Sandfish are a hardy species to keep
in captivity. They reach an adult size of 18-20
cm (7-8 inch).
The sand fish it totally adapted to life in the
desert, in it natural environment its a fast moving
agile reptile, being able to “swim” through
the sand with ease. In captivity this is a fairly
hardy species as long as the basic requirements
are met. Firstly it needs a deep 6” + substrate
of sand or if not possible fine beech chip. Secondly
it likes it hot, hot being a very hot basking area.
This reptile has adapted itself to warming up
quickly it basks at temperatures of 125-145°F,
that’s hot! The rest of the enclosure should
be maintained at 80-85°F with a ten-degree
night drop, no night basking required. As it only
basks for short bursts and spends a lot of time
underground it may be conceded that the use of
full spectrum lighting would not be required, however
we use UV lighting with this species. The rest
of the enclosure can be decorated as you like,
fake cacti always look good! Water should be provided
in a very shallow dish, this species has been known
to drown in 1” of water. The very bottom
on the sand should be maintained only very slightly
damp, this can be done by the use of a small tube
pushed to the bottom and little water poured through.
Due to the shape of it mouth, catching fast moving
insects like crickets prove difficult for this
skink. The best food from my experience are small
meal worms placed directly in the substrate, wax
worms can also work well. Having said this small
crickets and locusts will be really accepted even
if their catching skills don’t look very
elegant. This species may also take a small amount
of fruit and blossoms.
