Description:
Scientific name: Tiliqua gigas keyensis
Life span: 15-20 years
The Kei Island Blue-tongued Skink (T. gigas keyensis) is a skink that has recently gained a lot of popularity among reptile hobbyists. They come in a huge variety of hues and patterns, but most commonly they are dark lizards with brown or black banding.
Native Region/Habitat
They are Australian and New Guinean.
Behavior:
Skinks have powerful jaws and teeth, so even though they are not aggressive, a bite from one can be terrible.
Care As a pet/In captivity:
Housing: Due to their size and fondness of burrowing, blue-tongued skinks require a huge cage. A blue-tongued skink should have at least a 40-gallon tank. Infants can begin in a 10-gallon container and go up, as they get older. Since skinks are terrestrial creatures, a high tank is useless for them. Two males should never be kept together because they will fight and either one or both will get hurt.
Temperature: The tank should maintain a temperature of about 75°F overall, although a basking area of 90–95°F is required. If your blue-tongued skink never changes sides, either the basking spot is too cold or the cool side is too cold. Even though it’s not necessary, nighttime lows of 10F are possible.
Humidity/Water: Your blue-tongued skink needs access to a bowl of clean, fresh water at all times so that it may stay hydrated. You should be all set if you keep the humid hide moist.
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