Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all, I am relatively new to the herp world and am doing my best to find out about these wonderful critters.

I have a fire skink (got form a pet store going out of business), named Jerry. I think he is an adult as he is a little over a foot long. I say he but I don't really know what sex he is. I've done a lot of reading on fire skinks, but have a few behavioral questions.

He likes to take baths! He has a big water dish, and several times a week I find him in it. He swim through one way, then the other, then bask for awhile. I do keep his tank humid so I don't think it is because he is dry.

He has a very cute way of watching the world. I often find him watching the cats (who are watching him), he will have his whole belly agaisnt the side of the tank, so it looks like he is standing on the base of his tail, and his head will be cocked back to stare at the cats on the floor.

Does anyone elses' skink do these things?

He is getting tamer, i can stroke his back w/out him running away and he eats from my hand. Is it true they live for 20 years?!

I have read both that they need and do not need UV lighting, any opinions on this? He does have UV as well as a basking lamp & undertank heater (which seems to make his substrate warm but little else).

I'm going to try and attach a pict of him.

thanks!!

Sasha

Cool skink! Sorry, but I don't know jack squat about them lol
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0.0.1 Chrysemys picta picta (Eastern Painted Turtle)
0.0.1 Teliqua gigas (Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink)
0.2.0 Eublepharis macularius (Leopard Geckos)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon (Northern Water Snake)
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus (Crested Geckos)
0.0.1 Python regius (Ball Python)
?.?.? Assorted goldfish, minnows and guppies
1.0.0 Ferret
1.1.0 Cats
1.0.0 Aussie Cattle Dog/ Border Collie Mix

Fire Skinks do like to soak in their water dishes, if he is soaking everyday I would check the water for mites as a precaution. Constant soaking by any lizard can sometimes mean they are trying to drowned mites off. Just a precaution.
As for standing up looking at the Cats, that is normal in a Cat household. He is telling them he is bigger and they cannot get to him through the glass, but watch for stress. Fire Skinks do well with 5.0 UVB Florescent light the length of the tank, a spot light on one side for heating up. Not sure you need the under tank heat pad. These are burrowing lizards who usually bask on cork bark, tiles, or hide boxes. Spot light temps should be 90f - 95f with ambient cage temps mid 70s to mid 80s, with night time drops. Bed-a-beast and/or Jungle Soil Mix work well as substrate, still use a hide/humidity box. Plastic artifical plants work for hiding and daily misting. They are insectivorious but will take small pinkie mice in the breeding season.

I saw your response to the questions on Fire Skinks.

I just got two of them and was thinking of using plain garden soil as a substrate as the commercial products all have warnings about accidental ingestion.

Do you always mist the cages?

I have had lizards before - many different types - but never skinks.

Thanks in advance.

Yes they can live for up to 20 yrs under ideal conditions. I wouldn't use anything smaller than a 40 gallon breeder tank for his adult life. Crickets, waxworms, some superworms, and pinkie mice once a week in the breeding season. Check your daily temps, if he stays too hot he may not produce viable sperm to breed. That's why I don't use under tank heater and the fact he will come out and bask to warm up.

i've been thinking he should have a bigger tank, he is in a 30 gallon breeder and uses all of it. he seems more active with the uth, it only covers about a third of the tank, he still basks & spends time above time.
He might be bathing and hanging out in the african violet because he is a little dry, so i'm misting him more often. he gets mostly superworms & mealworms, crickets once or twice a week. I don't know what sex "he" is, i just say he as generic.

He has lots of hidey spots from the cats' line of vision, but I can certainly put up some cardboard along one side to make him feel safer.

thanks!

Sasha