Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i bought a fire skink at the reptile show, at the time it looked health excpet for a scrape here and there. i have a heating pad for him, he gets fresh water when he needs it and i feed him crickets with calcium powder. recently he has started getting increasingly lethargic and smaller. is there anything you think could be wrong? i live in Ohio and it is cold, could that be a factor?

I'm not completely sure but mine are very lathargic as well they bearly come out from under the ground. As for the cold i'd say it's unlikely I live in Nova Scotia and they don't seem to be bothered by the cold

Animals that don't eat after origionally eating previously may indicate a health or enviromental problem. It could be something as simple as correcting temps and humidity. These skinks like it warm and humid with lots of hiding places and substrate to burrow. It may also need de-worming. It's possible that the season may be responsible for the slowdown but just don't assume that's all that it is. Fire Skinks are usually quite easy to keep healthy. There is a lot of good information on the captive care of Fire Skinks right on the internet. If you find that your enviroment and setup matches what is recommended and the animal still does not eat and, also acts sick, have a vet check it out.

Posted by: amysguy at Fri Jan 28 19:17:36 2005 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

I'm not completely sure but mine are very lathargic as well they bearly come out from under the ground. As for the cold i'd say it's unlikely I live in Nova Scotia and they don't seem to be bothered by the cold

Dont you provide extra heat like a hot basking area and night heat?
I ask because I see you say they arent bothered by the cold.