That’s too bad…I’ll keep an eye out as the weather warms and will send you a note.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

I emailed the seller but they didn’t want to hold the skink and sold her shortly after. I’ve also contacted 2 other people who were selling skinks a few months ago but neither still have them. I’ll keep looking around and will go ahead and get a tank ready next year.

Thanks,

Sarah

It’s usually safer to remove the eggs so that you can control the temperature and humidity, which might not be ideal in the terrarium. However, I have left eggs in place with other lizards and pythons…as long as you can make adjustments to temperature and humidity, it certainly is a more interesting way to go about it. I’ll find out what you need when you are ready.

Yes, ask the supplier about holding onto the animal, maybe offer some money towards upkeep, or perhaps see if s/he has a regular source.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Thanks for all the tips. One more question: would I need to incubate the eggs, so just let the female incubate them?

Nice to hear from you again, I hope all is well.

Judging by similar species, I would say that a winter-time reduction in temperature and daylength, especially for animals originating in the northern reaches of the range, would be most useful. I recall that you are doing this already, so the animal you have should be ready in the spring. Compatibility is sometimes an issue as well, especially where a female is being added to a male’s enclosure.

Unfortunately, you are correct…few people work with this species, or other natives. I receive lists from a few small dealers who sometimes come up with surprises, and will let you know if any turn up. Other than that, I would suggest you monitor kingsnaske.com – perhaps a “wanted” add, if such an option exists, would draw some attention? Herp societies often host member exchanges as well…sometimes less commonly kept animals turn up, but unfortunately I don’t know of any to recommend for broad headed skinks….perhaps herp societies within the species range?

Sorry I could not be of more help.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Recently I’ve been thinking about getting another Broad-Headed skink, preferably a female because I’ve been considering breeding my skink in a couple years. I really enjoy these skinks and would love to have a few more. I know you are knowledgeable of Broad-Headed skinks, so if you have any advice on breeding that would be great. The most difficult part seems to be in finding another skink. I was hoping to get a female next year but I don’t really know where to look, and it would probably be hard to find since there doesn’t seem to be many people who keep these lizards in captivity. Do you know of anywhere I might be able to get a female?

Thanks!

Thanks so much for getting back to me…I was just about to forward the photo to Russell Burke! …he’s the last word on Italian lizards for sure (and expert in so many other areas as well). The wonderful photo you’ve just sent (D. Allen) shows clearly that it is a male wall lizard, and a huge, well-fed one at that.

When looking at the earlier photo, showing the lizard’s outline, I did not key in on how small kestrels are…but I still could not be sure from that angle. Dick Bartlett, noted herpetologist and author, just got back to me that photo – he thought it could be a very large wall lizard as well. I’ll send him the new photo shortly.

Amazing that the kestrels can catch wall lizards – they are incredibly quick and alert. I went to the Westbury and Carle Place train stations in Nassau County earlier this afternoon to take a look at the wall lizards resident there. Saw 6 adults and several of this year’s young, but could not get within 3 feet of them.

When you have a moment, please let me know what other food items have been recorded as being brought to the nest, thanks. Former co-workers of mine reported that red tailed hawks nesting in the Bronx Zoo consistently brought 3-4 foot long snakes to their nest, but this was before my time at the zoo; I’m guessing water snakes, black rat snakes or racers captured in Westchester – seems to have been a specialty of that pair.

I knew of a kestrel nest in the East Village, on the southeast corner of First Ave. and E 4th Street, but have not checked back this year.

Wall lizards are established in Alley Pond Park in Bayside/Little Neck, Queens, but that is east of Queens College. Other than those in the Bronx, I don’t know any further west than QC, but will think about it.

Thanks for the most interesting exchange, hope to hear from you again,

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Thanks for the quick followup and details in your response. 

I just noticed that I didn’t mention that the image in my blog is of a falcon (American Kestrel) with a lizard in it’s bill.

The lizard is almost certainly an Ital. Wall Lizard. See my post below concerning a scope view of other lizards taken by the same male kestrel. I’ve seen up to 8 separate lizard takes. 

The ID at the time was confirmed by Dr. Russell Burke. 

Also, take a look at the photo taken by Deborah Allen of the same nesting pair of kestrels. This photo shows the lizard nicely.  

Thanks again and if you have any details of the furthest western sightings on Long Island (incl. Bklyn & Qns) this would be much appreciated. The furthest western site I’ve heard of is Queens College.

eBirds Scope Views of IWL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebirdsnyc/message/6734

Photo of Same American Kestrel Family by Deborah Allen
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=9437536

Thanks for the fascinating post…NYC wildlife is a lifelong passion of mine! Wonderful blog you have there as well.

Your photo will keep me up nights…the lizard is not a coal or 5-lined skink, both native to NY state and across the Hudson in NJ, but not found in NYC; nor is it a wall lizard. In outline it resembles somewhat a fence lizard, but is too large, and they are only found in Staten Island/ NJ Pine Barrens. I almost want to say that it could be a Tokay gecko – it’s the right size and shape, and these common pet trade lizards have become established in many cities (i.e. Miami) worldwide. They could not take our winter, but often live indoors, within houses and apartments. In fact, some years ago a store in Greenwich Village, I believe, was renting them to people as a roach control measure…I doubt many were captured and returned to the store. Tokays are also escape artists and bite very hard when grabbed – perhaps there is a local population which winters indoors. They are, however, persistently nocturnal…ahhh! I’ll think on it a bit more…meanwhile, please keep me posted on any developments.

I did not get to write the wall lizard article. They are common along the Long Island Railroad tracks in Nassau County, LI, having escaped from a pet store in Franklin Square some years ago, and are also established in exhibits at the Bronx Zoo and the NY Botanical Gardens, and at 1-2 parks in Queens.

I post weekly articles about birds on ThatBirdBlog. Most deal with captive husbandry, but I occasionally include notes on wild birds as well.

The Maritime Aquarium has a camera set up over an osprey nest in CT. The young are out and about, but still return to the nest often. The parents have been seen bringing huge (expensive!) koi to feed the chicks.

I’ve worked with a few kestrels injured in NYC over the years…one was observed by a co-worker at the Bronx Zoo to be struck by a peregrine falcon, right over Fordham Road in the Bronx!

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

Take alook at my blog. The location of these breeding kestrels is on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Thanks in advance.

Ben