Written 2020, updated 26/02/2026

Natural habitat and enclosure design- 

The Berber (Schneider) Skink has an incredibly large native range, and can be found across North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt), into Western and Central Asia (Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and more). Their habitat throughout is largely the same, consisting of arid rocky regions, scrubland, dry grassland, and semi-desert. Vast portions of the day will be spent among rocky outcrops and hidden between protective crevices, which offer shelter from intense heat and potential threats. 

When choosing the enclosure type, there are a few things to consider. Glass terrariums are fragile, and generally available in a limited range of sizes. They can be ideal for replicating humid environments but are inefficient at retaining sufficient heat for arid species. The best option is instead to use a wooden vivarium. These can be found in much larger sizes (or even custom built to your own requirements) and are great insulators, helping to maintain the low humidity, high temperature environment required by Berber Skinks. As they can be quite an active species, the enclosure should be as large as your space will allow, and generally no smaller than 3ft long, by 1.5ft wide and 1.5ft tall for a single skink. 

To truly create a naturalistic environment for arid species like this, you will need to ensure you provide a few key features: 

• Substrate- across their native range, several substrate types can be found. This includes rock, soil, and sandy mixes. Here in the UK, Arcadia and ProRep produce a great range of suitable options to replicate these natural substrate types. A flowing substrate is important as it will also enable and promote natural behaviours such as digging and foraging. I would recommend a deep layer of any substrate, with some areas between 3 and 4 inches thick. 

• Basking areas- as ectotherms, these skinks need to be able to warm their bodies to allow natural processes to continue. This will be covered more in the next section (‘environmental parameters’) however it is important to factor this in during the design stage. Many arid reptiles will bask in open areas when living in the wild, often opting for areas of rock. As the rock warms during the early morning, reptiles will emerge to make use of the sun’s radiation from above, and the warming effect of the heated rock below. To promote this natural behaviour, I would recommend positioning elevated areas of real rock beneath your basking source. Rock is easily obtained from local exotic pet shops; however, I often find a visit to a nearby garden centre can offer a better range, usually at a lesser cost. 

• Shelter- incorporating areas for your skink to hide is greatly important. It will help to reduce stress by allowing them to control whether they can be seen and aid the process of thermoregulation. Numerous hide options should be offered across the enclosure providing a varied array of microclimates: hot, cool, and humid. Humid hides will help with processes such as shedding and can be maintained by occasional misting and small quantities of sphagnum moss. Many companies produce artificial hides for reptiles, but to create an enriching and visually pleasing environment, I would suggest instead opting for natural alternatives. Carefully positioned rocks, wooden rounds and other natural clutter will help to offer these secure, sheltered areas. Heavy objects, such as rocks, should be stacked directly from the floor of the enclosure. This prevents injury if the animal was to attempt to dig beneath them. 

• Planting- I often find enclosures replicating arid habitats are generally devoid of any life, besides the animal they house. By many, arid environments are considered barren and lifeless, but across much of Northern Africa and into Asia, this could not be further from the truth. Some of even the driest areas are still bursting with varied plant life, such as succulents, grasses and woody-stemmed shrubs. In an enclosure you should be prepared for plants to be trampled, uprooted, and destroyed, however it is certainly worth the enrichment factor. Just be careful to ensure any plants used are non-toxic and reptile safe. 

Environmental parameters- 

Whilst the exact conditions vary seasonally and geographically, these skinks are well-used to hot, dry conditions. This is typically what should be replicated in a vivarium. 

In captivity, an ambient temperature around 26-28 degrees Celsius is ideal, with values cooling to the early 20s at one end of the vivarium to aid the process of thermoregulation. At the basking point- directly beneath a heat source- a temperature of 35-40 degrees Celsius is required. During the night, temperatures can fall to 21 degrees Celsius. Digital thermometers should be installed to monitor these temperatures, whilst heating elements themselves must be controlled by a suitable thermostat for safety. To provide the high temperatures required, overhead heating is best. Whilst heat mats or heat tape can be good ways to increase ambient air temperature in a space, or maintain overnight temperatures, they are not suitable as long-term heat sources. Instead, opt for products such as halogen or mercury vapour bulbs. Heat rocks should also be avoided as they do not provide the correct type or quantity of heat and have been known to cause injuries. 

To provide a full spectrum of infrared, visible light, and ultraviolet, other products are also required. UVB is a vital form of ultraviolet radiation required by reptiles to synthesise Vitamin D3 for the absorption of calcium. Without its provision in captivity, health problems are almost guaranteed, the most common of which is known as Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). The most effective way of offering UVB is through a fluorescent UVB tube. The Berber Skink is an open sun basking species, so a UV index (UVI) in Ferguson Zone 3 is required (1.0-2.6 average, 2.9-7.4 maximum/basking). A 10-12% UVB tube will achieve this but must be replaced regularly as per the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure the output remains effective. To increase the brightness in the setup to natural daylight levels, a daylight LED could be used, however this is optional. All lighting can be controlled by plug-in timers and should be set to a natural cycle. As standard, most keepers provide a daylight period of 12 hours, whilst others may opt to follow seasonal cycles. You can find more detail on heating and lighting here.

An arid species, Berber Skinks thrive at lower humidity levels between 30% and 50%. Humidity levels increase to the higher end overnight, before dropping as the day heats up. A very light misting each morning will replicate the cooler, damp start to the day, as well as natural dew. Care should be taken to ensure humidity levels do not raise too high. They can be monitored with a digital hydrometer. It is recommended that a small area of higher humidity is provided to aid the process of ecdysis (shedding). This is much like the humid pockets found in the wild between foliage and rock crevices. 

Diet and captive feeding- 

The Berber Skink is primarily insectivorous, meaning a significant portion of its wild diet is live invertebrate prey, but they are officially classified as omnivores. They will naturally consume almost anything they can find and fit in their mouths, including insects, small mammals, eggs, and plant matter. For keepers, a wide range of live feed options are available, including locusts, crickets, roaches, mealworms, waxworms, and many more. Varied and balanced feeds are important, so the diet you offer should also include leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, additional protein sources like scrambled egg or pinkie mice, and commercial diet mixes. Take care not to overfeed high-fat items, such as waxworms and pinkie mice.

Before feeding to your skinks, all live food should be gut loaded with various leafy greens and vegetables to maximise its nutritional value. I feed a small handful of bugs to my adult skink a few times a week, which are scattered around the habitat to promote natural foraging and hunting behaviour. 

Supplementation is also important. Live food items should be dusted before offering them to your skink. With all my reptiles I alternate between a calcium/D3 supplement and a multivitamin. 

Alongside food, a small bowl of fresh water should always be available. This is best situated on the cool end of the vivarium to reduce the speed at which it will evaporate. Reptiles obtain most of their water through their diet but will sometimes drink from a body of water, or from droplets on environmental features. 

Wild behaviour and enrichment- 

A diurnal species, Berber Skinks will typically be most active during the day, more specifically in the early morning, when they’ll use the sun to warm up before going in search of food. The circadian rhythm you provide using your lighting system will allow this to occur. New technology to simulate sun rise and sun set is now available through Arcadia’s Lumenize range, which could be utilised to create a more naturalistic daylight pattern. It could also be of value following the seasonal variation in day length from the species’ native range in their captive environment. This will allow the body to go through its natural annual cycles, as well as daily, especially when used in conjunction with changing enclosure temperatures and humidity, as previously discussed.  

Berber Skinks are primarily solitary and will prefer to be housed alone in captivity. Keeping multiple individuals together could cause conflict and injury. A 1:1 pair could be housed together, but same sex pairs are not recommended to avoid territorial disputes. With people, they are generally docile and tolerate handling, especially if this is done regularly from a young age. Handling your skinks often will also give you the opportunity to have a closer look and complete physical health checks. 

The species is primarily terrestrial but will climb, which must be considered when choosing the tank type and designing the enclosure. Although most of the time will be spent on the ground, changes in elevation within the environment would be beneficial for thermoregulation and basking. This can be created simply with rock, cork bark and branches. A deep and free-flowing substrate will enable burrowing and foraging. 

Environmental enrichment- either though changing the enclosure, making it more natural, or adding new features to be investigated- is the easiest method of enrichment for any reptile, but it is far from the only option. Live feeding of invertebrates is also highly enriching, and will promote health, activity, and natural hunting behaviours. Scatter feeding or using slow feeders can also increase feeding times to a more natural level and is much more stimulating than feeding from a bowl or tongs.  

The senses of touch and smell are both important to reptiles, and this can help to guide a keeper to appropriate enrichment. Just some examples include herbs, scent trails, hidden foods, different substrates, and different materials in the enclosure. 

Health and disease prevention- 

Whenever discussing reptile health, the most obvious place to begin is with Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). This condition often has terrible impacts on the lives of the reptiles effected, and can be fatal, but it is completely avoidable with appropriate care. This includes the correct diet, lighting, and heating.  

Ensuring the calcium: phosphorus ratio is correct in the diet is vital in preventing MBD. The ratio should be 2:1, and this can be easily provided through correct supplementation. There are plenty of calcium supplements available to reptile keepers, and these should be used as part of the regular diet. The lighting and heating in the enclosure is also vital. As an ectothermic animal (one which relies on external heat sources to control their body temperature), reptiles require heat and UVB lighting for their metabolism to work effectively. Only when each of these is correct can MBD be completely prevented.  

Another common health concern in reptiles is disecdysis- an issue related to the regular process of shedding skin. This is often caused by an environmental issue, such as low humidity, but can be a symptom of an underlying health concern, dehydration, or deficiencies. Vitamin A is important for skin health and cell growth. Offering this vitamin as a supplement can help to reduce the chance of such issues, as well as maintaining the appropriate environment.  

Parasites, both internal and external, can also affect reptiles. Maintaining good hygiene and quarantine protocols within the collection will generally reduce the chances of such health problems.  

Most health concerns with reptiles are easily prevented through good husbandry, right from enclosure design, to diet, and cleaning. A regular spot clean (daily if possible) as well as full cleans when appropriate will reduce the chances of many other diseases and health problems common in reptiles but not discussed here.