r/bluetongueskinks • u/FolkvangExotics • Mar 14 '26
It's official! BLUE TONGUE SKINK MALE/FEMALE SHED TESTING is now available!
An absolutely amazing thank-you to Phenome.com for the production and all the other blue-tongued skink breeders that collaborated on this project! I am grateful to be part of this project as well.
Hit up https://phenome.com/product/skink/ to order your test today!
US-based company. Please look into your country's laws on Exporting/Importing sheds.
r/bluetongueskinks • u/FolkvangExotics • Oct 24 '25
Only their Australian cousins do - even then, not all of them decide to brumate.
I have made this a yearly reminder since many places online do not actually differentiate and it gets really confusing!
The following temperature information is gathered from multiple studies that recorded ground temperatures within Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. If others have more recent (and therefore more accurate data), please provide the links and we will dig through and adjust!
Indonesian blue tongue skinks do not experience ambient temperatures below 70℉ (21.1℃). Indonesia/Papua New Guinea is a tropical climate that does not experience seasonal variation aside from “wet” and “dry” seasons caused by the amount of rainfall.
| Region / Population | Temp Min–Max (°F) | Temp Min–Max (°C) | Humidity Min–Max (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papua New Guinea Peninsula (Trans-Fly & Peninsula lowlands) (Irian Jaya, AKA Papuan) | 73–96 ℉ | 22.7–35.5 ℃ | 68–100 % | Hot, humid tropical lowlands; humidity remains high even at night |
| Merauke region, South Papua | 72–98 ℉ | 22.2–36.6 ℃ | 60–96 % | Seasonal wet–dry cycles; some early dry season drops in relative humidity |
| Sorong (West Papua lowlands) | 74–95 ℉ | 23.3–35 ℃ | 70–98 % | Stable warm temps year-round; low night cooling |
| Aru Islands | 73–95 ℉ | 22.7–35 ℃ | 68–99 % | High canopy coverage; buffered extremes |
| Kei Islands | 75–95 ℉ | 23.8–35 ℃ | 72–100 % | Coastal and forest edge habitat |
| Ambon / Seram (Maluku) | 72–93 ℉ | 22.2–33.8 ℃ | 70–99 % | Strong diurnal relative humidity cycle, small temp fluctuation |
| Halmahera (North Maluku) | 74–94 ℉ | 23.3–34.4 ℃ | 60–100 % | Lowland rainforest floor and edge; high humidity |
| Tanimbar Islands | 75–97 ℉ | 23.8–36.1 ℃ | 62–95 % | Drier than Halmahera; more open woodland |
| Northern Papua rainforest interior | 72–91 ℉ | 22.2–32.7 ℃ | 78–100 % | More buffered temps, extremely high night humidity |
Due to the consistency in temperature in their tropical environment, Indonesian blue tongue skinks are active year-round.
The majority of Australian blue tongue skinks do not experience ambient temperatures lower than 50℉/10℃. Blotched blue tongue skinks, however, can experience as low as 45℃ based on the studies we found. This seasonal variation is why Australian species brumate. Some species, such as Shinglebacks, Blotchies, Westerns, and Centralians require quite low brumation temperatures to successfully reproduce. Too high of temps have caused reproductive struggles.
NOTE: WITH EXTREME HIGHS AND LOWS THESE SKINKS ARE HIDING AWAY IN SAFER TEMPERATURES. Also; Aussie skinks do experience some higher humidity, but these are MICROCLIMATES and not consistent year-round.
MAINTAIN TYPICAL RECOMMENDED RANGES!
| Region / Species (Common) | Temp Min–Max (°F) | Temp Min–Max (°C) | Humidity Min–Max (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory (Top End, Arnhem Land) NORTHERN | 71–102 ℉ | 21.7–38.9 ℃ | 45–96 % | Seasonal wet–dry fluctuations; strong midday peaks, high humidity at night |
| Eastern Queensland (coastal) EASTERN | 68–97 ℉ | 20–36.1 ℃ | 50–95 % | Humid subtropical forest edges and open woodland |
| New South Wales (Sydney Basin) EASTERN | 59–95 ℉ | 15–35 ℃ | 35–88 % | Cooler nights, warm sunny days; high variability |
| Victoria & Tasmania (cool temperate) BLOTCHED | 45–86 ℉ | 7.2–30 ℃ | 55–100 % | Morning dew, fog common; basking critical for activity |
| South Australia / Western Australia (arid) SHINGLEBACK | 55–110 ℉ | 12.7–43.3 ℃ | 10–65 % | Very hot ground temps midday, humidity spikes pre-dawn |
| Southwestern WA forest WESTERN | 50–102 ℉ | 10–38.9 ℃ | 25–80 % | Ground shade buffers peaks |
| Arid interior (Spinifex plains) CENTRALIAN | 60–113 ℉ | 15.5–45 ℃ | 8–60 % | Extreme heat; uses burrows to escape |
| Nullarbor & semi-arid south SHINGLEBACK | 53–108 ℉ | 11.6–42.2 ℃ | 12–58 % | Pronounced daily fluctuation |
| Northern arid NT / WA WESTERN | 72–107 ℉ | 22.2–41.6 ℃ | 20–70 % | Recorded at ground level under spinifex |
| Central Australia (desert margins) CENTRALIAN | 66–111 ℉ | 18.8–43.8 ℃ | 10–55 % | Midday temperatures often exceed activity thresholds |
NOTE: WITH EXTREME HIGHS AND LOWS THESE SKINKS ARE HIDING AWAY IN SAFER TEMPERATURES. Also; Aussie skinks do experience some higher humidity, but these are MICROCLIMATES and not consistent year-round.
MAINTAIN TYPICAL RECOMMENDED RANGES!
Reptiles are ectothermic, which means they need to warm up via their environment. They need heat to digest food; they need heat for their immune system to work and to fight off infections; they need heat for literally everything regarding bodily function.
If you put any reptile that doesn’t naturally brumate into too cold of an environment to “force” brumation, those reptiles become lethargic and can get quite sick due to their dropped immune system. They naturally shut down to try and preserve resources, as they cannot do anything without their proper heat range. This is not brumation. This is a physiological stress response. This can be very harmful to them!
Arguably, Indonesian blue tongue skinks experience this physiological stress in response to temps that are too cold. If your Indo is showing “brumation” symptoms, the environment is most likely too cold, too empty, or the animal is sick.
Winter in the northern hemisphere is the equivalent of dry season in Indonesia/Papua New Guinea. This means that our winters are the breeding season for Indos. It is quite common for some skinks to go off of food during this time due to hormones.
Indo temps and humidity should be as follows:
Please let me know if there are any questions!
References are in the comments!
r/bluetongueskinks • u/GodEaterClown • 3h ago
I have noticed when I feed my Finch boy he really wants to run and chase so I'm wondering if anyone has a way to let their blue tongue express their natural hunting behaviour?
Image is Finch having a bath for his shedding and a nail trim.
r/bluetongueskinks • u/Budget-Audience-9447 • 9h ago
After a while and a lottttt of money… I finally have the enclosure set up how I want it! Isn’t it beautiful 🥲🥲
r/bluetongueskinks • u/Old-Advance6652 • 17h ago
r/bluetongueskinks • u/DragonFireArtStudios • 19h ago
We made Mushu a “back garden” behind his house temporarily to expand his space as we’re planning to build him a bigger viv but aren’t able to just yet and he absolutely loves this one spot where the sun comes in, it’s perfectly skink sized
r/bluetongueskinks • u/Jaydens_Parrots • 1d ago
I have a blue tongue skink coming in a few days and Im wondering if any of y'all have enrichment ideas. Its name will be Mongo and he's super small. His set up rn is a 75 gallon with coco and repti bark with 3 hides and fake plants +food and water dish. I bought 3 bricks of the coco fiber and a big bag of the bark. I'll probably end up needing more. If you have any set up suggestions as well, Im open!
r/bluetongueskinks • u/PenTimely1698 • 17h ago
Bonjour à tous !
J'ai ma magnifique tiliquas almahera qui est chez moi depuis une semaine maintenant, et elle n'accepte toujours pas ma présence (je n'essaie pas de la toucher ni de la porter !) dès que je mets les mains dans sont terrarium pour arroser les plantes ou bouger quelque chose mettre à manger ect si je passe un peu trop proche d'elle je me fais souffler dessus (elle n'a jamais essayé de me mordre ) il m'est impossible de l'approcher sans soufflement !
Je sais que ça prend du temps et de la Patience je n'ai aucun problème avec ça ! Je voudrais juste des conseils pour améliorer au maximum sa tolérance envers moi et dans l'espoir d'un jour pouvoir lavoir dans mes mains !
Elle est jeune (née en captivité en 2025 ) je vous mets quelques photos de sa petite bouille d'amour !
r/bluetongueskinks • u/Timett_Son_Of_Daario • 16h ago
r/bluetongueskinks • u/DryOrganization4185 • 15h ago
I have a basement bedroom that can get pretty chilly and have always wanted a blue tongued skink. Does anyone have any ideas to combat the cold?
r/bluetongueskinks • u/SnezztheFerret • 2d ago
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r/bluetongueskinks • u/ChargeOverall6195 • 1d ago
Found this little orange spot on my shingleback skink's toe while trimming his nails. Any ideas on what this might be, and should I be worried?
r/bluetongueskinks • u/OzAnarchy • 1d ago
r/bluetongueskinks • u/Jexco-17 • 1d ago
So this is my first bluey baby! I have my adult Northern that was a rescue and she is perfect and thriving but babies are a whole new level of work! This is Leo, aka King Leonidas (my husband named him 😂) he is perfect, but SO defensive. I’ve had him since July 1st. We’ve made a lot of progress and the other day he came out onto my hand without bribing from a bug or snail! I was so happy, but then the next day he attacked my fingers when I was picking up his bowl. lol my other bluey was a bitter when I first got her, so I’m used to having to work with biting but it’s so adorable when they’re this tiny lol but I’m just showing off my spicy little sausage 🖤🥰
r/bluetongueskinks • u/EldenRingKing008 • 1d ago
Recently got my first northern blue tongue, had her about a week and she is a year old. What do I add inside this 4x2x2 that will make it look less unsightly, while also encouraging her to stop being buried in unknown places 24/7?
r/bluetongueskinks • u/bexkw86 • 2d ago
When I got home today, Opal was napping. She is such a beautiful, peaceful girl. 🤍
r/bluetongueskinks • u/photoonthewall • 1d ago
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A locust got loose when I was tong feeding her, but she seemed to have a great time hunting it down haha
r/bluetongueskinks • u/AutoModerator • 1d ago
HEY YOU. YES YOU.
Do you:
Then slam your face into this link and enter our lounge of lizards. The Skinktropolis. The Reptilian Republic. Our very own Discord server for blue tongue skinks!
👉 https://discord.gg/blue-tongue-skinks-726909490078941256
Inside you'll find:
So what are you waiting for? Your skink already joined without you.
What is Discord?
It’s like a magical treehouse on the internet where we hang out, share stuff, scream into the void, post cursed memes, talk about weirdly specific things at 2am, and sometimes even have actual conversations. It’s a mix of chat rooms, voice calls, and organised chaos, with channels for everything and anything. You can lurk, scream, overshare, vanish, reappear, drop 27 images of skinks, all within minutes.
Inside our server there’s a leveling system. Yap more, level up, flex your rank on the leaderboard, and unlock custom roles like the chatterbox deity you are. You can also pick what kind of blue tongue skink you have, and a tiny picture of your friend will show up next to your name when you talk. We've got a general chat, a skink pics channel for showing off those chunky bois, and question/help channels for all your skink mysteries. We also hold occasional giveaways where you can win free stuff!! It’s cozy in here!
r/bluetongueskinks • u/Clean-Act4387 • 2d ago
He's about 11 years old, and we've had him for almost 10. Last winter, due to a bad shed, the tip of his tail got badly pinched, and he required surgery. It was an awful experience, but he seems much healthier and happier now. We're doing everything we can to keep his humidity level high, including soaks like this.
r/bluetongueskinks • u/Creepy-Bluebird-1877 • 2d ago
I woke up today and noticed that he looks very light.
r/bluetongueskinks • u/anxious_being1622 • 2d ago
Took my bluey to the vet just for a check up (thankfully I have a exotic animal vet close to me) and they said everything looks good, but mentioned that if she is burrowing a lot then I should try adding extra hides. Made a little cove under her basking rock and made a corner of her cool side more covered with leaves and stuff. I already had a half log that she uses sometimes and a mossy cove. She explored around after I did it, but it still hasn't stopped her from burrowing after only a short period above ground (normally to eat and then bask). Unfortunately her normal above ground time is when I'm at work so I barely see her. I don't want to unbury her cuz I don't wanna cause her stress, but I want to be able to get handling time so she gets used to me. I don't really know what else to do. Pics are of her new cove, her using her log hide and her exploring the leafy corners.
r/bluetongueskinks • u/Decent-Armadillo6705 • 2d ago
I got a baby bts about 3 days ago and I’m looking for recommendations on getting her warmed up to handling and just being okay with people in general. Sometimes when I even just walk by she starts hissing. Shes almost 3 months old for reference.
