fire skink questions

[animeavatar]

If I get a fire skink, what( how much) should I feed it in one sitting?

Some sites say that they often reject nonliving prey like veggies and fruits so do they have to eat veggies and fruits?

What time of the day should I give him/her food?

Also how many hours later should I remove the food?

What light should I use for basking?

 

[acpart]

Since I never see my fire skink, I can only tell you what I do and not what the skink is doing, though recently I had a siting where it was much bigger than when I got it this past winter.

Fire skinks are diurnal, so should be fed during the day. However, I've only seen the skink eat once so I just put food in every few days. I keep a bowl of mealworms in the cage and they disappear. I drop 4-5 crickets in every few days. On the one hand they do disappear, on the other hand, I also have some baby crickets in the tank. I put superworms in there periodically. They disappear too, though I do see a superworm alien buried in the substrate and hopefully will be able to add it to my superworm beetle collection when it hatches.

I'm under the impression that the skink senses prey from the vibrations in the substrate. Mine is certainly eating well. I keep a dish of water set into the substrate and I mist daily. I use a regular reptile dome lamp with a reptile flood light. I don't remember the wattage at the moment , but it originally came with something like 150 watts which was melting the plastic at the top of the tank.

ALiza

 

[5HiddenLizards]

I feed mine mealies & dubia. He is always out during the day until he gets fed. Then I assume he goes under to sit on top of his UTH. UTH stays around 95 to 98. Air temps are in the low 80s.
I use a 60watt regular bulb for a heat lamp, but usually only in the colder months. His tank is between the 2 monitor tanks & it stays warm.

He usually eats 6 to 8 half inch dubia everyday. An when I feed mealies I usualy just fill up his dish & they are gone by the end of the day.

I don't remove food if it escapes. He'll find it in the substrate. They never last more than a day loose.

They don't need to eat fruits/veggies, although some will accept them.

Mine will let you talk to him & stare at him & even take food from your hand or tweezer. But if you try to touch him he freaks out i& is underground in half a second.

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[animeavatar]

would he/she need a basking light if the room gets indirect sunlight?

 

[5HiddenLizards]

I don't believe it would. As long as your temps are good. I have the light mostly so I can see him, since our apartment has no living room light. And the heat lamp helps keeep air temps wam during the cold months.



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[animeavatar]

So then what heating should I use? Heat lamp or UTH?

 

[5HiddenLizards]

Honestly, you could use both. I do. Someone suggested a uth to me because they like to be under the dirt. And I figured that having heat available where they feel safest would be better than having a spot lamp just so I could see him. But he does bask under the heat lamp. Especially after I mist the tank.

So its up to you on which you'd rather use.

But they do like to hide, so keep that in mind. It took mine several months to stop hiding.



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[animeavatar]

So how many insects or worms everyday?

 

[acpart]

I keep a bowl filled with mealworms and every so often I dump in some crickets and superworms. As far as I can tell given the limited visibility, it's grown tremendously. It's the only one of my reptiles that I don't feed on a regular schedule.

Aliza

 

[5HiddenLizards]

Aliza, too bad yours hides from you. I saw the picture & I like how he seems to have lots of black. Mines more red & orange. But yours is pretty!

Idk if anyone saw the video I posted of him eating.

Question for the OP, were you going to be getting one as a baby? I've seen some videos of people who can handle theirs easily & I assume they worked with them as babies.



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[animeavatar]

I dunno, whatever was at the next expo I guess.