The Blue-Tongued Skink can be described as an lizard you could see lying on the sandy beaches of Australia and maybe even employing its blue-tongued tongue in order to repel predators. It is native to the areas of the deserts Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania The reptiles commonly are more than 12 inches long.
While they’re well-known to reptile owners for their distinctive bright-blue tongue, their other parts of their bodies don’t precisely match, and are the brown or gray mix of hues.
They might be shy, skulking within the crevices of logs and rocks however, they can also be comfortable if often handled.
Skinks are omnivores and consume a variety of vegetables and fruits and snails, insects and smaller lizards. Due to their diet, they’re relatively simple to feed.
A distinctive and loving pet. Keep reading to find out how you can take care of them.
What is a Blue-Tongued Skink?
Scientifically referred to as the Tiliqua scincoides this species is native to Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. They are typically located within the desert ecosystems but they are also located in warm-forests and grasslands.
They’re ground dwellers who are known to burrow into the crevices of logs and the sand, or hide in brush to keep out predators.
The appearance of the pet is the thing that makes them so popular. They are sturdy, long and muscular lizards that seem to be snakes, with short , stubby legs. One of the most striking features that the Blue-Tongued Skinks is the distinctive blue tongue.
The bright tongue is used to deter predators when the skink is in danger it is one of the reasons that reptile owners are so fond of the skinks!
Blue-tongued Skinks are able to live a regular diet. They aren’t often seen leaving their hideouts to eat. Instead, they consume a limited amount of food and food items that are easy to obtain like fresh fruits, vegetables and even some fruit.
A more difficult reptile to manage Their natural habitat will change between cold and extremely hot, but they will always remain humid. It is sometimes difficult to control this in captivity.
The Blue-Tongued skink is extremely friendly when regularly handled. Otherwise they can become extremely shy, fearful and unresponsive to being held, hiding whenever their cage is confronted.
The skinks prefer to live in solitude, while males are reported to be aggressive with each other , and even females.
| Lizard Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| Common Names | Eastern Blue-Tongued Lizard, Northern Blue-Tongued Skink |
| Scientific Name | Tiliqua scincoides |
| Adult Size | 12-24 inches, up-to 500grams |
| Lifespan | 10 to 15 years |
| Diet | Insects, smaller reptiles Fruits, Snails, and Grubs |
| Tank Size | 40-60 gallons |
| Humidity and Temperature | 70-80degF, and humidity maintained between 40-60%. |
| Popular Alternatives | Prehensile-Tailed Skink, Sandfish, Blotched Blue-Tongued Lizard |
Blue-tongued Skink Care Tips
The wild habitat of reptiles can be found in shrub and desert environments. They will spend most of their time hidden in the sand or beneath logs.
The temperatures in Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania are hot and humid, which is why skinks require plenty of places to hide to get out of the scorching heat.
Tank and enclosure
Blue-tongued Skinks love to dig into sand to escape scorching sun and predators.
Your Skink will require plenty of space within their enclosure. Glass tanks, especially one with a lot of floor space and measuring 3 feet in size is the best since they spend a lot of most of their time sitting on ground and don’t like to climb as much as other Lizards.
The tank must be at least 40 gallons However, it could be larger as 60 gallons, provided that the skink is able to make them feel at ease.
The tank’s height must be selected knowing that it will require the hood to house an element for heating.
The most suitable material to make an enclosure is glass since it allows heat to easily be transferred through or out of tanks.
Try adding live logs, plants and rocks (including the larger rocks to soak in) in your tank since they are not likely to wander away from their home and need lots of room to get cozy within.
Lighting
Skinks in need of an area to bask.
They will require an energy source that will get the tank to an temperature of between 95 to 100. The lamp doesn’t have to be constantly on and should be equipped with an incandescent bulb of 100 watts.
The enclosure should be kept away from the window is important since sunlight can cause it to reach 110 (which is way too hot for the reptile).
If your animal spends most of its time shaded and in the water dish the enclosure may be too hot.
Heating and Temperature
Since the temperature fluctuates in their natural environment There are a variety of temperatures needed:
- The temperatures of the tank must be maintained between 70 to 80. This is possible by ensuring that the space in which their tank is in is maintained in between the temperatures.
- A hot, smoky basking area is necessary and should be maintained at a temperature between 95-100.
Substrate
Because of their high humidity demands, the substrate in the tank needs to be able to support living plants.
Rich soils should be integrated into the substrate. It is cleaned spot-on every two days to flush out feces. The tank needs to be completely cleaned and cleared monthly (more on this in the future).
| Tank Tips | |
|---|---|
| Tank Type | Glass |
| Lighting | 100W Incandescent Bulb not always on |
| The Best Substrate | Sand or soil, rocks, |
Feeding
The wild Blue-Tongued-Skink is an all-consuming animal. The tongues are used to hunt and detect food when they spot it. Once they’ve found it they’ll employ their powerful jaws to gnaw on small insects, lizards, snails flower, grubs and flowers as well as a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Blue-Tongues are rarely seen out of hiding , or venture away from their secure and warm home to hunt. The species is known for eating often and only during time of day.
They need to eat both living food items and plant.
The hatchlings receive the protein they require and also energy source from their eggs. They take this yolk in their stomachs as they are growing, and this will provide them with energy through the first few days after the birth. After the yolk is exhausted, hatchlings hunt and hunt to find the food they need on their own, and consume an adult-style diet.
In the wild Blue-tongued Skinks can obtain food sources from small mammals, insects mealworms turkey, or even chicken. Live food could include insects, or perhaps a tiny mouse couple of times per week.
Every day the skink needs to take a bite of fruit and vegetable and a few portions of them. They’ll eat almost any vegetable or fruit such as collard greens and turnips.
They also require the supplement with D3 (as normally, they get this vitamin from taking rocks and licking them during their natural habitat). Some people ignore the supplement, believing they can obtain it through the diet of a good quality, but we’d advise against this.
Food items should be taken out every two days to ensure that the tank is fresh and healthy. The water can be kept in a shallow bowl , and must always be clean.
| Diet Summary | |
|---|---|
| Insects | Crickets, pinky mice turkey, chicken, mealworms every now and then |
| Fruits | A few pieces every day or every other day. |
| Supplements are required | Vitamin D3 |
How to keep them healthy
To ensure that they do not get fearful of humans, they must be handled regularly. Despite their bright blue tongue, they aren’t poisonous or poisonous however washing your hands prior to or after touching them will help the heat in them.
Blue-tongued Skinks shed, however they can shed with minimal human intervention. They don’t require to bathe during this period, however their skin needs to be cleansed after it has shed all of its hair.
Tank Cleaning
The enclosure should be cleaned each day to get eliminate old substrates food, feces and food.
The tank needs to be cleaned every month. The substrate should be completely replaced. If the skink gets unclean, it can result in health issues (see below for more details).
Feces must be solid, elongated and completely digested. If your lizard has digestive issues, they could be passing undigested matter.
| The Signs of Health | The symptoms of sickness |
|---|---|
| Sometimes, I’ll go out throughout the day | Inactive for weeks or days |
| Food intake is not frequent, but it happens frequently. | Doing not eat |
| It moves slowly, but not straining. | It seems like it is impossible to move. |
Blue-Tongued Skink Lifespan
In captivity, a Blue-Tongued is expected to live between 10 and 15 years if they’re healthy and happy.
They are typically an tough lizard and will remain as well-nourished as their environment allows. In excess feeding can cause weight gain and the absence amount of calcium intake could cause metabolic bone disease. Inadequate cleanliness in the tank can cause respiratory illnesses or mites.
Blue-Tongued Skink Behavior, Temperament and Behavior
Blue-Tongued Skinks are daytime creatures, meaning they are active throughout the day.
Naturally they are extremely shy. Because of this, they’re a bit sensitive and don’t venture far from their homes. They make use of their claws to make into the sand or to attach themselves to logs and rocks.
If they feel upset, they can exhale and put out their blue tongues and hiss to signal their stress.
They show this behavior if they are in contact with them with food while they search for it.
Similar to similar lizards Another characteristic these skinks possess is the capacity to shed their tails when they are afraid. In addition to this defensive behaviour They are gentle creatures.
When it comes to mating, males with blue tongues are highly aggressive toward each other when there are fewer females and they could become aggressive towards females during having a copula.
This kind of Skink isn’t night-time nocturnal they are still able to hide in rocks or logs in the daytime. Because they’re not very fast to hide, it is their best defense against predators and they’ll show similar behaviour in captive.
In terms of handling Blue-tongued Skinks are fairly friendly when they are regularly handled.
If they’re not treated every day and they are not handled regularly, they can become agitated and unsocial because of their instinctual nature; they manage easily when they are early, but they’re not as active as other reptiles. Reptiles that are outgoing are usually willing to be handled to be held and even enjoy being handled.
It’s not a great option to keep several skinks in a single tank, particularly in the case of males. But they’ll be okay in a room with each other if they are separately in tanks.
Appearance
Blue-tongued Skinks may shrink to one inch in order to protect themselves from predators because they have the ability to stretch their the rib cage.
The scales of the Blue-Tongued Skink are shiny and smooth and they are overlapping as do scales on fish.
The reptiles are a sturdy species with long bodies , with shorter legs. They also possess long , thick tails (African fat-tailed gecko). Because of their small legs and large bodies, they wiggle slightly when walking.
There aren’t any significant physical differences between females and males.
Blue-Tongued Skink Size
The typical hatchling is around 4 inches and weigh less than half an one ounce. It takes them a full three years to grow into an adult. At that time they’ll be over 13 inches long and around 450g in weight.
Colors
Although the ventral (i.e. the bottom) part of the Blue Tongued Skink typically gray in color The top can be a mix of different shades of dull color, such as:
- Brown
- Green
- Gray
Their blue tongues are like ultraviolet-blue patches found on skin on other species of lizards.
The main function of their tongue is to signal a warning. While it is not poisonous, it alerts predators to stay away and warns rivals to stay clear of food sources.
How to Sex A Blue-Tongued Skink
Blue-tongued Skinks are not hibernating, however, instead they breed in the spring and winter months.
Males and females crawl out of their caves in spring and winter to breed every year. Males will follow the females until they are able to allow the copulation process to begin.
They are ovoviviparous meaning that the eggs hatch within their bodies! After conception the mother will give babies between 10-15 children over the course of 100 days. Since these skinks don’t make eggs, the temperature doesn’t affect sexual sex.
What’s the price of a blue-tongued Skink Price?
Australia prohibits exports of all wild animals including lizards.
But, they are typically found at breeders and in pet stores around the country. The typical cost is $150 and $250 USD, though rarer colors could be as high as $1,500 USD.
Care Guide Summary
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Unique tongue color | Specific basking lamp is required. |
| Very simple to feed | It can be frightened if handled properly and regularly |
| Very friendly | Agressive toward other skinks |
There are a variety of species within the Scincidae family. One of them is the Blue-Tongued Skink is among the most popular and is adored by the public for its distinctive blue-tongued appearance and its docile and gentle temperament (other skinks don’t have this distinctive characteristic).
They might be gentle and affectionate, but they’re not the most social of lizards and could be a suitable pet for someone seeking a more challenging adventure. Learning to adapt to humans can take some effort and perseverance.
The temperature of their tank must be controlled and monitored carefully. This unique skink could be welcomed into a home that is ready to be an exciting reptile.
They’ll make excellent pets for those who are patient to be with them. And their sparkling tongues are an unforgettable feature for any home!
