This data set contains data on whether individuals of the restricted tropical rainforest skink Carlia rubrigularis selected a wet or dry refuge (i. hydroregulated) at different test temperatures. It also containes data on the preferred body temperature of the same species, which increases across time of day. In combination, this data showcases how selection of optimum body temperatures and selection of conditions that prevent desiccation can clash, placing dehydrates animals in thermally suboptimal conditions. The data was collected in Cairns QLD, Australia, as part of a PhD project in 2014. Detailed methodologies can be found in the related PhD thesis and publication.