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I don't have much of a history on this fire skink that a fellow rescue person passed to me today other than it is three years old and seems to be in good health. I have him/her in a large rubber maid container with a cave, a water bowl, and a light. The ambient temps range from 75-85 with a basking spot of 103. The inside of the cave, where the skink is staying, is 85. I plan to move it into a proper enclosure within a few days. I know that I need sterile potting soil/moss/mulch substrate, highish humidity and full spectrum lighting.

S/he immediately ate about three supers this afternoon. So I have a few questions about diet and sexing. I know that these lizards mostly eat bugs, but is there any other type of food that I should be offering? My other question is how do I sex it? It is rather large for its species, from what I have read.

I have him on paper temporarily as I need to get some soil

Hello Rosebuds:
That's really a good-looking skink you have there. They are a little difficult to sex but in general female skinks usually are not as colorful or have as large a head as a male would have. I had a pair for quite a while that i originally picked up for a friend of mine. He kept them for a little over a year and wanted to move onto snakes so I got the lizards back and got him a couple baby Boas instead.
Shortly after I got them back the female died but I still have the male who is slightly over 14" in length. He's really a large skink. I plan on getting a couple more over the next few months.
As far as care is concerned I keep my male in a 15 gallon aquarium that has about 3-4" of cypress mulch for a substrate. I've allowed the mulch to dry out but once a week I will cause a small "rainstorm" over the substrate with about 4 ounces of water just to add a little moisture to the habitat. It always dries out in a couple days. I also have a log in the cage which he lays up against while buried under the substrate. These lizards sre very fossorial so even as beautiful as they are one rarely sees them above ground. Mine seems to be most active early after sunrise and then spends the majority of the rest of the day underground...except when food is offered. Then he comes scrambling out from his underground tunnels and greedily snaps up all his crickets. That's how I show off his gorgeous colors to people. I feed him. By the way, he does also have a permanent small water dish in the terrarium but I rarely see him drink from it.
Though mine is fairly picky I have had others that fed on all sorts of insects and some will eat young rodents as well. A few will eat prepared veggie and fruit plates but not all of them.
Lighting is usually provided with a heat lamp though younger animals benefit greatly from UVB exposure.
I hope this info helps.
Have a Great Day!!!

Thanks. That does help! I am watching his output for a few days, and then I will get him set up. He is a very sweet skink, very handleable and beautiful of course. He seems to be missing a few scales in top of his head, but there doesn't seem to be any sign of infection. The place that he came from was not good, so it could be an old injury.

Well, I have always kinda wanted one, and now i do!

Hello Rosebuds:
I'm glad the info helped. They really are very nice lizards which I am surprised don't get more attention. If you have any other questions just post them.
Good Luck and Have a Great Day!!!

Stunning skink . Fire skinks are lovely. I have never had one as afraid of being bit by something that large but very pretty.

Their bite is nothing. This one tried to nip once, but it didn't even pinch! For the most part, it is a super docile but shy critter. He is very handleable. I put him on my arm, and he nuzzles into my shirt and peeks out to look around.

He is doing GREAT! He eats silks, supers and crix, he has shed, and he is just generally pleasant and of course GORGEOUS!

They have such large heads compared to small skinks I keep that just thought would be a painfull bite

Gosh, I would hate to say no, and then you get nailed badly. I also handle much larger lizards, so their heads are only medium in size and their mouths are small to me. I have read that the bite can be nasty, but that isn't true or he just didn't give me his best shot. This is a really docile one for the most part, and he hasn't even tried to bite since right after the first day. He might not have meant business, know what I mean? LOL!

Gosh, I would hate to say no, and then you get nailed badly

Lol

I'm about to get two fems to go with this guy. These lizards are just stunning! And I do think they adapt to being handled. You can probably get a more amiable one if it is captive born, too.