iv got a blue tongue (Blue Tongued Skinks)

Member Name: barbie84

Product:	Blue Tongued Skinks
Date:	13/02/08 (103 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great lizards

Disadvantages: prone to mites

Blue tongued skinks as the name sugests have blue tongues.

These are great lizards to keep as pets, we have got 11 of them in total, bluebell is my only girl and also my favorite.

She is an adult and is about 20cm long, they are very fat with little legs that look very odd proportioned to there bodys.

They dont lay eggs like other reptiles they are live bearers but the babys have to be removed immediatley otherwise the mom will eat them.

They naturally live in open woodland in Australia so a wood substrate in there tank would be ideal, they also like a hide box to sleep under.

They require a minimum of a 5%uv tube and a heat source to keep there tank to 25 to 35'c in the day and 18 to 20'c at night, i use a heat bulb to achieve this, they also require a large water bowl as they like to climb into them but this doesnt need to be deep incase they drownd.

Mine eat mealworms, locusts, crickets, pinkies, boiled eggs, bananas, carrots and dandelions.

People have sugested dog and cat meat to me but iv always been concerned about the salt content in this being too high so have never used it.

Skinks look like snakes with legs and are very friendly, bluebell stands at the front of her tank banging her glass when she wants your attention and loves to sit on your lap for a fuss.

The only problem i have found with skinks is that they are prone to mites which are realy hard to get rid of and could kill your pet if you are not careful.

Summary: these are a great starter lizard