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Ocellated Skink Caresheet and Bioactive Habitat Maintenance

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Ocellated Skink Caresheet and Bioactive Habitat Maintenance

Difficulty Level: Beginner

Last updated: 2/16/26 

Ocellated skinks Chalcides ocellatus are diurnal, semi-fossorial lizards native to the Mediterranean and certain coastal areas of Northern Africa. These delightful skinks make low-difficulty pets due to their hardiness, tolerance of human interaction, and low expense. 

Of course, just because they’re relatively inexpensive and easier to care for doesn’t mean their husbandry doesn’t need to be taken seriously. Here’s how to care for ocellated skinks with a bioactive terrarium:

Materials needed for housing 1 ocellated skink:

Housing Requirements

Ocellated skinks grow just 7-9” long from nose to tail, with a stout body and tiny limbs. Given that they spend a considerable amount of time in the substrate, it can be easy to underestimate this species’ activity levels and athleticism. They’re very inquisitive and appreciate a varied landscape and plenty of enrichment, so giving them a generous amount of space is not wasted.
At the very least, a single ocellated skink should be housed in no smaller than a front-opening 30”L x 12”W x 12”H (20-gallon) enclosure, with 36”L x 18”W x 18”H or larger being ideal. This allows enough space for proper thermo- and hygro-regulation, as well as to accommodate all of the necessary heating and lighting equipment that must go on top.

Recommended enclosures:

Ocellated skinks can be housed together, but improper grouping will cause issues. Here are the key rules:
  • Do not keep males together (they’ll fight)
  • Do not keep males and females together (they’ll make babies)
Groups of similarly-sized females are the most likely to get along.
1 ocellated skink should have no less than 2.5 sq ft of floor space and at least 12” of height. Each additional skink should have at least 1.4 sq ft on top of that starting amount. For example, 2 ocellated skinks can be kept in a 36”x18”x18” enclosure, and up to 5 can be kept in a 48”x24”x24”. Providing more space reduces the likelihood of conflict.

Substrate Requirements

Ocellated skinks prefer a semi-arid habitat with sandy/stony soil and sparse plant life. Although they spend much of their time in the soil, they don’t actually burrow very deeply, usually staying in the top 2”. However, since you’re building a bioactive terrarium, your plants will want more soil than this, so plan on providing at least 3” of substrate.
The Bio Dude’s 20 Gallon Long Terra Sahara Bioactive Kit works well for setting up a single ocellated skink. This kit includes everything you need for peace of mind in setting up a new bioactive enclosure: semi-arid soil mix, sphagnum moss, leaf litter, and The Bio Dude’s Bioshot soil inoculant.
If you prefer to mix your own substrate, see our preferred soil recipes here.
You can’t have a bioactive enclosure without a good microfauna clean-up crew (CUC). For a semi-arid ocellated skink terrarium, a combination of arid springtails, dwarf white isopods, and giant canyon isopods is likely to do well in this environment while being less likely to get eaten by the ocellated skinks.
Plan on setting the enclosure up at least 1 month in advance so your plants and CUC can get established without the strain of having to deal with an ocellated skink roommate. This is a great time to quarantine your new skink in a temporary enclosure, which will give you a chance to watch for illness, test for (and treat) parasites, and generally make sure you’re not introducing any pathogens into your new ecosystem. A quarantine enclosure should be set up much the same as the long-term enclosure, but with easily cleaned-décor and a temporary substrate like coconut fiber. The enclosure itself can be a cheap fish tank or even a modified plastic tub.

Décor (Environmental Enrichment) Requirements

As mentioned earlier, ocellated skinks do more than just hide in their substrate. They like to bask, climb branches, survey their environment from high vantages, hang out inside tubes, and generally explore!

Flat, light-colored stone like sandstone or flagstone makes a great basking surface. (If you want to stack stones, make sure to secure them with Gorilla Glue or similar to prevent accidental shifting that could crush your pet!)

Cork and cholla tubes make excellent hardscape elevation elements that also double as functional hides.

Live, drought-tolerant plants are essential to a functional semi-arid bioactive enclosure. Their roots help keep your soil fresh, balanced, and clean! Here are some good choices for ocellated skinks:

Use the largest plants that will fit in your enclosure, as these are less likely to be damaged by your skink’s activity and will be more beneficial to your substrate. And make sure to quarantine them before adding them to your enclosure!

Lighting/Temperature/Humidity Requirements

Lamps should be on for 12 hours/day. Alternatively, you can use a smart timer to sync your lamps with your local sunrise and sunset times for more natural seasonal variation.

Visible Light:

Since ocellated skinks are diurnal (active during the day), they benefit from having extra visible light in their enclosure to help better simulate the brightness of sunlight. In addition, a heat lamp plus UVB provides nowhere near enough light to nourish the live plants your bioactive setup needs to stay functional and healthy!
Your bioactive ocellated skink enclosure should have at least one LED bar grow lamp, long enough to span at least ~75% of the enclosure’s length.

UVB:

Ocellated skinks can’t survive without appropriate UVB lighting in their enclosures. They require a basking area with a UVI (UV Index) of 2.0-3.0 in order to make enough vitamin D3 and generally stay healthy. Not all UVB lamps are high-quality (or even safe!). We recommend the Zoo Med T5 HO Reptisun 5.0 or Arcadia T5 HO Forest 6% bulbs for ocellated skinks, long enough to span 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the enclosure.
The strength of your UVB diminishes with distance from the source, and the mesh partly blocks the output as well. It’s best to measure the UVI at your basking spot with a Solarmeter 6.5 tool, but if that’s not an option, placing your basking area 10-13” below the UVB bulb should do the job.
Make sure to install your UVB bulb in a high-quality T5 HO fixture with a highly polished reflector. The Bio Dude Solar Lamp fixture is a good choice.

Heat:

Like other reptiles, ocellated skinks are cold-blooded, which means they need the right set of temperatures in their environment for their body to function properly. Here’s what your ocellated skink’s temperature gradient should look like:
  • Basking: 90-100°F
  • Cool side: 75-85°F
  • Nighttime: 65-70°F
Use two digital probe thermometers to keep track of the temperatures in the enclosure. One probe should be on the basking surface under the heat lamp, and the other probe should be in the middle of the cool side (“shade”).
How do you heat an ocellated skink enclosure? All you need is an incandescent heat bulb or two. Incandescent and halogen heat bulbs produce sun-like infrared, unlike non-light-emitting heat sources like heat projectors, ceramic heaters, and heat mats. This makes them the best and most natural way to help your cold-blooded friend regulate its metabolism!

Recommended heat bulbs:
*A different wattage may be required to achieve the right basking temperature for your skink. Basking temperature varies based on basking distance, room temperature, and even the enclosure itself. Be prepared to experiment a little bit to create the correct environment for your pet.

A thermostat isn’t required for micromanaging your basking temperature, but it’s a good safeguard against potential overheating. Plug your heat lamp(s) into the thermostat, and place the thermostat’s probe on the cool end of the enclosure. The thermostat should be set to turn off the heat source(s) at 85°F.

Humidity:

Although ocellated skinks are a semi-arid species, it’s still important to pay attention to their humidity levels so they don’t get dehydrated:

  • Daytime: 15-35%
  • Nighttime: spike up to 90-100% in the evening
To monitor your enclosure’s humidity levels, use a digital probe hygrometer, with the probe placed on the cool side of the setup.
You can increase humidity levels in your skink’s enclosure by misting as needed with a spray bottle. It also helps to pour water into areas of the substrate occasionally (for example, when watering plants), as this helps create humid microclimates for your skink to use as needed.
It’s generally best to mist in the evenings, but if you’re struggling with that nighttime humidity spike, adding a reptile humidifier (fogger) and letting it run for a few hours every evening can be very helpful. Make sure to clean and disinfect your humidifier weekly!

Dietary Requirements:

Ocellated skinks are insectivorous, which means that they are primarily insect-eaters, although they aren’t picky and will accept a variety of foods. Of course, just because an animal will eat a food doesn’t necessarily mean that food is good for them. Here are the best foods to keep your ocellated skink healthy:
Feeder Insects
  • Crickets
  • Dubia roach nymphs
  • Discoid roach nymphs
  • Black soldier fly larvae
  • Bean beetles
  • Rice flour beetles and larvae
  • Buffalo beetles and larvae
  • Silkworms
  • Mealworms
  • Superworms (small)
  • Isopods
All hard-bodied feeder insects should be smaller than the space between your skink’s eyes at its widest point. There can be some flexibility for soft-bodied feeders like hornworms and silkworms.

Feeding schedule


Juvenile and adult ocellated skinks can be fed 2-3x/week, while pregnant/postpartum females and newborns should be fed daily. Offer as many feeders as the skink will eat in ~5 minutes and adjust based on body condition as needed.
Don’t just pick one type of bug to feed to your skink.  Just like you, your pet needs a variety of foods in its diet to thrive! Rotate at least 3 different types of feeders, preferably more.
Treats can be offered in small quantities 1-2x/month. Acceptable treats include waxworms, butterworms, and low-sugar fruits (ex: berries, cactus fruit).

Supplements

All feeder insects should be dusted with a reptile calcium powder at every feeding. Every 2-3 feedings, add a multivitamin with vitamins A and D3 as well. We recommend Arcadia CalciumPro Calcium with Magnesium and Repashy SuperVite for ocellated skinks.
To “dust” feeders with supplement powder, place the feeders in a sandwich bag or small container, add the supplement, and shake gently until the feeders are evenly coated.
Supplements degrade over time, so we recommend replacing your supplements every 6 months to keep them fresh.

Gutloading

All feeder insects must be fed quality food in order to provide optimal nutrition to your pet. This process is called “gutloading.” Rather than giving your feeders kitchen scraps or random fruits and vegetables, use a plant-based insect chow specifically formulated for gutloading, such as The Bio Dude’s Bug Grub.
Gutload feeders for 2-3 days before offering them to your skink.

Maintaining Your Bioactive Ocellated Skink Terrarium 

Bioactive enclosures are often touted as low-maintenance, but there are still some things you need to do to keep your mini-ecosystem functional and thriving:

  • Water the plants. Drought-resistant plants still need watering! If the substrate around your plant’s roots feels dry when you stick your finger about 1” into the soil, it’s time for water. Make sure to water the substrate around the base of each plant, not just dump water on top.
  • Remove urates. Although an established bioactive environment will be able to handle your skink’s poo with no problems, urates are more difficult to break down and may need to be manually removed.
  • Prune the plants. As your plants grow, some of them might start to overrun the enclosure. Trim them regularly with clean scissors or shears to keep an attractive shape and prevent a “leggy” appearance.
  • Top up the CUC. Your ocellated skink is likely to snack on its CUC from time to time. Keep an eye on the CUC population and add more isopods or springtails as needed.
  • Add more biodegradables. Your CUC will break down your leaf litter and bark accents into soil over time, so you will need to add more every once in a while.
  • Add The Bio Dude’s BioVive. Throughout the life of your bioactive terrarium, some elements become depleted. Mix this into your substrate every 6-12 months as needed.

Written by Mariah Healey of Reptifiles, 2/2/2026

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