The following is an article from my pet care blog at Pet Care Blog.
Where Do Blue Tongue Skins Come From?
Blue tongue skinks are part of the Australasian genus Tiliqua which is made of the largest skinks. They are called blue tongue skinks because of their large blue tongue that they show off as a warning to predators.
They are commonly sold as pets. I think they will become even more popular than they are now as more people learn about their ease of care. There are also several different colour morphs of blue tongue skinks.
Although they can be a bit shy when compared to other kinds of pet lizards, their shorter legs make slow them down and make them easier to handle.
Considering a Blue Tongue Skinks as a Pet
The first thig to consider when buying a blue tongue skinks is the kind you are going to get. Some of them will be easier to find while some might be wild caught. You should try to avoid getting a wild caught blue tongue skink if you can. They often harbour mites and internal parasites which could be passed on to other pet reptiles. However, they may also die. As a result, it is best to stick to a captive bred source of blue tongue skins from a reputable breeder. You can easily find private breeders online, on reptile forums, reptile classifieds and expos.
Indonesian blue tongue (Tiliqua gigas gias) skins are more likely to have been imported. The Northern blue tongue skinks on the other hand, are more likely to have been captive bred and make better pets. Baby skinks will be most readily available from mid to late summer when the babies are born.
When choosing your blue tongue skink make sure you check that it is healthy before you buy. Make sure that its ear canals are open and not blocked from poor sheds, the skink should have clean toes with no old sheds. Check that it has no missing toes. The blue tongue skink should be alert and should have an overall healthy look to it.
You should be able to pick up baby Northern blue tongue skins for $100-150 and adults for $200-250. The colour morphs are rarer and command a higher price.
Reasons to Own a Blue Tongue Skink
One of the main reasons for keeping blue tongue skinks is that they are probably the easiest lizards to keep. They are easy to feed and unlike with other lizards they do not need to be fed live food. Blue tongue skinks are very docile and can be handled. Some people go as far as to say that they even enjoy being handled. Additionally, blue tongue skinks are naturally curious animals and are packed with personality.
How to Care for Blue Tongue Skinks
When properly kept, you can expect your pet blue tongue skink to live for between 15-20 years in captivity. Some blue tongues have been known to live for even longer. The Nothern blue tongue skink is the largest with adults reaching lengths of between 18-24 inches.
To ensure you have a happy skink you will need a tank that is large enough for it to grow in and have adequate space to move around in. Baby blue tongue skinks will do well in a tank that is 20 gallons. A screen meshed lid should put on top of the vivarium to stop other pets from getting out. The lid will also provide air circulation in the blue tongue skink terrarium.
The minimum size tank for an adult blue tongue skink is 35 inches long X 18 inches wide X 10 inches tall. When choosing the size of tank for your blue tongue skink it is important to remember that floor space is more important than height. This is because blue tongue skinks are ground dwellers and are not good at climbing. For a tank, you can also use a wooden vivarium with a sliding glass door or a plastic storage container.
Blue tongue skinks do well when kept on their own. When kept in pairs they can fight. You may get away with keeping a female pair or a male and female pair. To avoid fighting, males should never be kept together.
Blue Tongue Skink Substrate
Many different kinds of substrates can be used in a blue tongue skink vivarium. For example, newspaper, aspen, fir bark, dry cypress mulch, reptile carpets, artificial turf and hay. I recommend using either hay or newspaper as a substrate. They are both cheap and the hay has the added benefit of allowing them to bury in the substrate.
Blue Tongue Skink Tank Accessories and Hides
Avoid putting branches or objects for them to climb on in the tank. Blue tongue skinks are not good climbers and a fall could lead to injury. Use appropriate reptile hides to provide them with an area to hide under. The use of cork bark in your blue tongue skink’s terrarium can also act as hiding places.
Blue Tongue Skink Temperature
It is important that your blue tongue skink’s tank is not fully heated. It should be heated on one end of the vivarium and cool at the other end. Creating a difference in temperatures within the terrarium will allow your blue tongue skink to control their body’s temperature through a process called thermoregulation. Put simply, when your blue tongue skink gets too hot it will move to the cool end and when it is cold it will move to the warm end of the tank.
The heated area of the tank where your blue tongue skink will go to bask should be kept at temperatures of 90-100F. The cool side should be between 75-82F with a cool side of 70F during the night. The use of a basking lamp can be used to provide your pet with a heat source. If you do use a basking lamp, make sure you get specialised bulbs for the purpose of emitting heat for reptiles. You can also use a heat mat to heat their enclosure.
Blue Tongue Skink Humidity Level
Water should be provided for your blue tongue skink to drink whenever it wants. The water dish will help to create humidity in the tank. The humidity levels should be kept between 25-40% as blue tongue skinks come semi-dry areas where there is little humidity. It is important to note that Indonesian Blue Tongue Skinks will prefer higher humidity levels of 40-45%.
You should set up some hygrometers in the tank to monitor the humidity levels of your blue tongue skink’s tank.
Blue Tongue Skink Lighting
Although there is some debate as to whether or not blue tongue skinks need a full spectrum light. Blue tongue skinks are being kept successful without UVB. If you only have one blue tongue skink you can opt for getting a full spectrum reptile light such as ReptiSun however, if you keep several blue tongue skinks in a rack system you will find it easier not to give your skinks additional lighting.
Feeding Blue Tongue Skinks
As has already been said, blue tongue skinks are so popular because they are so easy to keep. The reason for this is that they are easy to feed. Blue tongue skinks are omnivorous meaning they should be fed on a combination of vegetables, fruits and meats. To ensure your pet is at its healthiest you should add variety to its diet. Mix up its food sources and change protein sources and use different canned foods instead of sticking to one brand.
The best balanced diet for a blue tongue is one that is made up of 50% veggies/greens, 40% meats and 10% fruit. Baby blue tongues should be allowed to eat as much as they will eat in a sitting while adult skinks can be fed every other day.
Safe Foods to Give Your Blue Tongue Skink
It is important to know what foods can be eaten by blue tongues and which foods should be avoided. Some foods should be avoided because they do not give enough nutrition while others such as pinkies contain a lot of fat and should be fed sparingly.
Blue tongue safe food list:
Proteins:
Canned super premium
Dry super premium dog/cat food (moistened)
Canned insect products
Mealworms, superworms, snails are a favourite
Hard-boiled eggs
Boiled chicken
Ground turkey (cooked)
Lean ground beef (cooked)
Pinky mice (occasionally)
Fruits and Veggies:
Collard greens
Turnip greens
Mustard greens
Squash
Peas
Brussel sprouts
Carrots
Dandelions (pesticide free)
Hibiscus flowers (pesticide free)
Mango
Raspberries
Figs
Papaya
Cantaloupe
Strawberries
Blueberries
Foods to Avoid:
Citrus
Avocado
Eggplants
Rhubarb
High sodium canned meats
Corn based foods
Food with artificial colours
Food with meat/bone meal
Foods with water as the main ingredient
Blue Tongue Skink Vitamins and Supplements
Blue tongues should be given a vitamin/calcium supplement to encourage healthy growth and to ensure that your blue tongue skinks remain healthy. A light dust of vitamin powder for every third adult feed or once every other meal for young blue tongues will suffice.
Handling Blue Tongue Skinks
Before handling new pet blue tongue skinks you should give it a few days to get used to its new environment. It will use these few days to explore and get to know where the water, heat and food is. After a few feeds, your blue tongue skink will be ready to handle. Once it has eaten several times you can be sure that it has settled well into its new home. When handling blue tongue skinks you should not handle them while standing. A fall form this height could seriously injure and kill your blue tongue skink. Always handle them close surface such as a floor or on a bed in case it is dropped.
The temperament of blue tongue skinks is generally calm and docile. They will accept handling and some may even show signs of enjoying it.
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