While blue tongue skinks are generally quiet lizards, they can make some noises or sounds. Sounds are often used for communication and expression. In this post, you will find different blue tongue skink noises, such as whistling, squeaking, grunting, hissing, wheezing, clicking, and they meanings.
Blue tongue skink sounds:
- Clicking
- Squeaking/whistling
- Grunting or hissing
- Wheezing
- Sneezing
1. Blue tongue skink whistling and squeaking sound
If your blue tongue skink is whistling or squeaking, it’s probably telling you to let it be. Your blue tongue skink might be a little uncomfortable, but it should not be anything serious. Most blue tongue skinks making whistling noises seem calm and rather content.
What is more, your blue tongue can be whistling or exhaling when it has small dusty particles of loose substrate in its nose. This can happen when it’s burrowing, too. Make sure that you don’t use very fine or dusty bedding. For aspen or coconut, use shavings or chips, instead.
2. Blue tongue skink grunting or hissing
If your blue tongue skink is grunting, then it’s most probably slightly uncomfortable. Same goes with hissing – your blue tongue skink wants to show you that it’s not liking what you are doing.
Tame blue tongue skinks tend to hiss or grunt quietly if they don’t like something, but it doesn’t go further than that. With wild skinks, they might hiss and then become even angrier if you don’t respond.
If your blue tongue is not fully tame and has been with you for less than 2-3 months, leave it alone when it’s hissing or grunting. Otherwise, you will see puffing up of the body, an open mouth and can even get bitten.
Sudden exhaling noises, similar to hissing, can also be because your blue tongue is trying to clean its nostrils from loose substrate. Blue tongues love to dig, and loose substrate can get in their nose. Stuck skin around the nose can also make your blue tongue huff.
3. Blue tongue skink wheezing and heavy breathing
If your blue tongue skink is wheezing, it could be suffering from a respiratory infection. Also, if your blue tongue skink has any discharge from its nose or eyes, such as small bubbles or mucus, it is most likely suffering from an infection.
Heavy breathing (especially with an open mouth) or forced exhaling is also a sign of respiratory issues. Sometimes, clicking noises can also indicate a respiratory issue. However, minor clicking noises could be due to substrate being stuck in your blue tongue’s nose.
In this case, please take your blue tongue skink to the vet. You might also increase the tank temperatures in a basking spot by 10 degrees (around 3 degrees Celsius), to help your blue tongue clear the infection.
4. Blue tongue skink sneezing
Occasional sneezing is normal for blue tongue skinks. The main reason why blue tongue skinks sneeze is because loose substrate gets in their nose, and sneezing in a natural reaction.
5. Squeaky noises coming from a blue tongue skink
You might also hear squeaky noises coming from your blue tongue skink. Squeaky noises are often nothing to worry about and often a result of small particles being stuck inside the nostrils.
Thank you for reading this post, to learn more about blue tongue skink care, see this resource page.