Fire Skink

Riopa Fernandi

Habitat

The fire skink is, like the Berber, an African skink therefore needing sand. The fire skink is a burrower. You could put mulch or, little bark pieces but sand is much better, I find. The tank should be kept at about 95 to 110F in the basking area and 75 -85F in the cool area and at night. There should be at least two hiding places, maybe a clay pot or a piece of wood. It is very important to raise the humidity above 50% because they are desert animals.

Feeding

The feeding of these skinks is also quite similar to the Berber, they will eat the usual insects and fruit based foods. Crickets are probably your best bet for the basic diet.

Handling

These skinks can be handled, but as I said earlier, never pick them up by their tails or tease them. If you let them crawl on you watch it, because they are faster than you may think. It also depends on the temperment of your particular skink, some are friendlier than others. The females are usually nicer but not as wonderfully colored, so ti all depends on what you want.

Life Expectancy

The life of the Fire skink can last from 20 - (RARELY)25 or 30. They can live to this age only if they've had a good life and they've been well taken care of. It also depends on what age you received your skink.

Description

The Fire Skink is one of the most beautiful skinks in the world. It is also a rather expensive skink to purchase. These skinks were rare at one time but they are now beginning to be sold in pet shops. The Fire Skink has a beautiful, shiny brown back and bright red sides. It has a white lines and black lines appearing in some areas along the sides. The are long bodies and have short legs. They grow to be about a foot.