SKINKS
CARE SHEET
New Owner
Checklist
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Suitable enclosure
Heat source and fittings
UVB source and fittings
Substrate
Thermostat
Food and water dish
Thermometer
CalStron
Wombaroo reptile
supplement
 Live food
 Furnishing for basking
and hiding
 Antibacterial hand gel
 Reptile safe cage cleaner
skinks.indd 1
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14/05/2012 5:02:10 PM
Species sold in store:
Eastern Blue-Tongued Skink
(Tiliqua scincoides)
and Pink-Tongued Skink
(Cyclodomorphus gerrardii)
General Information:
 Pink and Blue-Tongued Skinks can live for 10 – 15
years.
 They require heating and ultraviolet lighting.
 A varied diet is recommended.
 Both species are native to the east coast of
Australia, with Pink-Tongued Skinks inhabiting
warmer regions than their Blue-Tongued cousins.
 Pink-Tongued Skinks can grow up to 40cm, with
Blue-Tongued Skinks growing to around 45cm.
Enclosures:
 On average, Blue-Tongued Skinks grow faster
than Pink-Tongues so they will require a larger
enclosure sooner. You can start off with a 3’ or 4’
(90 – 120cm) enclosure; this should last for the
animal’s life but of course, the more space you
can give them the better off they are.
 Skinks do not need as much climbing room as
dragons although they will enjoy having rocks
and lower branches on the ground to provide
cover and stimulation.
 It is important to provide areas for your skink to
hide in, 2 or 3 usually suffice.
Heating and Lighting:
 A basking spot between 30 – 32°C is necessary
for these skinks. If you notice that your animal is
not eating much, try increasing the basking spot
temperature to 33 – 34°C.
 Ultraviolet lighting is essential for a healthy
animal. A 5% uv bulb is recommended, as long
as the skink can get within 6” (15 – 20cm) of the
bulb itself.
skinks.indd 2
Handling:
 Skinks can become tame with time; the best
way to tame your new best friend is to slowly
introduce them to handling. Start by holding
them for a couple of minutes every few days; the
best way is to gently slide your hand underneath
them and then pick them up.
 Do not approach your skink from above and
do not pick them up by the tail: this is what
predators in the wild do and it will stress your
skink.
Breeding:
 These two species of skinks are livebearers: they
do not lay eggs but instead birth live young.
 Blue-Tongued Skinks average litters of up to 12
young, whereas Pink-Tongued Skinks average
up to 15.
 Sexing skinks can be difficult /NOT SEXING
SKINKS CAN BE FRUSTRATING.
Recommended Reading:
 “Care of Australian Reptiles in
Captivity” by John Weigel
Feeding
 Blue-Tongued Skinks will eat just about
everything. Young animals should be fed
higher amounts of protein and as they
slow their growth you can begin to feed
more fruit and vegetables.
 Bok Choi, Squash, Tomato, Carrot,
Dandelion flowers, Clover flowers, Apple,
Beans, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Peas, Corn,
Celery, Strawberries, Blueberries, Cooked
egg, Meal worms, Pinkie mice, Crickets,
Woodies, Earthworms and Snails are
all acceptable food items. Things like
Mealworms and Pinkie Mice should be fed
as a treat, once every couple of weeks or
so.
 Pink-Tongued Skinks are generally more
finicky eaters than Blue-Tongues. Try
to get them to eat as wide a variety of
food items from that list as possible,
with a particular emphasis on slugs and
snails (they will probably eat these more
so than anything else). Pink tongues will
rarely eat crickets and woodies.
 Supplement live food items with calcium
powder as this will help to guard against
metabolic bone disease. Products such
as CalStron are particularly good. Ask
the friendly staff for more information
regarding this.
14/05/2012 5:02:12 PM