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Temperate terrestrial lizard

Northern blue tongue skink

Tiliqua scincoides intermedia

An Australian subspecies of the common blue tongue skink. It needs less humidity than the Indonesian blue tongue skink.

See the gear

We are still putting together the setup for a northern blue tongue skink. Ask us and we will help you choose, or start with the gear below.

Photograph of a Blue tongue skink
Photograph by Doug Beckers, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Care sheet

What it needs

We have taken these figures from published sources and are still checking them against our own experience. Treat them as a guide, and ask us before you buy.

Basking surface
40 to 46°C Measured on the surface the animal lies on, not in the air.
Daytime air
24 to 30°C The cool end, away from the lamp.
Night air
20 to 24°C
UV index at the basking spot
1.1 to 7.4 Zone 3. Open or partial sun basker, thermoregulator
Humidity
40 to 60%
Daylight hours
13 h in summer, 11 h in winter
Where it lives
Rocks, crevices, or burrows, Foliage or shrubs, Grassland or savanna
Adult length
45 to 60 cm Sources disagree on this one, so the range is wide.
What it eats
Omnivore Omnivorous. Feed a varied diet of leafy greens, vegetables, appropriate insects, snails and other suitable animal proteins. Offer fruit sparingly. Adjust feeding frequency and portions for age, activity and body condition. Provide fresh water, calcium and appropriate vitamin supplementation.
When it is active
Diurnal
How it lives
Terrestrial
Typical captive life
15 years
Longest recorded life
20 years A record from the literature, not what to expect. Most animals live well short of it.

Our reading of the literature, not veterinary advice. Animals vary, and so do rooms, so take these figures, and any setup the builder puts together, as a starting point, and ask a reptile vet about your own animal. Where the figures come from.

From the catalogue

Gear that may suit a northern blue tongue skink

Matched to its size and care by the catalogue, not yet checked by us. Ask before you buy.

Where it comes from

Northern Australia, including the Northern Territory and adjacent northern regions of Western Australia and Queensland. Occupies a range of habitats, including tropical savanna, open woodland and grassland.

Breeding: ovoviviparous

Where the figures come from