If you want to keep reptiles in your home as pets, Blue Tongue Skinks are one of the best options. They are considered one of the best choices if you wish to explore owning reptiles as pets.
Why are Blue Tongue Skinks good for beginners?
It is easy for pet owners to keep a Blue Tongue Skink as a pet because
- The Blue tongue skink is not poisonous.
- Safe for children
- A Blue tongue skink does not often face major health issues, so you should not expect to visit a veterinarian as often with this pet as others may.
- Minimum Feeding requirements mean you do not need to prepare food every day for your pet.
- Blue Tongue Skinks can go without food for days when staying away from home. Such options are not available with other pets like cats and dogs.
The characteristic features that make this reptile ideal for your home include their quiet nature, passive attitude, gentleness, and above all they can be easily tamed. These traits make this lizard ideal for beginners’ homes with families and children.
Getting their name literally from their blue tongue, these lizards are well known as beginner reptile pets. However, there are a few key details anyone considering them should be aware of before they commit to owning one.
Although they are great for beginners, they still require a large habitat although it is low maintenance once set up. Since the lizard is an Australian native, it comes with some admin! So to acquire this animal as a new member of your household, you will require some legal documentation such as permits and certifications.
In this article, we’ll cover the main points that you need to be aware of on the blue tongue lizards, why they can be good pets for beginners, their eating routine and food items, their behavior, and the compulsions associated with their living environments.
How much does a Blue Tongue Skink cost in the United States?
The northern blue tongue can range between $150 to $250. Rarer Blue Tongue Skink can cost thousands. Like Centralia, Blue Tongue Skink can cost between $1500 to $500.
Most purchasing costs vary due to variety. Different factors like variety,sex,age,store location.health determines the cost of Blue Tongue Skink. Typically cost varies due to variety.
Blue Tongue Skinks basics
The first expectation to set is that if you buy a skink from a breeder, they will more often be tamed and domesticated and true to their nature of being very cooperative and placid. If they need taming, you will need to get some professional advice in the first instance as the lesser tamed skinks can be provoked easier in an unfamiliar environment. As a standard, we advise that minors should be exposed to blue lizards only under the watchful eye of an adult until they get used to each other.
Eating Habits of Blue Tongue Skinks
The following are just the key points to give you an idea of the considerations, we have a fuller guide on feeding a skink here.
Key points
- Blue Tongue skinks are omnivores and should be fed only the diet which they like. These lizards should be given a balanced nutritious diet with regular changes in the food.
- Apart from their routine meal, a supplement of vitamin C and D must be included to make their bones stronger.
- The ratio of vegetables to meat is around 60 to 40%. The vegetables and fruits such as green beans, carrots, strawberries, beets, parsnips, kale, Bananas, melons, and squashes, can be fed alongside the meat intake from pinkie mice, mealworms, crickets, and super worms.
- Canned food can also be given as a delightful dish to the Blue Tongue Skinks but it should not be high in fat content.
- Do not feed excessive amounts of protein to them as it can affect the kidneys and digestive system.
The younger Blue Tongue Skinks need more energy and proteins to grow up fast, thus you can feed them almost daily. But for adults protein feeding should be every other day or every two days. In addition, the feeding can be decided on the appetite of the blue lizards and their physical size as well.
Housing and Vivarium Setup of Blue Tongue Skinks
The enclosure should be large for Blue Tongue Skinks. The normal size of tank capacity should be around 40-50 gallons with a lid that can be tightly closed.
Blue Tongue Skinks do not jump and cross objects rather they love to burrow and hide. So some hiding places and ground dwellers need to be constructed.
For the hideouts, any materials such as cork bark, rocks, PVC pipes, and wood can be utilized.
The blue lizards require getting sunlight and UV radiation so proper arrangements of UV light for at least 12 hours should be made.
The temperature inside the tank should be maintained above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. This is to mimic their natural habitat, the sun drench lands of Australia.
The enclosure setup is the most costly element of owning a Blue Tongue Skink as a pet. The cost of this enclosure on average ranges between $250 and $350. With the additional adornments, like lights, substrate, and other paraphernalia, you can expect to get it fully set up for roughly $500
Grooming a Blue Tongue Skink
Blue Tongue Skinks, like many other species of lizards, shed their skins every two to three weeks. However, the frequency may change abruptly which could indicate a serious health issue.
If you notice frequent partial shedding, the home remedy is to increase the humidity inside the tank. If the problem persists, contact your vet/reptile expert for further advice.
And the rest
For beginners, the Blue Tongue Skinks are definitely recommended pets for beginners, since they are non-aggressive and not dangerous, or venomous. Their gentle and silent nature makes them excellent companions for the home. The vivarium setup is a one-time job, with the occasional cleaning required, their eating regimen is easy to handle, and they have a long lifespan so you will have them around for years to come!
If you have noticed the unusual behavior of skin shedding, it can be fixed by increasing the humidity but for more serious conditions a visit to the vet is helpful.
