...98....99...100 with the heat source being closest to the 100....
Here is the info on the uvb...although it may make your head spin(as it does mine) its very important stuff.
"Supplying uvb can be done in a few ways. By special lights
that come in fluorescent tubes or special screw in bulbs
(mercury vapor)that are designed to produce uvb and heat.
The tubes do not produce heat. UVB is needed by the reptile to be able to absorb the calcium in the foods they eat.
With out the uvb, they will develop metabolic bone disease.
With the tubes, they must say that they produce BOTH uvb and
uva. The uvb needs to be 5% or higher. Repti Sun 10.0 and the Repti Glo 8.0's are a great source for uvb. The old "favorites" are the repti sun 5.0 or the Iguana light..which are the same tube, just different package.
There are tubes that say ''full spectrum'' but they do not produce any uvb.
These need to be positioned 6-8 inches over the reptile for the 5% and 8% and 8-10 inches for the 10% so
that they get the uvb that is needed. The tubes need to be replaced every 6-9 months as that they stop producing UVB long before they stop producing light.Using a fixture that holds two uvb tubes of at least 2-4 feet(length needed based on reptiles adult length) in length will provide adequate uvb for your reptile. There has been new studies that have proven that compact uvb lights, both the spiral/coil type and the ones that look like long "U's" laying on their side and a few other brands are causing what basically amounts to snow blindness in reptiles.  To read more on this, you can go to http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm and also http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/UVB_Meter_Owners
On the mercury vapor , they also produce heat. They also
produce the uvb and uva. The best on the market now are the
Mega Rays.(http://www.reptileuv.com) The T-Rex Active UV are also good, but please be sure to read the reports on them as their old model wasn't as good. The distance from these are greater than the uvb tubes and the directions must be followed that
are listed for the light. When using the mercury vapor
lights, you don't need to have one light for uvb and one for
heat. The Mercury vapor lights provide both.
For daytime heat, if using the tube uvb, regular household
incandescent light bulbs produce heat. The wattage will
depend on the size of your reptiles enclosure. and the room temperature.Of course, the best uvb is from the
sun and if you are in an area that you are able to take your reptile outside in a proper enclosure, (Never a tank or enclosed, solid cage)"