True Fire Skink Questions

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zandi202

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Hello. I'm new to fire skinks (I currently have two beardies, a leopard gecko, and the fire skink) and I have a few questions on set up and other things. Quick background on Venser. He's peen at the Petco where I bought Jace since early December and we just bought him for 75% off since he had been there too long (paid $12.50). It was a rushed purchase, but I knew I would want to put the time and effort into learning how to take care of him where other people might not. This is a pic of him and a pic of his viv (we're guessing he's a he).

hpj1goB.jpg

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Info:
-Viv is 20 long
-4" of Eco-Earth and Sphagnum moss
-2 hides
-1 water dish not filled too much
-heat pad
-cage temp 88 degrees
-misted multiple times a day

Questions:
1. We got Venser April 10th. He's eaten since then maybe 9 phoenix worms and 2 crickets. Is this due relocation stress?

2. Haven't found any poop yet, hard to tell with all the dirt. Should I be worried?

3. How should I start to handle him? He's very squirmy and slides right through my grip. I don't want to lose him in the house.

Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!
 

zandi202

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Original Poster
Anyone have ideas?
After a couple of weeks we finally got real food in him, 3 crickets and 1 cricket gut. He took the third cricket, sucked out the guts and spat out the shell. Then he ate a 4th one. Still need help on question 2
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Hi Zandi....he is very handsome, I love these guys and they really are very hardy. I don't blame you for snatching him up for 12.50, that's a great price ! They can be wiggle worms, I had a breeding pair about 17 years ago, they could easily be handled, but the one I have now just does NOT like to be held and will whip himseff out of my hands. And that's after 8 years of owning him, I bought him as an adult. The key is to handle him regularly, which I don't take the time to do with mine. So, I did reply on your other post, but I see here that you have a nice set up....the only suggestion I would make is I think that the temp. should be lowered to about 80 degrees. My guy does not like it hot at all, and even prefers the mid 70's over mid 80's. Maybe his appetite would pick up if he was cooler. You might want to dump a cup of water in every few days, too to keep the substrate moist. As for his poos, since he's not eating much, not much will be coming out and it is probably mixed under the dirt. With my skink, he goes in the same corner all the time, and it's somewhat small compared to a beardie's poo. So about his eating....do you feed him in the tank ? Mine eats in his tank, and he eats pretty much every day...any type of bug, as well as scrambled egg. Hopefully your guy will begin to get more of an appetite and will live a long + happy life.
 

zandi202

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Will definitely lower the temps, thanks =)
I saw him basking once and snatched a couple pics of it, but that was right before he went into shedding.
When we first brought him home April 10th, he ate 15 phoenix worms that we left in a dish for him. Then after that he refused them and mealworms for a while. We try to feed him in his tank. We'll dig him out and he has never been interested. A couple days ago he took a hornworm, thrashed it around, dropped it, and dove into his substrate.
How do you prepare the scrambled eggs and do you leave it in a dish for him to find or does do you feed it to him?
 

AHBD

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I think that these lizards are more shy + prefer to stay under their logs + burrow in their substrate. Mine has about 2 inches to dig in , but he spends most of his time under the log. I usually drop an insect at the end opening of the log and he sticks his head out, grabs it + drags it under. He doesn't like to be handled or disturbed at all when he's eating. I don't use a bowl for any of his food, I can hand feed the egg or I put it on his rock, but he always gets some dirt on it. A very shallow bowl, partly sunk in the ground would work, too. Oh, and I just scramle one egg + pop it in the microwave for 50 -60 seconds [ no oil or frying ] I only give egg about once a week, and I try to pick any leftover pieces out of the dirt. I think Venser will get used to his routine soon enough, and hopefully be devouring everything you give him.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
You might try having it 4" one side and slope down to 2" on the other side, then he can choose what he likes. I also have a fake fern , they seem to like to feel as if they're still hiding when they leave their log . I think your substrate is fine, just keep it moist throughout....pour enough water in + mix it up to make it moist instead of dry + fluffy, and just add water when it looks like it's drying out.
 

zandi202

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Original Poster
All right, I will try the different levels of eco-earth and see which he prefers.

Thank you so much for helping me out. I really appreciate it.

One more question: through my online research it seems very controversial about wether or not they need UVB. Some say no and some say yes, specifically the ReptiSun 5.0. What do you think?
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
You're welcome ! And as far as UVB, I've used a couple different bulbs, including the Reptiglo as well as Reptisun, and there were times when the bulb went way past 6 months [ so it produced light but possibly no UVB ] and he looked + acted the same, same bursts of energy + eating level as always. So I'm not positive about how much they actually need, but you can definitely get away with times of no UVB, at least for a sub- adult or adult. Of course it's akways good to have at least some UVB exposure, at least for several months out of the year just to be sure. When you say the Reptisun 5.0, do you mean the tube , or is it coil ? The Reptisun 5.0 tube is a decent bulb, many people don't realize it's what all reptile owners used before the 10.0 came out and our beardies, iguanas, etc. were fine. If you mean the coil/compact, I don't know for sure, but a friend of mine does use them with her beardies and has no issues, but I've never used them.
 

zandi202

BD.org Addict
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I was referring to the tube because the site I had looked at that said they needed UVB said that you should get 5.0 if in the cage and a 10.0 if a screen is in the way.
 

zandi202

BD.org Addict
Original Poster
All right, I just want to sum everything up real fast:

What a need to get Venser:
1. UVB and Fixture
2. Greenery - does it matter if real or fake?

I just soaked his substrate real nice and held him for a little. I found more bits of his shed. I'm going to make him some eggs and see if he likes that. Will offer some to my beardies as well since one eggs is too much for just one of them. I'm also going to leave two hornworms running around.

Does he get vitamins and calcium like the beardies and leos? I've been dusting his live feeders with repashy.
 

zandi202

BD.org Addict
Original Poster
You advice rocks! I'm already seeing a big difference. He ate 2/3 hornworms and has been nibbling on the egg I left on the log for him. I see him out every time I go in there, but he quickly ducks back into hiding. Thanks so much for all of your advice.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
I'm glad to hear ! And lol, my skink prefers to hide alot as well. I still love him though....we have to remember that these are almost always wild caught, so they are naturally very cautious. The greenery can be fake, unless you are really good at keeping a plant alive indoors...plus there may be fertilizers on it that you have to be careful of. Some stores like Goodwill have a lot of fake plants really cheap, or Walmart is probably less expensive than the pet store fake plants. As for the Reptisun , a 5.0 or 10.0 should be fine, and you can stretch the life of it by using it every fes days on then off if you want. And yes, dust the food 2-3 times a week. By the way, these guys like earthworms, too so there is a great variety to feed them.
 

zandi202

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Original Poster
That's good to know. Thanks for everything. I know I might sound like a jerk, but one of the reasons I got him was because he was so cheap and I was afraid someone would get him and not put the time and effort into learning how to properly take care of him. This fer happened after one of Zy's brothers was bought and died 2 days later from terrible care, stuff even Petco was appalled by. I know I can't save them all, but I like to try lol. Plus he had been there since before November.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
You surely don't have to apologize or explain why you got him, he's your pet no matter where you got him, and he will be much better off with you. Just enjoy your shiny black + red friend ! :)
 
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