Blue Tongue Skink Care

CHOOSING YOUR BLUE TONGUE SKINK

A healthy blue tongue skink should be active and alert, looking at you and being interested in its surroundings. You might also notice a tongue flick and lick – which they do when learning about the environment.

There should be no scars, retained shed or wounds on the skin.

Make sure that the blue tongue skink is not underweight. Its bones, especially at the hips, back and limbs shouldn’t be protruding.

Check blue tongue’s belly – it should be clean, without any discoloration or injury.

Blue tongue skink’s mouth and nose should be clean without any bubbles. Bubbly secretion from mouth or nose indicates upper respiratory infection.

Make sure that blue tongue skink’s mouth is clear of any pus and the gums are pink. Stomatitis is a bacterial infection of the mouth, and it features mouth pus and redness around the mouth and gums.

There should be no lumps on or under blue tongue skink’s skin – these can indicate cysts and tumor.

Make sure that all five toes are present and that the tail is in good shape and unbroken.

Eyes should be clear, without any secretion or cloudiness.

There are plenty more things to check for when choosing your Blue Tongue Skink.

PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH

COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS

Respiratory Infections:
Usually caused because of lack of cleanliness and a general viral infection, this disease is not very serious and if proper care is taken at home, it cures on its own in less than a week or so.

Metabolic Skin Disease:
The lack of certain minerals in the diet can lead to permanent deformities in your reptile because of this disease. Metabolic skin disease is just like Osteoporosis condition in humans. Metabolic skin disease will take at least a month to reduce the general swelling it causes in your lizard.

Mites:
Most commonly found in lizards caught in the wild, yet it can also occur in homebred lizards if they are kept too dirty. An unclean enclosure or cage can also be considered as a major cause of mites in most of the lizards.

Mouth Rot:
This disease is a very painful disease causing the swelling of mouth and redness of gums. This disease reduces the general appetite of your lizard and can result in serious deterioration of its health if not dealt properly.

HOUSING

Baby blue-tongues should be housed singly in plastic reptile enclosures, terrariums or 20-gallon aquariums with full screen tops. An adult blue-tongued skink requires, at minimum, an enclosure measuring 36 inches long by 18 inches wide by 10 inches tall, with a full screen top. Larger is even better. Remember, blue-tongued skinks are terrestrial and prefer floor space over climbing area.

All blue-tongued skinks, both juveniles and adults, are best kept singly. You may be able to house females together, or a male and female pair, but observe them very closely. If they fight, keep them in separate cages. Males should never be kept together.

Aspen, recycled paper substrates, fir bark and cypress mulch (as long as it's kept dry) can all be used safely with blue-tongued skinks. Cedar chips, clay cat litter, orchid bark and walnut shells should never be used, as these substrates may lead to toxicity, impaction or respiratory concerns. Whichever substrate you choose, be sure your skink does not ingest it. Accidental ingestion can be deterred by using a feeding dish. Blue-tongues spend their time on the ground, so keep the substrate clean and maintained.

Blue-tongues may climb over rocks and logs, but they are not agile climbers. Be sure they cannot fall from any high areas, such as stacked rocks or branches, in their enclosures. Proper housing accessories include cork bark, Mopani wood, logs, large rocks and hide boxes or other shelters. Do not clutter the cage, as blue tongues enjoy plenty of open space. Elaborate decorations are unnecessary and will be rearranged by blue-tongues.

LIGHTING

Reptiles control their body temperature through thermoregulation, and it's crucial for your blue-tongued skink enclosure to have a warm end and a cooler end. Place all heating and lighting at one end of the enclosure, so if your blue-tongue gets too warm, it can move toward the cooler end opposite, and vice versa if it gets too cold. A thermometer at each end to monitor temperatures is recommended.

Blue-tongued skink enclosures should have ambient temperatures on the cool side from 75 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The warm end should include a basking area of 90 to 100 degrees. This can be accomplished using an under-tank heating device, such as a heat mat or heat tape, and/or an overhead incandescent basking light or heat emitter. If both under-tank and overhead heat are provided, the overhead heating devices should be turned off at night. Daylight bulbs should be on a maximum of 12 hours each day. The cooler end of the enclosure can drop to 70 degrees at night.

The UVB lights should be on eight to 12 hours a day. Any UVB bulb will also provide UVA, which is beneficial to blue-tongued skinks.