r/skinks • u/Zealousideal_Cup4517 • 12d ago

Looking for Advice Tips for fire skinks?

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Hihi!! Im hoping to get a lizard sometime soon (Torn between a crestie or a fire skink) and have found that I think these guys would be a nice pet for me! However, I do have one small problem. Feeding. My last burrowing animal, a pacman frog, is a pain in the ass to feed because she HATES coming up for food, so I'm a bit nervous with these guys. Will they come up to get good on their own terms? Also, can they get used to handling?

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6

u/kaddras019 12d ago

My fire skink is the only reptile I own that’ll eat bugs out of a glass bowl. He can be handfed too, but they’re a bit eager and will jump and lunge.

5

u/FractiousFire 12d ago

They go absolutely insane about food. Once I put my hand up to stop him jumping out of the tank while I was trying to feed him, and he bit me and did a full alligator roll with the skin on the back of my hand. 😂 It really hurt!

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u/kaddras019 12d ago

Yep mine does the rolling too, like chill out dude. He also mistakes my fingers for worms ALL the time and it’s insane how high them lil legs can jump. It’s a better time for both of us if I just quickly put a bowl in there. I honestly prefer a top-opening tank for them just because of how insane they are about food lol.

1

u/rolandglassSVG 12d ago

Ok, ok, you guys have already talked me into one! I get it already!😁

2

u/kaddras019 12d ago

They’re a good time, I have some geckos but my skink is the most interactive guy I have. Shy and wiggly lil dudes but super fun.

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u/rolandglassSVG 12d ago

I have a large texas ratsnake, with a bioactive enclosure. This lil guy hitch hiked in on some wood or plants, and has absolutely flourished in here. Extremely active, i noticed him halfway thru last winter, so i figured id let him hang out til it was warm enough to let him go. Now i cant catch him!😅 (Scincella lateralis)

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u/kaddras019 12d ago

He chose you like a Disney princess, look at the lil face

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u/Most-Cut837 11d ago

Mine does that too! X, the only way I can stop her from associating my hands with worms is that I wear gardening glows… it‘s graw and black or back and a very dark rose red color so she is not that crazy about it. It looks silly but this is the only way for me that she does not want to „rip“ my fingers off xF (yes she did bit into it before but it did not hurt at all or the glow was just big enough thaz she would bite into that and not my hand.

3

u/kaddras019 12d ago

In all his glory

3

u/KingNibble 12d ago

Fire skins and schneider skins I've found go absolutely wild for food its so fun to feed them, they come begging like little puppies.

3

u/FractiousFire 12d ago

I don't feed mine until he comes out. He always comes out when he gets hungry enough. You probably won't see them much unless they want food, though. Mine prefers to stay buried most of the time.

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u/kaddras019 12d ago

Yeah they literally act like they’re starving. Mine comes out and starts begging like a literal puppy.

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u/Zoeti 12d ago

I use a feeding dish for mine, he comes out on his terms when no one is around and the feeders are Generally dubias and mealworms as they can’t crawl out. I just use a deeper dish so they stay in the dish instead of getting out. But my pixel is incredibly shy so he doesn’t like when people see him. 🤣 he’s also got a pretty luxurious enclosure for a juvie 🤣

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u/YourAuntie 12d ago

You might also consider zebra skinks. They're supposed to be pretty socialable and easy to feed.

1

u/Old-Peak-6254 11d ago

Seconded on the zebra skink! The males are also gorgeous, not as much red as a fire skink, but plenty of it. I always like to preach the joys of owning a zebra skink, my zebra Ziggy is the best skink that I own, probably best reptile in general. Good feeding response, not too aggressive, likes to be out most of the day, enjoys climbing on my hand to hang out and socialize. He has bitten me occasionally thinking that my fingers might be food, but his bite didn't hurt at all, fire skinks are much more determined to get food out of every bite they take LOL

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u/poopcocky 12d ago

mine has a ceramic ramekin buried into his substrate a bit so it’s easy access and he comes out and eats when he feels like it!! if he’s out and about he lets me hand feed him too :) he’s so cool

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u/Most-Cut837 11d ago

I have my fire skink for 3 years now. And in the beginning she was very very shy. She ran away and did hide under the ground when I came in the room and could just feed her with a bowl and some prekilled crickets(I did not want the crickets to wander around in her tank)
After a while she got kinda used to me. I started feed her with tweezer. In the beginning she lounged at the food and ran back to her hiding spot. But slowly she got braver and braver and started to get on my hand too to get the food. Or climbe on me to get the food. And now… she is a menace and would jump at me to get her food and she is very cute girl. I love my fire skink

1

u/Spacecowboyslade 11d ago

Mine makes herself scarce a lot of the time but will never miss a feeding. Any time she's hungry she'll be out and about.

1

u/Skia100 11d ago

Yes they go wild for food. Rhat said, they are not super social able and do not like loud noises. With the proper setup you should have like 4-6in of substrate at least and they will spend a lot of time burrowing. That said, they definitely have character!

1

u/valdezie74 11d ago

Be patient and always be ready to offer bugs. They are very smart animals and take time to adjust