FIRE SKINK
- Distinctive coloration with brilliant red sides and black and white vertical
- stripes.
- Native to Africa, terrestrial lizards, which spend much of their time buried
- under ground.
- Can live to be 15-20 years with proper care and grow to 10-14 inches.
Diet
Fire skinks are insectivores and enthusiastic eaters. Their diet should consist of a variety of prey items such as crickets, mealworms, Dubia roaches, wax worms, horn worms and butter worms. Insects should be fed 1-2 times weekly and dusted with calcium.
A large sturdy bowl of water should be available at all times. They may defecate in it so it should be checked regularly. Bowl should be big enough for them to climb easily in and out of for bathing. Clean the bowl and refresh the water daily.
Housing
A 20 gallon long aquarium will comfortably house a single adult fire skink; if you wish to house more than one skink a 40 gallon or larger is recommended. Males can be territorial and should not be housed with other males, but females will live peacefully together. It’s not recommended to keep a female and male together. Fire skinks need bloodwork to be accurately sexed, but you can estimate the gender of the animal by size (males are larger and bulkier, females are shorter and leaner).
Fire skinks are ground dwellers and will spend much of their time burrowing under soil. Provide several inches of soft soil-type substrate such as Jungle Mix. Though skinks don’t climb well, include some low branches, rocks and décor. A humidity box will help with shedding. Mist the while enclosure daily to provide humidity (50-70%).
Provide an 85-90ºF basking area and a cooler 75-80ºF area with a night temperature in the 70’s. A basking light combined with an under-tank heater on the basking side works well. In addition, a full spectrum UVB light should be provided 10-14 hours per day.
Handling & Care
Fire skinks are very docile, curious lizards. They tame easily; however, they can bite if they feel threatened or mistake your hand for food. When handling your skink, use both hands, supporting all limbs. They do develop claws, and while they don't particularly scratch, always supervise others who are not used to holding them. You can cut your skink’s nails as needed. If your skink is handled roughly, it may drop its tail, which will re-grow.
Clean out feces weekly and uneaten food after a few days. Clean the entire habitat every 3-4 months. Wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap after handling any animal.
Health
Skinks are hardy lizards, and provided that you care for them properly, there should be very few health problems. Metabolic bone disease due to lack of calcium is common; so a well-balanced diet with a calcium-vitamin D supplement is important. Another common problem is scale rot and blister disease. This usually occurs due to the enclosure being too damp or humid, which can also cause respiratory infections.
Take your skink to an exotics veterinarian if you notice: weight loss or decreased appetite, mucus in the nose or mouth, labored breathing, lethargy, skin lesions, abnormal feces or paralysis of tail or legs.
