Mochlus fernandi
Fire skink
A humid terrestrial cage with deep substrate and cork flats. The older genus name Riopa is still in trade.
Legal status
- Check local rules
Mochlus fernandi is not recorded here as listed in the CITES Appendices. No EU wildlife-trade annex was verified for this species, so the annex field is empty. It is not marked on the EU list of invasive alien species and it is not marked as venomous. National and regional rules can still restrict keeping. Check local rules before you keep, move, or rehome an animal. This record is not a permit and not legal advice.
Official sourceNot legal advice. Rules differ by country, and sometimes by region. Check the law that applies to you.
- Temperature
- 24–28°C
- Basking
- 30–32°C
- UVB
- Ferguson zone 1 to 2. About 0.5–1.0
- Humidity
- 70–85%
- Minimum enclosure
- About 90 × 45 × 45 cm for one adult
- Adult size
- About 25–35 cm.
- Lifespan
- Often 15–20 years is cited.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Diet and feeding
Insects. Every other day for juveniles. Adults every 2–3 days.
Substrate
A moist soil mix deep enough to burrow.
Health
They hide, so weight loss is easy to miss. Stuck shed if the substrate dries hard.
Handling
They are secretive. Handling is occasional, not the point of keeping one.
Husbandry ranges are general guidance for captive care, not a veterinary prescription or a permit. Confirm the gradient with your own thermometers. UV zones follow Baines et al., Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 4(1), 2016, https://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150. Legal fields use the source link on this species and stay empty when an annex was not verified.