Melissa
Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated
January 1, 2014
Schneider's Skink
Novoeumeces
schneideri (GRIFFITH, NGO, MURPHY 2000
Formerly Eumeces (DAUDIN 1802)
©1995 Melissa Kaplan
Other
Common Names
Berber skink,
dotted skink.
Range
Native to
Northwestern Africa east to western Asia. Found in dry, brushy areas and
rocky steppes.
Description
The best known are the Berber Skinks, Novoeumeces schneideri algeriensis,
strikingly colored with orange spots. Eumeces and Novoeumeces
range from 32-45 cm (13-18 inches).
Habitat
Primarily
terrestrial, with some climbing on low rocks and hummocks. Start them
out in an adult-sized tank, at least 30-50, ideally 50, gallon. This gives
you enough room to establish micohabitats and house, in the 50 gallon,
a couple of skinks. Larger enclosures allow for more room and more natural
behaviors. Smaller or overcrowded enclosures lead to stress and reduced
activity.
Set up an mostly arid tank. Three-four inches of clean playground sand makes a good base. In one area, mix the sand with small orchid bark or shreds, or cypress mulch, to provide an are which, when wetted, will hold moisture and provided a more humid microhabitat. Furnish the enclosure with bark slabs and supported rock structures for basking on and burrowing under; if rocks are not supported, they may sink and crush a lizard who has burrowed beneath it. See Plants Suitable for Herp Habitats for suggestions on plants suitable for your skink enclosure.
Provide UVB lighting ~12 hours a day.
Daytime temperatures are 73-88 (22.8-31 C), with a basking area of 95 F (35 C). Drop nighttime temperatures down to no colder than 65 F (18 C) on cool side, up to 73 F (23 C) on warm side. A heating pad under the warm side of the enclosure may be sufficient to maintain the night time temperatures most of the year. As with all reptiles, use a thermometer to monitor temperatures.
Diet
Diet primarily
consists of arthropods such as gut-loaded meal worms and crickets. Larger
lizards may be moved up to Zoophobas and pink mice.
They are slightly omnivorous, so try offering shredded leafy greens and pieces of ripe fruit and berries
Related Articles
TIGR Reptile Database: Scincidae: Novoeumeces
