# Blue-Tailed Skink Question



## Strix (Jan 29, 2008)

My little sisters are always catching common lizards for me and I happen to have a Blue-Tailed Skink set up in a  20 gallon aquarium.  

My dad thinks it would be ok to put the common lizards in with the skink.  I'm not sure how good of an idea this is and I haven't been able to find any information if they can live together without becoming aggresive.

Right now I have the lizards in a critter keeper and want to move them into something a bit bigger but don't have the room for another bigger tank.

I do like to keep the lizards to watch their behavior and to educate my younger sisters.

Is it safe to mix the species or is should i keep them seperate?


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## Mushroom Spore (Jan 29, 2008)

It is almost NEVER safe to mix species. They may share the same wilderness, but there's a huge difference in having infinite space to avoid each other and being trapped in a confined area together, competing for space and food. Heck, most reptiles shouldn't even be kept with their OWN kind, much less another species. Your dad is very, very wrong, and this will probably end in tears.

To say nothing of the fact that mixing species tends to run a risk of exposing one or the other to bacteria/gut flora that they were never meant to be exposed to in their natural environment. Wild-caught lizards could be packing mites or parasites or diseases that you likely don't want your skink to catch either.


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## rollinkansas (Jan 29, 2008)

Mushroom Spore said:


> It is almost NEVER safe to mix species. They may share the same wilderness, but there's a huge difference in having infinite space to avoid each other and being trapped in a confined area together, competing for space and food. Heck, most reptiles shouldn't even be kept with their OWN kind, much less another species. Your dad is very, very wrong, and this will probably end in tears.


I think this is a little wrong. There are a lot of animals that can safely be mixed together. All thats needed to take into consideration for the most part is the size of the animals, and making sure each has a niche. They are harder than regular tanks with a single animal, but in no way is it dangerous or not safe if you do your research on the animals before hand. I know a few people who have kept mixed species tanks for 10+ years with no problems. 

Im not saying in this case that its safe, but to make an assumption that its almost never safe is very wrong.


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## Thrasher (Jan 30, 2008)

I wouldn't, for one thing, the WC lizards might have something internally, and you don't want them to spread to your blue tailed skink, and besides 20 gallon is not big enough for more than 1 animal in there. I would assum that the blue tailed skink you have isn't native where you live right? so the common lizards and the skink do not share the same conditions, they might not even eat the same thing.
(btw, i only know a little about lizards, I own a green igurla and she her name is Yoshi) !

So i would NOT mix them togather. 



Strix said:


> My little sisters are always catching common lizards for me and I happen to have a Blue-Tailed Skink set up in a  20 gallon aquarium.
> 
> My dad thinks it would be ok to put the common lizards in with the skink.  I'm not sure how good of an idea this is and I haven't been able to find any information if they can live together without becoming aggresive.
> 
> ...


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## mrbonzai211 (Jan 30, 2008)

In my extensive experience my advice would be to not even try it for any enclosure under 75 gallons, but I would only try this if the animals are at least semi-compatible. Any gallonage smaller than this is only asking for trouble in the long run. A lot of people mix them and say they turned out fine, but they are only making that assumption on the fact that nothing bad has happened yet to them. Short run is easy, the long run is the hard part.


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## RhettusMaximus (Jan 30, 2008)

*skink*

If i'm not mistaken, the blue tailed skink is pretty common itsself. I catch them all the time in when i'm in west virginia. I kept one of these guys for a while myself and enjoyed watching him maul crickets, worms, or whatever he could get his mouth around. 

As for keeping them together, i wouldn't. Blue tailed skinks are pretty territorial little critters and will attack anything near their burrow.


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## Countryboy1 (Sep 2, 2017)

Strix said:


> My little sisters are always catching common lizards for me and I happen to have a Blue-Tailed Skink set up in a  20 gallon aquarium.
> 
> My dad thinks it would be ok to put the common lizards in with the skink.  I'm not sure how good of an idea this is and I haven't been able to find any information if they can live together without becoming aggresive.
> 
> ...


What kind of common lizards r u talking bout? I had toads, green anoles, fence lizards, blue tailed lizards, and house geckos all in a 20 gallon aquarium and they got along just fine


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## Countryboy1 (Sep 2, 2017)

rollinkansas said:


> I think this is a little wrong. There are a lot of animals that can safely be mixed together. All thats needed to take into consideration for the most part is the size of the animals, and making sure each has a niche. They are harder than regular tanks with a single animal, but in no way is it dangerous or not safe if you do your research on the animals before hand. I know a few people who have kept mixed species tanks for 10+ years with no problems.
> 
> Im not saying in this case that its safe, but to make an assumption that its almost never safe is very wrong.


I had green anoles, blue tailed skinks, toads, house geckos, and fence lizards all in a 20 gallon aquarium and they got along just fine


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