I’ve kept lizards as pets all my life but I’ve never owned a blue tongued skink. They are very popular and have been for many years. So, are Blue tongued skinks good pets? I did some research and here’s what I found.
Blue tongued skinks make excellent pet lizards. Some consider them the greatest pet lizard in the world. They are hardy, easy to take care of, docile and accept handling extremely well. Some owners say blue tonged skinks actually seem to crave attention.
Let’s learn more about these amazing reptiles and why they make such good pets. First of all, you may be asking yourself what is a skink?
Skinks are a kind of lizard belonging to the family Scincidae. There are more than 1200 varieties spanning the world. Many originate in South East Asia, Australia, and North America.
They generally have long, sleek, smooth-scaled, shiny, bodies with even longer tails and tiny little legs. Most are ground dwellers that prefer a dark hiding place to basking on a rocky outcrop, but there are some arboreal species.
Skinks tend to have long almost cone-shaped heads from neck to snout that is plated with larger scales. They definitely have a prehistoric dragon-like look.
Blue tonged skinks originate on mainland Australia with some species occurring in New Guinea and various islands of Indonesia. The northern blue tongued skink is the largest variety and adults average about 18-24 inches in length.
Their typical lifespan is about 15-20 years.
They get their name from their unusually colored tongue. Yep, it really is blue. Just like a kid with a blue popsicle, only theirs won’t wash away.
Now that we know a little about them let’s take a look at why they make good pets and things you should consider before buying one.
Several Reasons Blue Tongued Skinks Make Great Pets
- Easy to care for
- Easy to Handle
- Don’t bite
- Very interesting to look at
Some Considerations
- Can be hard to find
- Can be expensive
- Require a large enclosure
- Require humidity
- Do not like each other
If you are considering a pet lizard, blue tonged skinks are widely considered an excellent choice, especially for beginners. I’ve listed some reasons for this above. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Easy to Care For
Blue tongued skinks are easy to care for compared to other reptiles. They are one of the hardiest pet lizards available which makes them great for beginners. They also tend to have a relatively long lifespan.
The purpose of this article is not to outline in great detail everything you need to know about keeping a blue tongued skink but we will share some of those things.
Housing for blue tongued skinks can be accomplished with a simple reptile enclosure. (reptile enclosures have a lid with some kind of latch to prevent escape). There are many options available on the market.
Babies can be housed in a simple 20-gallon aquarium with a screen top. Adults will need more space at least a 40-gallon sized cage but more is better. These simple enclosures can be easy to find. You can buy one online, at a local pet shop or build one yourself.
Required temperatures are fairly easy to achieve and considered moderate compared to some lizards. Humidity requirements are also moderate. Substrate requirements are also not demanding.
It’s important to provide a hiding spot and some things for your skink to crawl over like rocks and logs. They generally do not climb trees so adding a branch or two isn’t necessary. All of these things are easy to obtain.
It is very important to provide a shallow water dish so they can soak when desired. A water dish will also help keep the humidity at appropriate levels. This will help them to shed properly.
Perhaps one of the greatest things about caring for a blue-tongued skink is how easy it is to feed them. Their food is easy to obtain at your local grocery store.
They can pretty much eat people food! Food such as ground turkey or ground beef, various kinds of greens, other kinds of veggies and fruits. This eliminates the need for special trips to the pet shop or raising your own crickets and other feeder insects.
Trust me, this is a BIG ONE.
Easy to Handle
Blue tongued skinks are very easy to handle. With regular handling blue tongued skinks become very calm. They tend to relax rather than constantly trying to get away from you.
There is at least one minor drawback with handling. When they are first being handled, they will sometimes poop on you but once they are more accustomed to being held on a regular basis this usually stops.
For their size their claws are relatively small so they don’t scratch you when being handled nearly as much as just about any other lizard their size.
Many keepers report their blue tongued skink seems to actually enjoy attention. They will vary rarely if ever drop their tail. And that’s good news, especially if this is a family pet lizard with little kids.
Speaking of children these lizards make excellent pets for kids. If you want a reptile that is easy to keep alive and tolerates higher levels of interaction blue tongued skinks are an excellent choice.
Don’t Bite
Any reptile can bite and so can your blue tongued skink, they just don’t. This goes hand in hand with handling. This is one thing people worry about the most when considering a lizard as a pet. Especially if this pet will be your daughter’s first pet lizard.
Blue tongued skinks aren’t known to bite which is another reason they make great pet lizards. Of course, when handling any reptile or any other animal for that matter, it’s still important to have a reasonable level of awareness and act responsibly.
Very Interesting
With their medium size and their prehistoric look blue tongued skinks are very interesting to look at. These lizards are definitely unique especially their blue colored tongue.
With their sleek, shiny, smooth scaled bodies and tiny little legs, if any lizard can be considered cute, it’s a blue tongued skink. Their tongue and everything that goes with it makes for an incredibly interesting and amazing pet lizard!
Some Things to Consider
As you can see there are certainly many reasons blue tongued skinks make great pet lizards. There are some things to keep in mind before you decide to run out and buy one.
Can be Hard to Find
Unlike many other reptiles, blue tongued skinks are livebearers and don’t produce a lot of young at one time. There are also relatively fewer breeders working with them.
Since they are such popular lizards, they can be hard to find. Look for them at reptile expos, pet shops or try to find a breeder. You can also find them on www.morphmarket.com and search for blue tongue skink. It’s best to find “CB” (Captive Born or Captive Bred) animals when possible.
Can be Expensive
The average price for a blue tongued skink is about $150-200 U.S. dollars with various morphs costing upwards of $1,000 dollars and even more.
Once you have purchased an enclosure, light fixture and heat source as well as other things you may need the cost can easily be over $200 – $300 before you buy your new pet lizard.
Add to this the cost of your wonderful new pet lizard and you can see that it can be expensive. You can certainly bring those costs down if you find a used enclosure (be sure to clean and disinfect it thoroughly) or build your own.
When considering the cost one should also remember that this is a very hardy and long-lived lizard. Once you have the upfront cost behind you, they are very inexpensive to care for.
Require a Large Enclosure
Blue tongued skinks require a relatively large enclosure at least a 40-gallon sized tank or larger for adults. Though you can keep babies in a small 10-gallon tank they will need more space as they grow.
If you live in a small apartment with little space this can become a much bigger consideration over time. It’s better to plan for the future and decide ahead of time if you will be ready for that so you don’t end up with an animal you love but don’t have enough room to keep.
Still the housing requirements for an adult blue tongued skink are quite moderate compared to other lizards of a similar size. Or even smaller lizards that need more space to run around in.
Require Humidity
Blue tongued skinks require moderate amounts of humidity. The amount varies depending on the species. Humidity helps them shed properly.
If they don’t shed properly their toes can get constricted and fall off. And nobody wants that. Not properly shedding is most commonly due to the environment being too dry. It’s also important not to go overboard on this.
It can be tricky to maintain proper levels of humidity but not too difficult with a little care and attention. This can be achieved by misting the cage with a simple water sprayer once a day, by making sure there is a water dish in the cage and by choosing a substrate that holds moisture.
Do Not Like Each Other
Blue tongued skinks are not social lizards. YES, they are easy to handle and many owners believe their blue tongue is social with them and other people. This is one reason they are such great pet lizards.
That said, they do not like other blue tonged skinks. Especially males. They will fight each other to the death. Do NOT keep them together.
So, if you really want to keep more than one you will have to have a second complete set up.
Conclusion
Blue tongued skinks are considered one of the best pet lizards. They are often found ranking high on lists with other top choices such as bearded dragons, crested geckos, leopard geckos, and others.
As you have seen there are many reasons for this. They are extremely popular, easy to take care of, very hardy, don’t bite, easy to handle even for small kids and look really cool!
As with any pet lizard, there are things that make them special and appealing as well as things to consider.
I hope some of the things we’ve listed here will help you when considering a blue tonged skink as a new addition to your home.