Description:
Scientific name: Tiliqua scincoides scincoides
Life span: Up to 20 years
Australia is the native home of the eastern blue-tongued lizard, or Tiliqua scincoides scincoides. The body and legs of the eastern blue-tongued lizard are both short.
Native Region/Habitat
Scincoides Tiliqua Throughout Sydney, Australia’s coastal plain and lower Blue Mountains, as well as much of New South Wales and Cobar, scincoides can be found. Eastern blue tongues are common in open areas, where they hide among large ground coverings like boulders or logs or in leaf litter.
Behavior:
Tiliqua scincoides scincoides is thought to be meek and shy, and it exhibits very little aggression. The blue tongue of the eastern blue tongued lizard serves as a deterrent to would-be predators. The lizard opens its jaws and pushes out its blue tongue to show potential predators that it might be unappealing as they approach. Also, the lizards hiss, making any possible predators more afraid.
The best way to classify lizards as male or female has been determined using a variety of techniques. By measuring a lizard’s head width, snout-vent length, weight, and trunk length, one can non-invasively establish its sex. For the blue-tongued eastern lizard, the ratios of head width to snout-vent length and head width to trunk length can be used to identify the gender. Research has shown that reptiles are capable of experiencing emotions like worry and pleasure, among others, in a manner similar to humans.
Care As a pet/In captivity:
Enclosure: A single adult Eastern may survive in a 40 gallon breeder (36 inches long by 18 inches wide), at Least 4.5+ square feet of floor space, or in the U.S. hobby-wide MINIMUM. Eastern are only slightly shorter and thinner than their Northern counterparts. Yet, the majority of keepers advise and favor a greater space.
Diet: The majority of breeders and caretakers feed their animals cat or dog food as a staple (i.e., over 50% of the diet) because of the omnivorous ingredients in many cat and dog meals. Feed Bluey Buffet by Repashy, Omni Gold by Arcadia, as well as other dog and cat meals to Blue Tongues. Also, add 50% Healthy Herp Veggies or freshly diced greens and veggies to adult dog diets as a supplement.
Temperature: Tiliqua scincoides scincoides prefer a temperature gradient of 90F-95F on the warm end and 70oF-75oF on the cooler end, with a basking area of 98F-100F in the middle.
Humidity: The Australian species, especially the Eastern, don’t require a lot of humidity. Between 30% and 50% relative humidity is ideal for them. As long as there is excellent ventilation and their soil is not damp, they can tolerate up to the high 60 %. Keeping them overly damp or dry can have negative health effects.
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