How many fire skinks can you house together?
Do not house more than two together, and do not house two males or two females in the same enclosure. Most essential to an active and happy skink is a well made enclosure including lizard habitat products. Plants, hides, logs, and the like will ensure a skink feels secure spending time on the surface.
Can you keep skinks together?
Skinks are calm, gregarious and usually non-aggressive; very curious and like to explore in and out of cage. Female skinks may be housed together IF there is ample space and food for each lizard.
How big does a skink get?
Depending on the species, skinks range in size from 3 to 18 inches long or more, snout to tail tip, and many — although not all — skink species are predominantly carnivores or specifically insectivores, consuming crickets, flies, various beetles, worms and caterpillars, plus occasional small rodents.
Do skinks need heat at night?
Blue tongue skinks generally do not need any kind of lighting or heating during the night. Some people prefer red or black bulbs for providing nighttime heat, but it’s actually healthier for skinks to experience a nightly temperature drop.
Do Fire skinks like to be handled?
African Fire skinks can become very accustomed to regular human interaction and can even be hand fed. Many can be handled for short periods of time, but are often fast moving and are a flightier species. Care should therefore be taken to not accidently drop these animals when handling them.
Can a male and female African fire skink live together?
It’s alright to put two females together in the same enclosure, but they will need to have plenty of space. If you have a big enough enclosure, you will be able to house a male and several females together.
What should I do for my African fire skink?
Expert Tip: Of course, the lifespan of an African fire skink can be strongly influenced by the quality of care they receive. A good habitat setup, nutritious diet, and careful handling go a long way.
What kind of problems does a fire skink have?
Fire skinks are susceptible to ticks, mites and bacterial infections. These are all issues that can stem from an unclean enclosure or introducing a contaminated item (food, decorations, etc.) into their habitat. Expert Tip: Like all reptiles, they can get metabolic bone disease from a lack of proper nutrition or UVA/UVB lighting.
How big do fire skink hatchlings get to be?
A good habitat setup, nutritious diet, and careful handling go a long way. The typical size of a fire skink is 14 to 15 inches in length for males, and a few inches shorter for females. Hatchlings are usually around two inches long and will reach their full size in about a year.
Can you put two African fire skinks together?
Expert Tip: Never put two male African fire skinks together in the same enclosure. They can become very aggressive and will often fight to the death. It’s alright to put two females together in the same enclosure, but they will need to have plenty of space.
How big of an enclosure do you need for a fire skink?
Fire skinks are very good at climbing. For an adult skink, at least a 20 gallon tank is required with dimensions of 30*12*12 inches long, deep, and tall, respectively. It is best to use glass to make the best enclosures. Female and male skinks could be housed together as a mated pair. However, sometimes they can show territorial dominance for food.
Can a male skink be housed with a female skink?
Male skinks also tend to be extremely aggressive toward one another and will fight, often to the death of one. Female skinks may be housed together IF there is ample space and food for each lizard. Males and females – one male skink may be housed with several female skinks IF there is ample space and food for each lizard.
How long does an African fire skink live?
Data regarding the lifespan of this species is still inconclusive; however, reports of captive specimens living 15 to 20 years are common. Fire skinks will make use of whatever space is provided, a 40 to 50 gallon reptile terrarium is ideal, especially if housing a pair.
How much space does a fire skink need?
The Ideal Fire Skink Enclosure An adult skink can be kept in a 20-gallon long tank measuring 30 inches long by 12 inches deep and 12 inches tall, but nothing any smaller. Because fire skinks will make use of whatever space is provided, a 40- to 50-gallon tank would be much preferred.
Do fire skinks hide all the time?
Fire skinks do not bask often, but sometimes will after feeding. The cool end of the enclosure can fall as low as 75 degrees as long as the ambient temperature between it and the hot spot remains between 84 and 86 degrees.
What do fire skinks drink?
In the wild, fire skinks are omnivorous, meaning they will eat both plant and animal matter. In captivity, feed your skinks an assortment of crickets, mealworms, superworms, roaches, and waxworms every other day. Feeder insects should be fed Zilla Gut Load Cricket and Insect Food and given Zilla Gut Load Cricket Drink.
How often should I feed my fire skink?
every three days
In general, feeding a fire skink five to six insects every three days is sufficient. A well-fed skink should look full bodied, but not overly plump. Fire skinks eat more frequently during the summer—though they will consume a great deal after emerging from winter, too, as will a gravid female.
