Blue tongue skinks are amazing reptiles that attract attention of many people around the world. If you consider getting or adopting a blue tongue skink as a pet, you might have many questions first. In this post, we will cover various blue tongue skink facts to answer your questions and will discuss if they make good pets.
What are blue tongue skinks and where do they come from?
Blue tongue skinks, also called blue-tongued skinks or blueys, are cold blooded reptiles. There are different species and subspecies of blue tongue skinks in the family of Scincidae (skinks) and genus of Tiliqua which inhabit mainly Australia, but also Indonesia, Tasmania, New Guinea and surrounding islands.
Blue tongue skinks have a thick body and head, with short limbs, smooth-scaled skin and of course, a bright blue tongue. Because blue tongue skinks eat various types of foods, they live in shrubs, forests, rocky steppes, semi-deserts, some are found in humid forests, and so on.
The most popular species that are kept as pets as Tiliqua scincoides intermedia. But most species, especially those living in Australia, need similar living conditions.
Can blue tongue skinks climb trees or other structures?
No, blue tongue skinks have very short arms and legs, and they physically can’t climb trees. This is why they spend most of their days on the ground and even few inches under the ground, burrowing to hide from predators and heat. Blue tongues can climb some rocks, but nothing higher than that.
How big do blue tongue skinks get?
Blue tongue skinks reach sizes of around 18 to 23.6 inches, or roughly 45-60 cm. Blue tongue’s body without a tail reaches around 8-12 inches, or roughly 20-30 cm.
Blue tongue skink hatchlings are usually 4-5 inches long, and grow quickly for the first 12-18 months. By the age of 18-36 months, they reach their adult size. Hatchling blue tongue skinks weigh around 8-12 grams, and reach 300-650 grams when mature.
What is the lifespan of blue tongue skinks?
With good care, blue tongue skink can live for 15-20 years, but some owners claim that they can live for up to 25 years. Everything will depend on care – diet, stress levels, sex, diseases, genetics and so on.
What do blue tongue skinks eat?
Blue tongue skinks can have a varied diet and are omnivorous – they eat many different foods, including meat, fruits and vegetables, mammals, snails and even blossoms.
How do blue tongue skinks breed?
A very interesting fact is that blue tongue skinks give birth to live babies! Blue tongue skinks are ovoviviparous, which means that females have eggs inside of her, and they hatch inside before she gives birth! Hatchlings are also surrounded by placenta. This is very exciting, as many reptiles lay eggs.
Why is a blue tongue skink’s tongue blue in color?
Blue tongue skinks are very calm and harmless! And because they have very short legs and are slow, they can’t run from potential predators. This is why their tongues are blue – to protect them in life-threatening situations. In dangerous situations, blue tongues open their mouth very widely, showcase their blue tongue and hiss.
A very bright berry blue color warns other of potential toxicity or danger. But unfortunately, blue tongue skinks often become victims of many attacks, as they can’t protect themselves properly.
They are also territorial, and will fight with other blue tongues. When fighting, they will bite each other’s head and tail. While their limbs are short, they can run after each other quickly by wriggling around.
Are blue tongue skinks diurnal, nocturnal or crepuscular?
Blue tongue skinks are diurnal, which means that they are active during the day and rest at night. During the day, they will spend most of the time looking for food, basking, crawling small structures, laying around and breeding. In their natural habitat, when it gets hot during the day, they will hide under rocks, inside logs, even leaves and other debris sometimes few inches under the ground.
Do blue tongue skinks make any noises?
Blue tongue skinks are pretty much quiet, but can squeak or grumble when you are handling them.
Do blue tongue skinks have a good smell, eyesight and hearing?
Yes, blue tongue skinks have a very well developed eyesight and hearing. Blue tongues have prominent ear holes. They have a good sense of smell, but they also use the tongue (they have a Jacobson’s organ) to learn more information about their surroundings.
Can blue tongue skinks swim?
Blue tongue skinks are not strong swimmers, because they have short limbs. But you can still put your blue tongue in shallow dish with water, and it will try to swim! Some blue tongues enjoy baths and laying in the water (but you shouldn’t let it lay in the water for long periods, as it can cause fungal infection).
Can I keep few blue tongue skinks together? And what about skinks and other pets?
No, keeping few blue tongue skinks is not a good idea. Blue tongue skinks are very territorial and solitary lizards, and they will fight each other. This can even apply to males and females. Some blue tongues can live in peace for months, and snap at each other suddenly, resulting in serious injuries, limb loss and even death.
If you want to keep two skinks in the same tank, purchase a larger tank that is around 150 cm (around 60 inches long) and separate it by installing a plexiglass or something similar in between, covering it with something so they can’t see each other. But it is often hard to find such as big tank. Some owners keep two or more skinks together, but it is not recommended as they can suddenly become rivals and even kill each other while you are not there.
And while skinks are generally calm and docile, you should not leave your skink and cats/dogs and especially small animals alone. You never know how the either animal might react and possibly cause fights and stress.
Are blue tongue skinks poisonous or venomous and do they bite?
No, blue tongue skinks are not poisonous or venomous to people or pets such as dogs. Blue tongue skinks are docile and harmless, and even with their powerful jaws they bite very rarely.
And even though the bite can be painful, it often doesn’t break the skin because their teeth are not very sharp. Some more aggressive species, such as Tanimbars, are more likely to bite and you need to be careful.
Often, the bites only happen when blue tongue confuses your fingers with food or when it’s extremely stressed. But don’t worry and just treat the wound with some antiseptic.
What species and subspecies of blue tongue skinks are there?
Each types of skink has its own scientific name, and it is written like this: Genus (Tiliqua), then species (for example gigas, or Indonesian skink), and then subspecies if a skink has it (for example evanescens, or Merauke blue tongue).
This results in a full name, for example, Tiliqua gigas evanescens. If the species and subspecies name is the same, for example Tiliqua scincoides scincoides, then this is a pure breed.
Please remember that some species can be unsuitable to be kept as pets, because they can be more aggressive than others. But each skink is different, and everything will depend on how much time you dedicate to make it docile.
Australian blue tongue skink, or Tiliqua scincoides
Australian blue tongues are one of the most popular blue tongue skinks that people keep as pets (except Tanimbars). They inhabit Australia, Tanimbar and Babar islands in Maluku, Indonesia. There are few subspecies:
- Tiliqua scincoides intermedia, or northern blue tongue skink (northern Australia). One of the largest blue tongue skink species, reaching 23-24 inches (58.4-61 cm). Northerns are often orangy in color, with dark stripes and pale belly.
- Tiliqua scincoides scincoides, or eastern blue tongue skink (eastern Australia). Reach around 18-22 inches (46-56 cm). Classic blue tongue look, but with a rather fat tail and pale belly.
- Tiliqua scincoides chimaera, or Tanimbar blue tongue skink (Tanimbar islands). They are thought to be aggressive and not suitable as pets. Even though you can tame them to a certain degree, they won’t be as tame as other subspecies. Reach around 17 inches (43cm) long.
Tiliqua scincoides intermedia, or northern blue tongue
Centralian blue tongue skink, or Tiliqua multifasciata
Source: Jari Cornelis
One of the blue tongue species, living mainly in North-West and South Australia. Centralian blue tongue skinks look very similar to ‘classic’ blue tongues, but are somewhat shorter and have a shorter tail. They often reach the maximum length of 15-18 inches (20 to 45.7 cm).
They are grey to brown in color, and have around 10 broad orangy stripes on the back. What is special to Centralians is the black stripe on the side of the head, going from the eye to the ear. They are not often kept as pets because this is the species that is vulnerable in the wild.
Western blue tongue skink, or Tiliqua occipitalis
Found mainly in Western Australia, Westerns reach around 20 inches in length (50.8cm). Western blue tongue skinks have a broad body that is pale brown in color, with very broad dark stripes. Around the eyes, you can see dark stripes. Westerns are calm and docile, but are rare in the habitat, so rare in the market too.
- Shingleback blue tongue skink, bobtail, or Tiliqua rugosa
Shingleback blue tongues have very short tails, and are also called bobtail and stump-tailed blue tongue skinks. Their body is usually dark in color with rough scales and a very fat short tail.
The fat tail looks like a head – it has fat reserves and protects skinks by fooling predators into thinking that it’s the head. They make good pets because they are docile, inquisitive and beautiful. Subspecies of Shingleback blue tongue skinks include:
- Tiliqua rugosa rugosa – living in western Australia
- Tiliqua rugosa asper – living in eastern Australia
- Tiliqua rugosa palarra – Shark Bay in Australia
- Tiliqua rugosa konowi – Rottnest island in Australia
Blotched blue tongue skink, or Tiliqua nigrolutea
Source: Mark Sanders
Blotched blue tongue skinks inhabit southeastern Australia. They are quite large blue tongues, reaching 23-24 inches long (58.4-61 cm) long. Makes an excellent pet, due to its beautiful coloration, calm and docile nature, large size and long lifespan. Blotched blue tongue skinks are darker in color than most other blue tongues, with different blotches on the body and tail.
Indonesian blue tongue skink, or Tiliqua gigas
This is a Tiliqua gigas evanescens, or Merauke blue tongue skink, enjoying apples
Indonesian blue tongue skinks live in rainforests of Papua New Guinea, Admiralty Islands and other nearby islands. Indonesian blue tongue skinks are docile and popular as pets.
But be careful when choosing, because most Indonesian blue tongue skinks are wild caught animals, exported from Indonesia (they don’t have strict rules on export yet). There are few subspecies of Indonesian blue tongue skinks:
- Tiliqua gigas gigas (Halmahera) – reach the maximum length of 20 inches (50.8 cm). They also have differently shaped bands on the back, and the skin is often gray, and a bit brown with black stripes. Limbs are usually black with white spots, and the belly (venter) can be white or brownish with or without black dots.
- Tiliqua gigas keyensis, or Kei island blue tongue – reach around 20 inches. The body color can be a bit different – some are yellowish, brown and even red. The bands are faded and the belly is often pale in color. Its body is more robust and its head is more pointy, with a pale snout.
- Tiliqua gigas evanescens, or Merauke blue tongue skink – reach around 25-30 inches (63.5-76cm). They have long tails and look similar to pure gigas breed. The stripes are often very solid.
Adelaide pygmy blue tongue skin, or Tiliqua adelaidensis
Source: Angus McNab
This is an unique subspecies of blue tongues, because people believed that they were extinct. But in early 1990s, they were rediscovered again. They inhabit South Australia, but are still quite rare and not commonly kept as pets. They are very small, reaching around 4-5 inches long, and grey in color, with small black spots around the body.
Irian Jaya blue tongue skink, or Tiliqua sp.
Irian Jaya blue tongue skinks are beautiful blue tongues with a classic look – dark stripes and brown undertone. Can be kept as pets.
Source: Mel’s Exotics
So, what are the best species of blue tongue skinks to keep as pets?
Few of the best blue tongue skink pets are:
- Merauke blue tongue skink. They are also one the largest.
- Northern blue tongue skink. They are also one the largest.
- Eastern blue tongue skink.
- Blotched blue tongue skinks are also amazing pets.
- Shingleback blue tongues – small, rather docile, beautiful coloration and fat tail, and easy to feed.
Thank you for reading this article! Please share it and read more on blue tongue skink care in the next posts.