The emerald tree skink (Lamprolepis smaragdina) is a captivating, small, diurnal, arboreal lizard native to Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. These skinks, with their vibrant green hues and intriguing behaviors, have become increasingly popular in the pet trade. This article provides a comprehensive guide to understanding the dietary needs of emerald tree skinks, ensuring their health and well-being in captivity.
Meet the Emerald Tree Skink
The emerald tree skink typically measures between 8.5 and 10 inches in length. It boasts a sleek, tapered head, long toes, and smooth, rounded scales. Its coloring is generally bright green, with brown hind legs speckled with white, although some individuals may exhibit black speckling or be entirely or partially brown. Their black eyes are framed by yellow eyelids.
These skinks are native to the humid tropical forests of Southeast Asia, where they spend most of their time climbing up and down tall tree trunks. As potential companions, emerald tree skinks can be both entertaining and personable, promising a lifespan of at least 7 years with proper care.
Housing and Environmental Needs
Before delving into their diet, it's crucial to understand the environmental needs of emerald tree skinks, as these factors directly influence their overall health and appetite.
Enclosure Size and Type
Emerald tree skinks need an enclosure that is large enough to give them adequate opportunity to thermoregulate, explore, hunt, and generally exercise natural behaviors. They are also arboreal, which means that as a tree-dwelling species, they require a tall enclosure. A vertically oriented enclosure is ideal to mimic their arboreal habitat.
Read also: Diet of Emerald Crabs
The minimum recommended enclosure size for housing a single emerald tree skink is 24″L x 18″W x 36″H, or 60 x 45 x 90cm. Whenever possible, larger than the minimum should be provided. For the lizard’s mental health and ease of access, it is best to use an enclosure that is front-opening and opaque on all sides but the front. It also must be well-ventilated to discourage stagnation and mold growth.
Lighting and Temperature
Emerald tree skinks are diurnal, which means that they are most active during the day. This also means that they need exposure to bright light and UVB during the day for best mental and physical health. Light sources should be turned on for 13 hours/day during summer and 11 hours/day during winter, with gradual adjustments in-between. Alternatively, you can use a smart timer to sync your lights with local sunrise and sunset times.
To provide appropriate UVB to an emerald tree skink in a 36″ tall enclosure, you will need the Arcadia ShadeDweller kit, with the basking branch 6-8″ (15-20cm) below the lamps. For larger enclosures, you will need one Arcadia T5 HO Forest 6% or Zoo Med T5 HO ReptiSun 5.0, most of the length of the enclosure, mounted in a reflective T5 HO fixture such as the Arcadia ProT5 or the Vivarium Electronics T5 HO fixture. The basking branch should be placed 9-11” (23-28cm) below the lamps. It is strongly recommended to use a Solarmeter 6.5 to determine the best placement to achieve a UVI of around 2.0 - 3.0 in the basking area. A UVB bulb alone isn’t bright enough to meet an emerald tree skink’s light needs, so you will need to supplement with a bright, ~6500K T5 HO fluorescent or LED lamp, long enough to span most of the enclosure.
Maintaining the right temperatures is crucial for these cold-blooded companions. A basking area temperature of 95°F (35°C), a cool side temperature of 75-85°F (24-29°C), and nighttime temperatures of 68-77°F (20-25°C) are ideal. One 60w heat bulb housed in a dome lamp with a ceramic socket should be enough to do the job for one skink. If you notice that the basking area is too warm, dial down the heat down with a lamp dimmer. If your basking area is too cool, you will need a higher wattage bulb. The basking area should be sturdy branch or vine directly under the heat lamp.
Humidity and Substrate
Emerald tree skinks do best in a high-humidity environment, with a daytime average humidity around 70%, and nighttime humidity levels spiking up to 100%. Humidity should be measured by at least one digital probe hygrometer with the probe placed in the middle of the enclosure. Low humidity levels can cause health problems for your pet, but so can insufficient ventilation.
Read also: Changing Lives Through Weight Loss
To raise the humidity in your emerald tree skinks’ enclosure (and provide an extra source of drinking water), use a pump-style pressure sprayer to wet down the enclosure every morning and evening, preferably when it’s dark. If needed, you may mist again (lightly) in the mid-afternoon. Installing an automatic misting system like MistKing is strongly recommended. If you live in an area with a dry climate, it may be beneficial to install a cool mist humidifier or fogger such as the Leap Habitats Programmable Fogging system. Humidifiers, foggers, and misters must be used with distilled water and periodically disinfected to prevent illness.
Emerald tree skinks spend most of their time in the upper levels of their enclosure, so substrate functions primarily as a cushion against falls, as well as humidity maintenance. A 2-4″ / 10cm layer of moistened coconut fiber or sphagnum moss will do the trick. Change the substrate at least once a month to maintain good hygiene. Alternatively, you can go bioactive, which helps maintain humidity and reduces substrate waste.
Environmental Enrichment
Decorations play a vital role in your skink’s enclosure as environmental enrichment. These items provide climbing opportunities, hiding places, encourage exercise, stimulate your pet’s natural instincts, and help promote overall wellbeing. A tall terrarium with ample branches and foliage is recommended.
Dietary Needs of Emerald Tree Skinks
Emerald tree skinks are primarily insectivorous, meaning that their diet consists mainly of insects. However, they are also known to occasionally consume fruit and flowers in the wild.
Insectivorous Diet
The foundation of an emerald tree skink's diet should be a variety of insects. This ensures they receive a broad spectrum of nutrients.
Read also: Is Blue Tree Health's Weight Loss Program Right for You?
Best Feeder Insects:
- Crickets
- Dubia roaches
- Discoid roaches
- Red head roaches
- Grasshoppers/locusts
The key to providing a healthy, balanced diet for your pet is VARIETY. Provide as varied of a diet as you possibly can, and you will be rewarded with a healthier pet that always looks forward to mealtime.
Supplementation
All feeder insects should be lightly dusted with a 50/50 mixture of calcium and multivitamin powders to correct the calcium-phosphorus ratio and provide extra nutrition at each feeding. There are many options, but Repashy CalciumPlus LoD is a solid all-in-one supplement for getting started.
Other Food Items
A dish of crested gecko diet should also be offered 1x/week.
Best crested gecko diet powders:
- Pangea
- Repashy
- Black Panther Zoological
- Leapin' Leachie
- Zoo Med
- Lugarti
Feeding Schedule and Portion Size
Juveniles should be fed daily, while adults can be fed every other day. One meal should consist of as many insects as your skink will eat via feeding tweezers in 5 minutes. Insects should be slightly smaller than your skink’s head.
Water
Although your skink will get most of its drinking water from daily mistings, it’s a good idea to also provide a wall-mounted water dish.
Handling and Taming
Emerald tree skinks generally make better display animals than a “pet” that gets taken out regularly, but they can usually be tamed with persistent, gentle effort.
After bringing your emerald tree skink home, leave it alone for 2 weeks or so to settle in. If your new pet hasn’t eaten by the time the 2 weeks are over, do not handle and make an appointment with an experienced reptile vet.
Introduce yourself with food via soft-tipped feeding tongs. Meanwhile, make sure to get your hands in the enclosure daily for spot cleaning, water changes, etc. This will help get the skink further used to you.
Once your skink regularly takes food from the tongs, encourage it to come to you. For example, entice it to climb onto your arm by bribing it with the tongs. If you have to pick up your emerald tree skink, always gently scoop it up from below and support as much of its body as possible. Never approach quickly or from above, as this is predatory behavior that will scare your pet.