How to Breed Ocellated Skinks

Chalchides Ocellatus, or ocellated skinks as they are more commonly known, are a type of small lizard native to the Middle East and North Africa. Because they have adapted to life in the desert, ocellated skinks are golden brown to yellow in color so that they blend in to their surroundings. To breed skinks, you must first create a natural habitat for them. Fortunately, all that is required to create a proper environment is available from most pet stores.

Things You'll Need

  • 30-gallon aquarium
  • Sand
  • Rocks
  • Reptile bark
  • Artificial plants
  • Spotlights
  • 15-gallon aquarium
  • Heat rocks
  • Undertank heaters
  • Thermometer
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Instructions

    • 1

      House the skinks in an aquarium at least 30 gallons in size. Fill the bottom of the aquarium with at least 4 inches of sand to create a substrate in which the skinks can bury themselves and breed. Add reptile bark, rocks and artificial plants to the tank to provide the skinks with a variety of environments to bask in. Use spotlights, undertank heaters and heat rocks to create a basking area around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The rest of the aquarium should have a daytime temperature of around 85 degrees Fahrenheit and a nighttime temperature of around 75 degrees.

    • 2

      Create the winter cooling period required for the skinks to breed by dropping the temperature in the wintertime. Starting in November, gradually lower the temperature by approximately 16 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit by either removing heating lamps or turning off some of the heaters and heat rocks. Reduce the temperature so that the differences in temperature between the basking area and the rest of the aquarium is maintained. The skinks will begin to reduce their activity level and take advantage of the sand substrate to submerge themselves. Reduce the temperature gradually in order to simulate the temperature drop that occurs in the wild. Maintain the winter cooling period through February.

    • 3

      Examine the tank regularly for signs of new skink activity. The skinks give birth to live young that are golden brown in color and may be difficult to locate due to their small size. The skinks and the hatchlings will be hiding in the substrate sand or under rocks and bark. It is important that the newborns are quickly separated from the adult skinks as the adults may feed on the younger skinks.

    • 4

      Fill a 15-gallon aquarium with the same sand, rocks, reptile bark and artificial plants as used in the main tank. Place the newborn skinks in the second tank until they are mature. Juvenile skinks take two to three years to reach sexual maturity.