Blue Tongue Skink Care Page

Reptiles aren’t like dogs and cats that can simply roam around your house. They are very sensitive to their environment, and need their own enclosure set up according to their specific needs. This guide covers everything you will need to care for your pet blue tongue skink properly.

Blue tongue skinks should be housed in an enclosure that is no smaller than 6'L x 2'W x 18"H. This is the bare minimum, calculated according to the reptile’s average length and activity patterns. According to our observations, this cannot be accomplished in anything smaller than 3x the lizard’s total length and 18" tall.

This means that any permanent blue tongue skink enclosure must provide at least 12 square feet of floor space and at least 18" of height. At least 24" of height must be provided if heating and lighting equipment is mounted inside the enclosure.

However, if you can provide an enclosure with more space, do it! Housing your skink in a larger enclosure will encourage it to be more active and demonstrate more natural behaviors. Skinks are extremely active and love to explore, so bigger is better. Even baby blue tongue skinks can be housed in an adult-sized enclosure as long as they have lots of hiding places to help them feel secure.

Kages 6’x2’x2’

C.R.H. 6’x2’x3’

Kages 6’x3’x3’

Substrate is the material that you use to cover the floor of the enclosure. Blue tongue skinks are burrowing lizards, so they require at least 4-6” of deep, soft, loose substrate. However, which kind of substrate you need depends on your subspecies of skink.

Note about DIY substrates:
Mix well, soak until muddy, then pack it firmly at the bottom of the enclosure. Let it dry out for a day or 2 before introducing your skink to the setup. A DIY substrate is cheaper and often better suited to the reptile, as you can more precisely control the ratios and texture. However, reading your topsoil ingredients is a requirement! Soil must not contain any fertilizers, manure, or perlite/vermiculite, as these can be dangerous to burrowing reptiles.


Bioactive
Another option is a bioactive setup. While traditional housing depends on the keeper for maintenance, bioactive setups are more or less self-sustaining, miniature ecosystems. A bioactive substrate needs more than just one or two components; it has layers. Bioactive substrate can be used for both Australian and Indonesian skinks, although the components will differ between subspecies to account for humidity requirements.

For example, an Australian skink bioactive might include topsoil, play sand, some moss, and leaf litter (e.g. BioDude Terra Firma bioactive kit). On the other hand, Indonesian skinks require a more humid bioactive substrate that may include topsoil, sugar cane mulch, more moss, and leaf litter over a drainage layer of gravel (e.g. BioDude Terra Fauna bioactive kit).

What makes bioactive work is the “cleanup crew,” or bugs. They clean up uneaten food, fallen leaves, and fecal remains, making bioactive substrates incredibly low maintenance. All you need to do is wipe off the glass and remove large pieces of waste.

Springtails and isopods (wood lice) make a good starter cleanup crew. For a quick and easy way to set up a bioactive substrate for your blue tongue skink, check out The Bio Dude.

Reptiles are much more intelligent than we humans tend to give them credit for, and that means they need things to entertain them. Otherwise they exist in a state of perpetual boredom, which makes them dull, inactive, and overall less interesting as pets. When reptiles have objects to interact with in their enclosure, they become less stressed and more engaged with their environment. This practice is called environmental enrichment.

It’s important to choose enrichment items (a.k.a. enclosure décor) that are appropriate to your pet’s natural behaviors. Skinks are natural burrowers, so providing a deep layer of substrate as well as plenty of hides and sturdy climbing objects is essential for this species. Here are some other objects that serve a vital function in a skink terrarium:

UVB is important for enabling vitamin D3 synthesis (which allows them to metabolize calcium in their diet), strengthening the immune system, and encouraging proper organ function.

UVA is important for allowing full-color vision, because blue tongue skinks can see UVA wavelengths (humans can’t!). It is sensed by their pineal gland to regulate a circadian rhythm and is suspected to play a role in mental health and appetite.

The 6500K daylight lamp provides extra illumination at a color temperature that is similar to sunlight. As diurnal reptiles, blue tongue skinks are highly stimulated by having a well-lit environment during the day. Bright daytime lighting is likely to encourage more activity, better appetite, and better mental health.

Infrared radiation (i.e. heat) is important for reptiles' thermoregulation. As ectotherms, they rely on the heat of the sun to warm their bodies and stimulate their metabolism, digest their food, and stay alert and active. The shorter the wavelength, the deeper it can penetrate their muscle tissue. In captivity, we can provide this with specific heat bulbs that emit the most beneficial infrared wavelengths (IR-A and IR-B).

All light and heat should be kept on a regular schedule using outlet timers or done manually. This allows for a predictable day/night cycle which the lizard can follow, allowing for natural hormonal rhythms and good mental health. We recommend the following schedule for blue tongue skinks, based on their natural environment:

Blue tongue skinks benefit greatly from a UVB lamp in the enclosure. They are capable of surviving in captivity without UVB if they receive sufficient supplementary vitamin D3 in their diet, but simply surviving is not thriving. D3 supplement dosing is extremely imprecise and less efficiently absorbed by the body. Experts don't know much vitamin D3 skinks actually need, but they do know how much UVB is needed for them to self-regulate their own D3 production, so providing a UV lamp is far more natural and beneficial to promote optimum health.

UVB Output
Blue tongue skinks should have anywhere from a 5% to 12% UVB output T5 lamp, depending on the setup. The best output for your enclosure is calculated by the distance between the lamp and the basking surface (see our chart below).

We recommend an Arcadia or Zoo Med brand linear fluorescent tube, as these brands produce the best and most reliable UVB lamps on the market. This lamp should be roughly half the width of the enclosure and placed on the same side as the heat lamp. So if your enclosure is 6’, you will need a 34” T5 HO UVB bulb.

Best 5-6% UV lamps for blue tongue skinks:

Arcadia ProT5 6%

Zoo Med Reptisun T5HO 5.0

Best 10-12% UV lamps for blue tongue skinks:

Arcadia Desert 12%

Zoo Med Reptisun T5HO 10.0

Distance and Mesh
The bulb you choose will depend on your enclosure setup. The strength of the UVB lamp’s output varies according to distance from the bulb — stronger when closer, and weaker when further away. If you are using a Solarmeter 6.5 to measure your UVB lamp’s output, the UVI (UV Index) reading should be between 3.0-4.0 on the basking platform and down to 0 on the cool side.

If you don't have a Solarmeter, here is an estimate of how far away your basking platform should be, based on which bulb you are using and whether the lamp is mounted above or below mesh:

These measurements are based on Vivarium Electronics T5 HO / Arcadia ProT5 fixtures. If using a Zoo Med hood fixture, please reference this chart.


Fixture
To optimize your UVB bulb’s performance, you will need a high-quality reflective T5 HO fixture. Josh's Frogs, Zoo Med, and Vivarium Electronics make various fixtures for T5 bulbs (NOTE: the Vivarium Electronics fixture comes with a daylight bulb that should be removed and replaced with an appropriate UVB bulb).

Josh's Frogs 36” T5 Fixture

(for 34” bulbs)

Vivarium Electronics T5HO Fixture

Zoo Med T5HO Terrarium Hood

T5 bulbs last 12 months before requiring replacement, as their UVB output decays over time. Off-brand UVB bulbs are likely to have shorter lifespans and unreliable output. Avoid “compact” and coil UVB bulbs, as these cannot properly distribute a UV gradient across the enclosure.

Since blue tongue skinks are diurnal, it’s helpful to provide plenty of “sunlight” (i.e. visible light) to stimulate activity, appetite, and general wellbeing. Aside from using a UVB tube, this can be accomplished by using a ~6500K LED or fluorescent light of the same length as the UVB. Here are some daylight lamps we recommend:

Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar (x2)

Josh's Frogs Green Gro LED Light Fixture

Sunblaster 36" 6400K T5 Kit

Australian species are likely to appreciate brighter light than Indonesian species.

Blue tongue skinks need access to a variety of temperatures within a certain range in order to properly regulate their metabolism:

Australian blue tongue skinks:

1. Basking surface: 105-110°F
2. Warm side ambient: 90-98°F
3. Cool side ambient: 70-78°F
4. Nighttime: 68-75°F, but no lower than 65°F

Indonesian blue tongue skinks:

1. Basking surface: 100-105°F
2. Basking air temp: 85-95°F
3. Cool side ambient: 70-80°F
4. Nighttime: 65-75°F, but no lower than 65°F

All heat lamps should be turned off at night and kept on a regular day/night cycle that matches the same schedule as the UVB and daylight lamps, allowing for a natural temperature drop and a healthy circadian rhythm.

To track the temperatures in your blue tongue skink’s enclosure, you will need a good thermometer. Temp gun-style infrared thermometers are useful for measuring surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure. However, digital probe thermometers are useful for being able to track local air temperatures at a glance. It's best to have at least 2 thermometers to measure temps on each end of the heat gradient. Here are some devices we recommend for measuring temperatures:

Zoo Med Digital Thermo & Humidity Gauge

Etekcity Lasergrip 774

Maintaining the right humidity is important for helping your skink shed easily, as well as prevent illnesses like respiratory infections. The required humidity range will vary depending on what species you have:

1. Northern Australian: 35-60%
2. Eastern Australian: 30-50%
3. Classic Indonesian: 60-80%
4. Halmahera Indonesian: 70-100%

A pump-action hand mister can be used to bump up humidity when it drops below the required range for Australian species. However, for Indonesian species, a misting system is more consistent and efficient to maintain a higher humidity. A proper loose substrate, adequately sized water bowl, good cross-ventilation, and overhead heating will all help to stabilize the enclosure's humidity levels.

You can measure humidity with a hygrometer like the Zoo Med Digital Combo Gauge linked in the Measuring Temperature section. Hygrometers should be placed within 12” above the substrate towards the cooler end of the enclosure to give you an accurate idea of average humidity levels (or one on either side if using a thermo/hygro combo meter).

Certain subspecies of blue tongue skinks, such as Easterns, are known to brumate instinctively during winter. Although this is a survival mechanism that enables them to live through times of cold weather and scarce food in their natural habitat, this instinct still manifests in captivity as part of their natural cycle, and is perfectly healthy. Many skinks will brumate regardless of an indoor environment and controlled temperatures. Latitude, decreasing daylight, air pressure, and other seasonal changes are all factors in triggering brumation.

For information on how to brumate your blue tongue skink safely and effectively, go here.

Here is a basic feeding schedule for pet blue tongue skinks:

This schedule is a general starting guide. Individual skinks will grow at different rates, so you may choose to feed based on weight or age, depending on your pet's needs.

Each meal should be roughly the same size as the skink’s skull. Skinks under 1 year of age need 70-80% of their diet to be protein. Adults older than 1 year should get roughly 50-60% protein.

The key to a healthy, balanced diet is variety, so make sure to provide as many different kinds of foods in your skink’s diet as possible!

Protein:

All live feeder insects should be gutloaded with fresh veggies for at least 24 hours before feeding. Feeders should be captive bred, don’t feed bugs from your backyard — these can make your pet sick! Some sites we recommend to buy safe, captive bred feeders are DubiaRoaches.com, PremiumCrickets, Luna Roaches, and Beastmode Silks.

Frozen whole prey items must be prepared correctly before feeding. Thaw it out in the fridge the night before feeding day, then about 15-30 minutes before feeding, stick the prey in a BPA-free plastic bag like a Ziploc and submerge in warm, almost hot, water to thaw completely. Reptilinks is a great source to order whole prey food for your skink.

*Raw eggs should be limited as they contain avidin, an enzyme that can cause vitamin B7 deficiency over time, impacting scale and skin health. Cooking eggs neutralizes this enzyme.

Produce/Plants:

Fruits should comprise no more than 10% of a skink’s diet.
Do not feed blue tongue skinks avocado, onion, eggplant, buttercup flowers, azalea flowers/leaves, daffodil flowers, lily of the valley, marijuana/hemp leaves, tulips, citrus fruits, rhubarb, seeds, or pits. These fruits and vegetables can be toxic to skinks.

Prepared Diets:

Blue tongue skinks can also eat specially formulated diets made for omnivorous reptiles, or even dog and cat food! Make sure to use high quality canned dog/cat food rather than kibble (although kibble is alright occasionally if water is added) and avoid formulas containing artificial colors/flavors or fish. Prepared diets aren’t a replacement for fresh produce/protein, but they can make a good addition to a varied diet for your skink.

Here are some brands known to be reliable:

Cat food is best for juvenile skinks due to its high protein content, but when your skink reaches ~1 year old, it’s time to switch to dog food, which contains more vegetables and is less likely to cause obesity. Keep in mind that dog or cat food will still need to be supplemented by vegetables and leafy greens. Arctic Exotic's "skink chow" recipe shows a great breakdown of the ratios to provide when using dog food.

If you're still not sold on dog/cat food, one of our HappyDragons Breeder Directors, TC Houston, made this video explaining why it can work for skinks!

Prepared reptile/dog/cat diets are great options to add variety to your skink's diet, but should not be the only source of nutrition. Other proteins and fresh produce are still required for a skink's best health.

To make sure that your blue tongue skink is getting all of the vitamins and minerals that their bodies need, it’s important to use calcium and vitamin supplements as part of their diet.

A large, shallow water bowl no more than 3” deep should be provided — 9″x13″ baking dishes work great. Aside from being a source of hydration, this also helps maintain humidity and provides a place to soak while in shed.

Water should be changed daily. And since skinks have the endearing habit of also using their water bowl as a toilet, be sure to disinfect it weekly with an animal-safe disinfectant like F10 or chlorhexidine.

Do not use distilled or softened water! Tap, spring, and even filtered water (assuming that it’s safe for humans to drink) contains minerals vital to your skink's health. You can dechlorinate tap water with a conditioner like ReptiSafe.

Eventually your skink will start to squirm and scratch to escape. You can increase his/her tolerance for handling by only taking it out for 5 minutes a day at first. When s/he sits still in your arms, increase handling time by 1 minute and build from there.

Blue tongue skinks have a variety of body language cues. When you learn to understand these cues, you can understand your pet’s mood and needs better, and react accordingly.

Short snorting/huffing — Annoyance

Tail flicking/wagging — Irritation/anger

Long huffs/hisses + body tilt/puffing — Aggression

Displaying mouth and tongue — Defense reflex –> “Back off!”

A happy skink walks casually, flicking its tongue and occasionally looking at you. A nervous skink will move in short, quick bursts, with periods of extreme stillness.

The most common illnesses in blue tongue skinks are intestinal parasites, metabolic bone disease (MBD), respiratory infection (RI), scale rot, and spinal deformity. They can also suffer from health issues such as mites and obesity. If your blue tongue skink is displaying potential symptoms of illness, it’s important to take them to an experienced reptile veterinarian right away for diagnosis and treatment. Do not try to treat them at home, as you could make the problem worse!