SpeciesFire skink
Fire skink
Mochlus fernandi
Bright red flanks and black-and-white banding: One of the most colourful lizards there is. It lives hidden in the moist substrate and shows itself only at times.
- Group
- Lizard
- Level
- Beginner
- Origin
- West Africa
Where the species comes from
- World region
- West Africa
- Countries
- From Guinea to Cameroon
- Habitat
- Humid forests, in leaf litter and under roots
The app does not yet hold an origin entry for this species. The distribution given here comes from the specialist literature.
The natural habitat is the yardstick for how you furnish an enclosure. Knowing where an animal comes from is knowing why it needs heat zones, hides and a particular humidity.
Husbandry at a glance
The same details appear in the animal’s profile inside the app.
- Enclosure
- The Animal Welfare Ordinance sets no minimum size for fire skinks. The reference is the German 1997 expert report on reptile keeping: for a pair at least 4 × 4 × 5 or 5 × 4 × 4 snout-vent lengths, i.e. 68 × 68 × 85 cm or 85 × 68 × 68 cm at 17 cm.
- Temperature
- Basking spot at 32 °C, ambient 26–28 °C, 22 °C at night.
- Humidity
- 70–80 %, substrate permanently moist.
- Lighting
- UV-B is beneficial, twelve hours.
- Substrate
- At least 15 cm of moist forest soil with leaf litter.
- Furnishings
- Bark pieces, cork tubes, dense planting, plenty of leaf litter.
- Water
- Shallow dish.
- Feeding
- Insects every two days, dusted with calcium.
- Behaviour
- Diurnal but secretive. It roots about in the leaf litter and appears only to feed and bask.
- Handling
- Poorly suited. Very fast, and the tail breaks off easily.
- Cohabitation
- A pair or one male with several females.
- Health
- Shedding problems if kept too dry.
- Seasonal cycle
- No pronounced rest period.
- Safety
- No permit required.
Legal position in Switzerland
No permit foreseen
No permit required. The species does not belong to any of the groups listed in Art. 89 of the Swiss Animal Welfare Ordinance
No certificate of competence foreseen
No proof of competence required. It is only demanded for the animals named in Art. 89 of the Ordinance
No CITES listing
Not listed in the CITES appendices: Import and transfer require no species-protection papers. Keep the proof of purchase nonetheless
Minimum enclosure dimensions
Annex 2, table 5 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance does not list this species. Among snakes the table names only giant snakes (pythons and boas), elapids, vipers and pit vipers, and a few venomous or dangerous colubrids; for the rest no figure appears there.
The general rule in Annex 2 (letter K) then applies: the enclosure must be large enough for everything the species needs (hides, basking spot, climbing branches) to be arranged sensibly. As a yardstick, the ordinance points to expert opinions on a scientific basis. There is therefore no binding figure. The guide values in the calculator come from the 1997 expert report. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office.
What the enclosure must provide
Provide species-appropriate heat and light zones, UV-B where needed, suitable substrate, retreats, climbing or digging options, water and natural rest periods.
Paperwork
Keep the purchase contract and proof of origin. Use the scientific name to check CITES and import status reliably.
These details are a guide, not legal advice. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office; the text of the ordinance is what counts. More on the legal position
