🦎Blue-tongue skink: gear and buying guides

The blue-tongue skink is a large, placid and intelligent ground-dwelling lizard that recognises its keeper and handles easily. It needs floor space rather than height: at least 120 x 60 cm, deep substrate for burrowing, decent UVB and a basking spot around 35 °C.

Profile : 45 to 60 cm as an adult, 15 to 20 years of lifespan, beginner to intermediate level.

Blue-tongue skink gear, family by family

• 🍖 Food

  An opportunistic omnivore: roughly half protein (insects, snails, some lean meat or quality wet food), half vegetables, with fruit as a treat. Dust meals with calcium and feed adults 2 to 3 times a week.

• 🧴 Care & grooming

  Watch shedding around the toes and eyelids, helped by a slightly moist substrate area. Claws wear little in a terrarium and may need occasional trimming.

• 🎾 Toys & enrichment

  It is a digger: 10 to 15 cm of loose substrate to churn through is its best enrichment, along with food hidden around the decor and supervised outings.

• 🏠 Bedding & habitat

  A floor area of at least 120 x 60 cm for an adult, a basking spot around 35 °C, a cool zone near 24 °C, a UVB tube and deep coco-soil substrate. Hides must bear its weight without collapsing.

• 🧳 Travel & safety

  A rigid, ventilated carrier with a towel, never mesh or soft bags: this is a strong, burrowing animal. Keep it between 20 and 28 °C during transit.

• 🧰 Accessories

  Basking and UVB lamps on a timer, thermostat, a large stable water dish, tongs and plenty of substrate. Expect roughly 350 to 600 € for full equipment.

Guides to read

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• Branches, vines and climbing supports for terrariums: choosing wellToys & enrichment

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• Combined LED + UVB lighting: the two-in-one terrarium fixtureAccessories

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• Dimming thermostats and timers: regulating your terrarium smoothlyAccessories

  Dimming, on/off or pulse thermostats and day/night timers: how to regulate terrarium heating and lighting, with prices from 25 to 120 €.

• Temperature probes: where should you place them in the terrarium?Accessories

  Where to place temperature probes in a terrarium: height, basking spot, thermostat probe and control thermometer, plus mistakes to avoid.