I work at a vet clinic that specialized in exotics. A couple days ago, we had a gentleman bring in his juvenile rainbow boa because she hadn't eaten in several weeks and he thought she was constipated. Well, his boa was constipated- as well as severely dehydrated- but he also had a Crocodile Skink in with her (!!!). Apparently he'd grown tired of the skink because he "never saw her", and decided to try and tempt his snake with her. Both reptiles were in very poor condition due to some pretty serious husbandry mistakes. When told how much it would cost to treat his reptiles, he grabbed the skink and started waving her around like a toy and yelling at us (the staff), all while the poor thing was squeaking hysterically.

So, now one of my coworkers has a new rainbow boa, and I have a female (?) Muddy Eyed Crocodile Skink (T. novaeguineae).

Apparently this gentleman has never supplemented her with calcium or anything else. I had our reptile vet check her over, and he has her on a liquid calcium supplement (as well as a UVB light) and a dewormer. I've never owned a reptile before, but I really like them. I was hoping someone might be able to share some care tips, etc, to make this girlies' life a little easier.

Her current set up:
10g tank (an old fish tank I had on hand) 20"L x 10"W x 12.5"H
Hybroballs for drainage
Eco Earth/Plantation Soil/Jungle Bedding mixture substrate
Sphagnum moss
Multiple hides (crocodile skill, cave, cork flats, fake foliage)
UVB light
Red Heat Lamp (25 watt)
Small under tank heater
Large water dish

Current Perameters:
Warm side: 82F (digital probe)
Cool side: 70-72F (digital probe)
Humidity: 85-90% (digital)
Her current weight: 40g

According to my research, T. novaeguineae preferr a warm side of about 82F, a cool side of about 72F, as well as 80-90% humidity, so I think I am doing okay. I had a hard time keeping the warm side at a stable temperature until I added the under tank heater. The 25 watt bulb seems to really help to raise the humidity, as long as I keep the tank well-misted. I'm still having a bit of trouble getting the cool side stable.

My next plans are to upgrade her to a 18x18x18 Exoterra (or larger, depending on what I can find), as she is constantly climbing and I only put her in the 10g because I didn't expect her to use as much vertical space as she does. I thought they were more burrowers than arboreal, but she spends most of her time in the top half of her tank, not on the floor. I think she would enjoy having more room to climb. I am also planning on adding a custom waterfall background and live plants to the new set up. I'm also considering trying to find a male to pair her with- but that will be once she's cleared a health check.

Like I said, I've only had her for 3 days, but she hasn't eaten yet. Her previous "home" was a 15g tank with dry-as-dust Ecoearth, one single hide on the warm side, and a rainbow boa for company. I'm hoping her reluctance to eat is the result of culture shock! She is quite active, and doesn't seem very shy; she spends a lot of time watching me watching her. She does seem interested in food. I've offered her mealworms and silkworms, and she watches them quite avidly- but I haven't seen her eat any.

Anyways, if anyone had any suggestions to make her set up better (or how to stabilize that cool side!) please let me know!

I'll post some pictures once I figure out how