# Fire Skink Breeding Success



## calv07 (Mar 8, 2010)

I have recently been successful in breeding Fire Skinks (_Riopa fernandi_)with 6 out of 7 eggs hatching. I wanted to see who else has had any luck with the captive breeding of this species. I am aware that there have been quite a few reports of eggs been laid by WC gravid females but I can find very little detail on successful breeding attempts in the captive environment. 

Appreciate hearing any information from anyone. Cheers.


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## Tiliqua (Dec 6, 2008)

Well done! I used to keep these and got eggs for a few years running. For one reason and another I was never able to incubate themselves successfully. These are being captive bred in the US and Europe but I personally haven't heard of anyone in the UK breeding them. To be honest I suspect that they have been bred, but this certainly isn't common. We need some pics of the babies!

Mark.


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## calv07 (Mar 8, 2010)

Picture as requested. I will try and get some better ones when I get time.


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## Ste123 (Apr 30, 2011)

Congr8s on the successful breeding, I hope this is the start of many more successes in the future. I'm sure you'll have no problem selling them to a good reptile shop when and if you want to. Be interesting to know if private sale would work or not better with skinks.

:no1:


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## stokesy (Mar 11, 2011)

thats fantastic : victory: I love fire skinks and was a bit disapointed to have to buy wild caught ones, so its great to know someone has managed to breed in the uk. What kind of set up do u use with urs? Make sure you update us with pics as they grow :mf_dribble:


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## RORCOV (Jul 19, 2005)

Absolutely awesome... you need to document/publish your breeding and incubation method/tips!

Great looking babies. Really well done! :2thumb:


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## rainbow.ben (Dec 11, 2007)

Well done a species on my wish list. Keep up the good work! :notworthy:


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## calv07 (Mar 8, 2010)

Thanks for the good feedback all. 

The setup for them is really very simple, I can add some pics of it tomorrow and give a detailed description of their setup and how the breeding came about. The interesting thing is that the eggs were incubated in the enclosure with the animals.......risky maybe but it worked. I am probably going to keep all the babies back and make a real effort with a breeding plan.


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## BlazzingGecko53 (Oct 19, 2009)

*Well done hun! The babies look great! People have said just how hard it is to breed these gorgeous reptiles so to be sucessful and with nearly all the egg hatching is a great accomplishment! :2thumb: Yes please keep us up to date with photos of them as they get older.*


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## monitor mad (Jun 16, 2008)

Well done these are cracking looking skinks , we have some in at Blaydon exotics


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## calv07 (Mar 8, 2010)

I would love to tell everyone that months of hard work and effort was put in to get these animals to breed and produce eggs......but that would be far from the truth. It was always the hope that the skinks would reproduce....they were in cracking condition and if we got the conditions right that one day they would show signs of mating. There was originally three animals kept together but one animal got heavily bitten by the others and had to be separated. It seemed as though this was the event that inspired the other two animals to mate and lay the eggs...It seems to be the case that this species may prefer to reproduce in pairs rather than groups. 

There was no real sign of any of the animals looking gravid and it was only when we found the juveniles running around the enclosure that we had realised that they had laid eggs but also turned out the conditions in the enclosure were ideal for the incubation of the eggs. It just go's to show that if you get the conditions spot on and you have healthy, happy animals then the seemingly difficult can be easy.


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## Khonsu (May 20, 2009)

Congrastulations, these are beautiful lizards, I never did get mine to bread mores the pity, wouldn't have thought you'd have any problems selling these, in fact add me to vyour list if they're not already all accounted for.


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## Beelzebub (May 2, 2009)

Congratulations :2thumb:

I've recently acquired what i'm told is a 1:2 trio so hopefully i'll follow suit next season, lol. Interesting point about housing as a pair only, will certainly keep that in mind.


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## Zakk (Oct 15, 2008)

Im completely heartbroken that your not selling these  always wanted one. Fancy mailing me if you change your mind at any point?!


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## RobVivian (Apr 22, 2010)

Hi there - thought I would add to this thread as my Riopa bred last week. It was an adult pair that I have had for about three years now without any success and then on friday four babies were in their enclosure. There was no sign the female was gravid so it was a bit of a surprise. Last year I tried to replicate a more natural feel for them by keeping them in the greenhouse for the whole summer with artificial heat/light (I keep mostly lacertids outdoors).







Whereas this year they have been indoors, but I doused them with water during the summer. Given where they are found I am assuming this may have mimicked the wet/dry seasons and triggered the breeding. Anyway - here are the pics of the babies!


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## Tiliqua (Dec 6, 2008)

Excellent! Very well done. I wouldn't mind seeing pics of your set up, if you have any...

Cheers,
Mark.


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## RORCOV (Jul 19, 2005)

Tiliqua said:


> Excellent! Very well done. I wouldn't mind seeing pics of your set up, if you have any...
> 
> Cheers,
> Mark.


Likewise!

And really well done! :2thumb:


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## RobVivian (Apr 22, 2010)

Hi Mark,

They are in one of my very first ever wooden vivs - from about 25 years ago - marine plywood with a lifting lid. Not the most technically advanced viv! There is a zoomed 10%, an extra bulb and a heat bulb - everything is above ground (no heat mats or cables). Inside the viv is about 6" of compost and a couple of pieces of bogwood. The viv is 30" x 18" x 18" and that is pretty much it.

They are very secretive animals and so I never disturb the soil, and pretty much leave them to it. Bit of a shock to see one of the babies marching around to be honest!

Rob


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## TommyR (May 15, 2012)

Congrats love these little beauties and would love to own a pair at some point.


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## Khonsu (May 20, 2009)

Beautiful babies, jealous, never :whistling2:


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## RobVivian (Apr 22, 2010)

Ok, quick update on these chaps. All four are doing fine - they seemed to struggle with the first shed but they all came through and have grown a fair bit. Which has provided a problem, because this morning I found six more babies marching round the adult viv! The new babies are probably too small to mix with the last lot, so they are now in an identical enclosure to the juveniles. This gives me a total of 10 CB animals from one pair - and therefore does anyone have any other CB babies? If so does anyone want to swap some to mix the bloodlines?


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## TommyR (May 15, 2012)

RobVivian said:


> Ok, quick update on these chaps. All four are doing fine - they seemed to struggle with the first shed but they all came through and have grown a fair bit. Which has provided a problem, because this morning I found six more babies marching round the adult viv! The new babies are probably too small to mix with the last lot, so they are now in an identical enclosure to the juveniles. This gives me a total of 10 CB animals from one pair - and therefore does anyone have any other CB babies? If so does anyone want to swap some to mix the bloodlines?


 
Congrats on more success with these would love a pair in the future


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## stokesy (Mar 11, 2011)

thats brilliant - congrats you must be doing it right!!

I really want to get a male for my girls now!


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## albinoxeno (Aug 25, 2012)

RobVivian said:


> Ok, quick update on these chaps. All four are doing fine - they seemed to struggle with the first shed but they all came through and have grown a fair bit. Which has provided a problem, because this morning I found six more babies marching round the adult viv! The new babies are probably too small to mix with the last lot, so they are now in an identical enclosure to the juveniles. This gives me a total of 10 CB animals from one pair - and therefore does anyone have any other CB babies? If so does anyone want to swap some to mix the bloodlines?


congrats on the new babies, i have even more respect for you now, being responsible enough to try and mix blood lines as well as breeding a heavily wild caught species. i could take some off your hands if your strungling :whistling2:

would you consider selling any babies now, with all the new arrivals?


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## RobVivian (Apr 22, 2010)

If I cannot swap some babies then I will probably sell a few of them; I want to spend some time getting the husbandry for the babies right. After a few weeks the first clutch were eyes closed on the surface at deaths door. I really played around with the temperature/moisture levels and I think I may have the right environment for them now. I have an outbuilding that is heated for my 'indoor' animals and each enclosure has a seperate thermostat in case of an issue. The babies are in rubs filled with compost and wood, a heat mat (not something the adults have), a zoomed 10% on the surface (so they can get within 1cm of it) and a spot bulb for heat. The temperature in the room was the problem - it was too hot at night - so now they get about 15c at night. I spray the compost every other day and feed them daily; and so far they all look really good. This is way more attention than the adults get! They have the most uninspiring vivarium you could wish for; wooden box filled with compost and bogwood is pretty much it! (again with Zoomed 10% and spot bulb). The adults are massive - the male is not far off Blue Tongue skink size and they eat anything from locusts to pinkies. I really hate seeing these things imported because I don't see these as a particularly good 'pet' species. The eyes give it away - jet black - this is not an animal that naturally basks for any length of time. They are underground 90% of their lives and that means we rarely see them. Trouble is they are so darn pretty that they will continue to be imported in huge numbers. I am going to source some more wild caught adults after Christmas, if only to try and get some additional youngsters with a new bloodline.


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## albinoxeno (Aug 25, 2012)

well you a credit to the hobby then, helping to ease stress on wc populations is somthing i would really like to do in this hobby, i think i'll venture further in to the cave gecko world myself, but fire skinks are definatley on the wish list (not sure about room anymore now, i choose cavies). i wish you luck in the future.


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## RobVivian (Apr 22, 2010)

Thought I would upload some recent photos; First is the adult male








Next is one of the first clutch;








and lastly one of the latest hatchlings;








All the young are eating like pigs and the first clutch are coming up to a second shed.


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## Jono2411 (Feb 10, 2009)

Wow, they are looking amazing! My first lizard was a fire skink and he was awesome!


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## Lica (Jan 8, 2013)

Hi guys, I know I'm resurrecting this thread after a really long time, but I was wondering if anyone had any fire skinks for sale (or knew of anyone who did). 

Obviously, Captive bred are the way to go where possible, and if anyone had any leads, it would be AMAZING!

Thanks


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## stokesy (Mar 11, 2011)

I have a spare adult female, I would consider letting go to a good home. Not cb but very lovely and quite tame, please if you are interested


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## Lica (Jan 8, 2013)

PM'd you. Thanks


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## RobVivian (Apr 22, 2010)

They have bred again this year - but only one clutch so far, 5 of 6 eggs hatching. I have a couple of 'hold backs' from last year as well which are about half grown now - drop me a PM if you are interested in them.


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## Gekkota (Aug 30, 2013)

I have a group of fire skinks, all LTC/wild caught. I am male heavy and would like to trade with anyone who has spare females?


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