Skink Gecko

A favorite object as a terrarium animal belonging to the gecko family. Its total length does not exceed 16 cm, of which only a little more than a third falls on the tail. The subspecies Teratoscincus scincus scincus is found in the sandy deserts of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. In soft sand, the gecko digs a deep, up to 90 cm, inclined burrow ending in a layer of moistened sand, the entrance to which is clogged with a sand plug. Lizards spend the whole day in this shelter, usually appearing on the surface only after sunset. In the dark, it hunts for fairly large insects and their larvae. Along with a soft squeak, skink geckos are able to produce characteristic sounds by rubbing the nail-like scales of the tail from each other, resembling the rustle of rolled sheets of parchment paper. The broken tail, convulsively writhing, continues to rustle, which apparently serves as a kind of danger signal for other individuals. If you bring a moving tail into a cage with several geckos, they immediately begin to rush around the room and discard their tails themselves, increasing the general commotion. The severed tail is restored very quickly and does not differ in appearance from the lost one. The food consists mainly of various beetles, less often other insects and arachnids. The female lays 2-6 eggs per season, usually in 1-2 portions. Puberty occurs at the age of 18-22 months with a body length of 68-70 mm . Geckos reach their maximum size no earlier than at the age of five. Skink geckos usually live up to 7-8, sometimes up to 12 years. The subspecies Teratoscincus scincus rustamowi - Rustamov's gecko is listed in the Red Books of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as an endangered, relict, endemic subspecies. It lives only in the Fergana Valley. It differs from the subspecies living in the Kyzylkums by grayish coloration and smaller size. It can also live in captivity for a long time and often reproduces in artificial conditions. In our zoo, we have repeatedly received offspring from these cute creatures.