Identity pages for a skink that looks like many others
A blue-tongued skink's paperwork opens with photographs of the back pattern, head shape and that unmistakable blue tongue, plus notes on sex, subspecies if known, length, weight and any old shed scars or missing toe tips. Subspecies differ in pattern and size, and boarders may house several skinks, so your written description prevents a mix-up between two grey-brown animals in neighbouring enclosures. State where the skink came from and how long you have kept it.
The diet sheet a skink boarder cannot guess
A blue-tongued skink's diet page matters more than most, because this omnivore eats a rotating mix that no boarder can reconstruct from a glance in the bowl. List the staple greens, vegetables and protein foods you actually use, the proportions roughly as you serve them, how often meals come, and the supplement dusting days written against the meals rather than as a vague weekly note. Name the foods this skink must not get, including anything it has reacted to before and the household scraps people assume are treats. Record the last meals eaten before boarding and any current fussiness, so a refused bowl on day two is read against this skink's real appetite, not a stranger's worry.
Heat, UVB and enclosure notes on one setup page
A blue-tongued skink's setup page lists the basking surface reading, the cool-end reading, the night drop, and the UVB lamp type with its on and off hours. Blue-tongued skinks are ground dwellers that bask hard and then retreat to burrow, so note the substrate depth, the hide at each end, and the instruction that the basking lamp runs through its thermostat or guard exactly as installed. Say how you offer water and how often the bowl is scrubbed.
Emergency contacts and care permission
A blue-tongued skink's emergency sheet carries your number first, then a backup person able to collect the skink or authorise decisions, then a reptile-experienced veterinary practice with its emergency route. Beneath the names, give written permission for the boarder to take the skink for urgent treatment and note the payment arrangement you agreed, so care is never delayed while phones ring out. Include your return date and the hours when you are unreachable during travel. If this skink is elderly, gravid or recovering from anything, that fact belongs at the top of this page in plain words, not buried in the history.
Skink-specific problems the boarder should escalate
A blue-tongued skink with retained shed building up around the toes, swollen or crusty eyes, a mouth that sits open or bubbles at the corners, laboured breathing, or sudden loss of use of the back legs needs a same-day call to you and the reptile vet. A skink that stops basking entirely and stays buried for days is also worth reporting, since this species normally emerges to warm up daily. Normal bluff — tongue display, hissing, flattening — needs no call, and your temperament note should say so. Ask for a photo of any toe or eye concern, because shed problems on a skink are judged far better by eye than by description.
One folder, handed over in person
A blue-tongued skink's folder should be waterproof, labelled with the skink's name, and walked through with the boarder at drop-off, with copies on your phone and with your backup contact. Check the name matches across enclosure label, folder and booking form before you leave. Bundling the diet sheet, setup page and contacts into a KinsLe Pet Passport means the skink's whole story travels as one packet instead of loose pages that part company in a busy boarding room.