Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I feel awful.
I had corresponded with some people who bred fire skinks successfully and followed their advice.

I have a big female (as identified by longlong tail & lack of jowls by a local herp person), she is about 15"
Where I work they have had a male for about a year. he was healthy and active altho a little smaller than my girl.

I was told that if I put them together in a large tank, new to both of them, they could co-exist.
I set up a nice 75 gallon, put them in it..
for several days all was well. they just ignored each other. I made sure there was more than enough food for them both.

then on day 4 I found the male dead in a corner. His head was turned chin up against the side of the tank. I coudln't find any marks on him or her.

I was horrified, and very sad.
I have had the female since November, I don't know how long she was in the pet store I bought her from. could she be so used to being alone that she won't accept another?
I'm not planning on trying to give her any more friends, I don't want a repeat!

I think if I want to breed fireskinks I will buy an established pair from someone, I've seen them for sale.

any insight into this tragedy would be appreciated.

Sasha

Thats a huge female could it be she is a male and your other male was just a smaller male and two males together that you just got will be ok for a few days than once they get used to the tank and feel territorial the fighting starts.
It could be a BIG female with a smaller male but a F not that much bigger killing a male I think unusual.
Another possibility is he died of something else maybe a disease. I seperated my F and male because the male became mean I cant imagine him killing her without major marks on her and him when she fought back.
They bite each other hard. I mean it can be possible a bigger F killing a smaller male but lack of marks sounds strange.
I have never bred mine as once I seperated them I kept them each in a 30 gallon long and wont subject the F to him as I dont trust him with her unsurpervised.