Kirsten Kranz of Kenosha, Wisc. has been breeding various reptiles for 15 years, and blue-tongue skinks for seven years. Of course, it's imperative the skink is captive born, and handled from the time it's very young. That's hardly something you would think of doing with any other reptile. While skinks don't housebreak, she says not a single accident has occurred while actually handling one. Give or a take a few, there are 500 kinds of skinks.
All skinks are lizards with smooth and shiny scales.
Skinks are primarily ground dwellers, all have short and stubby legs relative to their body sizes, which are typically 5 to 10-inches. For an alternative to the green iguana, only the placid blue tongue skink is recommended. Other skink species tend to be skittish. You should never purchase a wild caught skink. Aside from the ethical question of removing an animal from it's natural habitat, the wild caught skinks are highly stressed from the ordeal and are often parasite plagued.