NATIVE TO:
Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. The different species found variously in open woodlands, at the margins of forest and field, semi-deserts. Heavily build, broad bodies set on small legs with delicate toes. Broad, blunt triangular head typical of skinks. Deep, berry blue tongue vividly offset against the deep pink interior of mouth.

SPECIES:
T. occipitalis - Western Blue Tongued Skink
Likes dry habitats, compact animal with short tail-growing to 50 cm./ 19.5 in. Compact with short tail; reddish brown with light crossbanding. Likes berries and spiders. Produces 5-10 live young.
T. scincoides - Common/Eastern Blue-Tongued Skink
Likes semi-desert to agricultural areas. Grows to 60 cm./23.5 in. (average 45 cm./17.5 in.). May be different subspecies since external differences are noted. Feeds on small animals, plant material. Often found in suburban gardens. Hardy in captivity. Averages 6-12 live young.

T. s. intermedia - Northern Blue Tongued Skink
Likes tropical/savannah woodlands -growing to 60 cm./23.5 in. Produces 5-20 live young. The best choice for handlable pets.

T. nigrolutea - Blotched Blue Tongued Skink
Also known as Black and Yellow Blue-tongued. Southern Australia and Tasmania. Brown/black with yellowish, irregularly spotted and striped pattern. Grows to 60 cm./23.5 in. Omnivorous. Produces 4-10 live young. Often crosses with T. scincoides, offspring are not sterile.

T. s. mustifaciata - Central Blue-Tongued Skink
Found in desert and tropical environments. Grows to 40-45 cm./15.5-17.5 in., feeds on wildflowers, small vertebrates, and insects. Produces 2-5 live young.

T. s. gigas - New Guinea Blue Tongue Skink - This skink is gray or gray brown with irregular narrow bands of dark brown across the back.

T. gerrandii - Australian PINK tongued skink
Found in New South Wales, Eastern Australia. Grows to 40-45 cm./ 15.5-17.5 in. This skink lives in a wetter forest habitat than the other Australian Skinks, is nocturnal in warm weather and diurnal in cold and feeds almost exclusively on snails and slugs. Produces 12-25 live young in summer.

Housing:
Hatchlings can be kept in 10 gal. Adults require at least 40-55 gal tanks. Substrate can be pine (NOT cedar) shavings, aspen shavings or cypress mulch. They need a hide box. They are ground dwellers and so do not need tall branches or rocks for climbing. They CAN climb, however, so top-opening tanks do need to be securely fastened. One area of slightly damp substrate should be kept, or a humidity retreat box (into which they can freely climb in and out, filled with damp sphagnum moss, for use during shed periods).

Water:
They should have a bowl of water available at all times. They may defecate in it so it should be checked regularly. Bowl should be big enough for them to climb easily in and out of if it is to be used for bathing.

Light:
Regular exposure to UVB wavelengths are strongly recommended. This can be furnished by close proximity to a Vitalite or ZooMed Iguana fluorescentlight or direct sunlight. If using the latter, be sure that there is a cooler retreat for the skink to go to. They do not tolerate very high temperatures and can easily become prostrate by the build-up of heat in their enclosure.

Temperature:
The overall gradient should range from the mid 70s on the cool side to the mid 80s on the warm side. A slightly warmer basking area, with temps into the low 90s, may also be provided during the day. A people heating pad under the tank at one end, and a radiant heat source overhead at the same end, will generally be all that is required to establish the gradient. Cold winter weather may require additional heating or a stronger bulb. Temps should not be allowed to fall below 70 F at night on the cool side.

Diet:
Blue-tongue skinks are omnivores, consuming both plant and animal matter. Their diet should be 60% plant, 40% animal. Frozen mixed vegetables (carrots and peas mixture) can be ground in a food process and a calcium supplement added. This can be refrozen in serving sized blocks, or kept refrigerated for a week. Serve with a low fat canned dog food, or mix with softened adult dog kibble. Start with 1/2 teaspoon for a hatchling, working up to a tablespoon for adults. Mealworms, killed Zoophorba worms, and prekilled baby mice (larger mice for adults) should be offered at meals 2-3 times a week in place of the dog food. A slightly more time consuming but very nutritious vegetable salad is 1/2 cup shredded raw green beans, 1/2 cup shredded winter or summer squash (not zucchini) or carrots, 1/2 cup shredded raw parsnip, and 1/4 cup fruit.

Handling:
Blue-tongue skinks are very docile, curious lizards. They tame easily and are handleable by small children. They do develop claws, and while they don't particularly scratch, it can be startling and scary to someone who is nervous holding them, so always supervise people closely when first handing the lizard to them. Like many omnivorous and carnivorous lizards, blue-tongues find that wriggling human fingers look an awful lot like small wriggling mice...and may try to eat one if they are hungry. As with all such reptiles, it is best to wash your hands before handling them if you have been handling anything they normally eat.
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Sources:
Obst, et al. Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians. 1988. TFH Publishing.

FAQs:

Kirsten Kranz (Znofyl@aol.com)
Alan Beck (anacimas@cerf.net), with Linda Desmond

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© 1996 Melissa Kaplan