WELCOME TO THE CROC SKINK WORLD!
(Can be considered professional experience needed, or just mediocre with a lot of research.)
On this page, we will go over the care of your Red-Eyed Crocodile Skink! I have owned reptiles since I was six years old and have had a deep fascination with skinks. I have had years of researching, reptile-common-sense, and experience to debunk the false care info and put together a care sheet to meet your reptile’s needs and enrich their lives.
What to purchase on Amazon:
- Thermostat with probe is essential to regulate the correct temperatures.
- Dual Lamp to be able to provide a UVB and Heat bulb.
- Depending on cage size the heat bulb wattage can vary, your options are 25w, 50w, 75w, 100w, or 150w. The thermostat will protect the reptile from burning, but if you purchase a weak bulb you wont be able to heat the enclosure properly.
- Digital Thermostat and Hygrometer to monitor.
- Variety of substrates are available, but we recommend bioactive soil.
- A water bowl that allows them to be able to lay in it but not swim. Size differs depending on skink size.
- Hides and décor for the reptiles comfort.
- Here’s a starter enclosure for a baby, but if you are looking for something different there are these.
- Tongs for tong feeding and a worm dish to keep insects in a bowl for feeding.
- Calcium Powder without d3 or with d3
Additional Info:
Tribolonotus gracilis
They are instead a tiny species of skink. They get 8-10 inches! This skink loves to hide and burrow and is terrestrial space. Crocodile Skinks should not be handled since they stress out easily. Never forcefully handle them, and don’t approach with your hand fast and above them. When you first get your skink, assuming it’s a baby, It is a safety caution to leave them alone for 7-14 days besides cleaning their water and enclosure. After this waiting period, they should have settled in enough to accept food. Offer via tongs first, but if they do not accept, leave a dish out of the food. Tong feeding is a widespread way to interact with your skink, so if they accept that way of eating, you are getting a great start.
Enclosure:
Babies can live comfortably in a ten gal. Enclosure, with added hiding decor, but you can go more significant as long as hides are added. The economic idea is to upgrade yearlings to adult enclosures that are 20 gals. Add a lot of substrate in any of their enclosures to allow them to burrow. This would be their final cage upgrade, but if you want to go bigger, you can. Just add a lot of clutter accordingly. You want them to be able to hide, to feel more secure.
Substrate(Flooring):
These monitors are at optimal health and happiness if they can burrow in their enclosures. It is of utmost importance that you allow a large enough layer of substrate for this species to burrow. Coco fiber, sphagnum moss, and organic topsoil mixes would do great. Repti Bark tends to dye the water, so we avoid it. They should have a drainage layer under the typical substrate. Mist the enclosure 2-3 times a day.
Décor:
These skinks can climb, swim, and dig. Giving your skink all those options in their enclosure setups is essential. You can add climbing décor by adding cork bark in the enclosure, which also serves as additional hides. Include a giant water bowl(they must be able to fit in the bowl) on the cold side (reduces bacteria), and you can put a hide on the hot and cold side. Put a hide over half the water bowl so they feel comfortable climbing in. Add a bunch of clutter. Refrain from cardboard. It molds super fast! Add décor that allows them to climb; from adults to babies, they love to climb. The tallest part of your cage should be a basking spot.
If you have no experience and haven’t researched this topic heavily, do not put them together. You can put them in for breeding SUPERVISED. Cohabbing long-term isn’t a good idea unless it is one female and one male.
Humidity & Temps:
70-90% Humidity. 72-78° Cool side, 82-89°Warm side. Always have a basking light on a thermostat for accurate temp control. Heating pads are never sufficient for lizard heating. You should ensure they have a dry area in their enclosure to prevent a foot infection that occurs when they cannot dry their feet out. UVB is required.
Handling:
It isn’t recommended to handle this species. They tend to freeze up when you handle them. It can look like they are tame to an untrained eye, but their freezing up is them being scared.
Feeding:
Variety is key. Feed babies small meals daily, juveniles get food every other day, and adults once a week to twice a week. I usually do it every three days on what to feed your skink through the stages of their lives. Babies will feed on insects like well-fed crickets, waxworms, mealworms, earthworms, super worms, silkworms, grasshoppers, roaches, and canned insects. See the list below for insects they can eat. Adults and juvys should remain eating insects.
Vitamins:
A light dusting of calcium if it is not a total prey item.
Cleaning:
WATER IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO KEEP CLEAN. Please clean your monitor’s poops & pees once you see them; they can get sick if you don’t! Every six months, deep clean of enclosure & replace the substrate. F10 vet cleanser is an excellent method in getting the worse stains out and cleans glass just as well.
ALL FEEDERS:
List of all the insects
Duba, Hisser, DuskyCave, Lobster, Headlamp, Ivoryhead, Peruvian Cave, RedHead, RedGoblin, and Red Runner ROACHES
Florida OWNERS: Discoid, Australian, Green Banana, Suriname, Horseshoe crab, Oriental, Palid, Death Head, Florida Skunk ROACHES
Locust, Crickets, Grasshoppers, Silkworms, Superworms, Mantis, Earthworm, European/African/Canadian Nightcrawlers, Alabama Jumper, Black Soldier Fly Larva/BSFL/Phoenix Worms/Calci Worm, Butter Worms, Wax Worms, Hornworms, Shrimp, Crabs, Crayfish, Mussels, Snails, Giant African land snails, Helix Aspersa, Helix Vermiculata, Otala Lactea, Theba Pisana LAND SNAILS, Apple/Mystery Snails, Nerites, Ramshorns, Trumpets, Japanese Trapdoor AQUATIC SNAILS. If your savannah monitor is obese, do not feed them quail eggs or F/T chickens or quail.