I’m trying to raise a breeding colony of ocellated skinks (Chalcides ocellatus) and am having some severe mortality issues. From a starting stock of 10 lizards (approx 6 sub-adults and 6 juveniles), I’ve lost seven lizards in one month. Needless to say, it’s my responsibility that the lizards get the best care possible, and this much mortality is simply unacceptable.
My setup is the following:
Multiple 20 gal glass aquaria with 2 inches of sand substrate. There is a temperature gradient from ~100 degrees F to 75 degrees in the day, and 70 degrees ambient at night. 12/12 light cycle. Previously, I had flower pot dishes at the hot and cold ends of the tank under which the skinks could burrow. However, I’ve since removed the “hot” dish because the skinks weren’t getting any heat when underneath; they since burrow under the sand in the hot end. Each aquarium contained 2-3 individuals.
Feeding:
Crickets and the occasional wet cat food. The juveniles are voracious, but the adults have never been particularly aggressive eaters.
Most of the mortality was in the first two weeks, with one a week dying since.
From the above setup, do you see any obvious problems?
Is it possible that my stock population was already in bad shape?
Does anyone have a good source of quality, well-cared-for, adult ocellated skinks?
I am especially eager to hear from anyone that has bred these guys (since, once I fix the mortality issue, I'll need to start breeding them).
If you like, please email me at mbrandley@gmail.com and I would even be willing to chat over the phone. It’s extremely important to me that I keep these lizards in good shape, so any help with this problem is appreciated.
