The blue tongue skink is a very popular lizard and a fantastic addition to any family with their eye-catching blue tongue and easy-going temperament.
These lizards are unique and found native to Australia, where they roam the grasslands and woodlands. Their natural habitat is shrubs, sand and soil.
When buying one of these amazing reptiles, you need to take many factors into consideration to ensure you provide them with the best habitat and care to ensure they live a healthy and long life.
Remember some of the blue tongue skink species can live up to thirty years of age in captivity.
The right blue tongue skink enclosure is essential for all species. Failing to provide a proper habitat can result in problems with heat and humidity, which can lead to health issues.
Tanks that are too small can lead to unnecessary stress for your new pet.
Table of Contents
Best Blue Tongue Skink Enclosure
Carolina Custom Cages Terrarium 48x24x24
This Carolina custom terrarium is a great size of 48x24x24 inches with easy assembly and sliding doors with a key lock to reduce the risk of your skink getting out.
There is ample space for your lizard to move around and forage and bask during the day.
These are great tanks which are easy to clean and maintain, making your lizard ownership an enjoyable journey.
Stats For Nerds:
- Dimentions: 48L x 24D x 24H
- Volume: 120 gallons
- Material: glass
Pros
- Good size of 48”x24”x24”
- Sliding doors
- Key lock
- Easy assembly
Cons
- None, we love this product!
REPTI ZOO 67 Gallon Large Terrarium
This Repti Zoo enclosure is made from high hardness tempered glass to improve safety with a tough screen top to ensure the best ventilation and UVB penetration.
It comes with a raised water proof bottom to allow for substrate heater.
The front sliding doors offer easy access to your pet and for feeding and cleaning.
It comes with a safety lock to reduce the risk of escape.
There are ventilation windows on the sides with inlets for wiring as an added convenience.
This enclosure offers excellent viewing and is suitable for humid and damp conditions.
They are very easy to clean and hygienic. The glass maintains the heat safely to ensure you have a happy and healthy blue tongue skink as a pet moving forward.
Stats For Nerds:
- Dimentions: 48L x 18D x 18H
- Volume: 67 gallons
- Material: glass
Pros
- Flat packed for shipping
- Raised bottom frame to make room for substrate heater
- Water tight base
- Ventilated top with removable mesh to make cleaning even easier
- Safety lock to eliminate the risk of escape
- Front sliding doors for easy access
- Easy stacking, if you have more than one blue tongued skink
Cons
- Assembly can be a little tricky
Critter Condo Reptile Cage 48x24x24
The Critter Condo Reptile Cage is a nice size of 48”x24”x24” with front sliding doors for easy access to your pet and decorations.
The cage is manufactured using compressed foam and recycled PVC. This enclosure will never separate or degrade due to expansion or water moisture.
The material is very lightweight, very exceptionally solid, weighing in at only forty-five Pounds (20kg).
The tank comes complete with ceramic light fixtures, solid structure, external hydrometer and thermometer, sliding doors, vented sides, keyed doors, external on/off switches and more.
Stats For Nerds:
- Dimentions: 48L x 24D x 24H
- Volume: 120 gallons
- Material: PVC
Pros
- Will not degrade
- Lightweight material, weights only 45lbs (20kg)
- Solid structure
- Includes light fixture
- External hydrometer and thermometer
- Vented sides for airflow
- External light switches
- Large size to suit all blue tongued skinks
Cons
- Assembly required
- Does not hold heat very well
Zen Habitats Reptile Enclosures
This 120-gallon enclosure with wood panels helps to keep humidity levels below 50%, suitable for all desert setups.
The front sliding doors make it easy to access your lizard and remove decorations for quick cleaning.
The wood panels are finished in bamboo and are excellent at retaining heat.
The enclosure is made using anodized aluminum and bamboo finished wood with acrylic doors, galvanized steer screens and a substrate shield.
This lightweight enclosure is quick and easy to assemble with no tools required.
Stats For Nerds:
- Dimentions: 48L x 24D x 24H
- Volume: 120 gallons
- Material: wood
Pros
- Front sliding doors
- Bamboo finished wood panels retain heat
- Light weight – 48lbs (21.5kg)
- Easy assembly – no tools required
- Flat packed for easy shipping
Cons
- Edges are melamine and can get wet and damaged
- Material quality not high
Carolina Custom Cages Terrarium 60x24x24
This is an extra-long and deep tank that measures 60(L) x 24(W) x 24(H).
It offers easy assembly These terrariums come with easy sliding doors, which provide ample space to take your lizard in and out and remove any rocks and decorations for cleaning.
These large enclosures provide a key lock, which is essential when housing these escape artists.
Stats For Nerds:
- Dimentions: 60L x 24D x 24H
- Volume: 150 gallons
- Material: glass
Pros
- Large size
- Easy assembly
- Sliding doors
- Key lockable
Cons
- Shipped in two boxes
Blue Tongue Skink Cage Size
The tank size is imperative to the overall long-term health of your lizard.
The minimum tank size you can consider for the blue tongued skink is 40 gallons, bearing in mind these lizards can grow up to thirty inches, depending on the subspecies.
The ideal enclosure size you should be considering for all blue tongued skinks is 48 x 24 x 24 inches (120 gallons), taking the large Northern blue tongue skink into consideration.
Of course, if you can accommodate a larger tank, it will be a preferred option, enabling you to provide your skink with a natural habitat that can keep them happy and healthy in the long run.
You can use a large tank from the day you bring your baby blue tongue skink home, as long as you offer ample hiding places to help them feel safe.
When shopping around for enclosures, ensure you take note of the length (L) and width (W) dimensions.
The floor is very important when it comes to skinks, as they are not climbers, but they are very active animals that will spend a lot of their time foraging for food and basking in the sun.
Vivarium Materials
There are several popular materials worth consideration when it comes to providing a natural habitat for your blue tongue skink. All come with pros and cons.
Your decision should be based on what you feel you can manage easily, ensuring you provide the best enclosure for your blue tongue skink moving forward.
- Glass – Glass is very easy to clean and attractive, which is why it’s one of the most popular options for lizard owners. The downside is that they are heavy and not the best at maintaining heat levels. In order to make your lizard feel safe, you will need to cover three sides of the enclosure, leaving only one side open for your viewing pleasure.
- Wood – Wood is often chosen because it’s a sustainable material, it’s strong and durable. Wood is excellent at holding heat, but it will grow mold when the humidity gets too high. Wood is also prone to staining. Pine and cedar are not great choices. Ensure if you choose wood that any joins have been carefully sealed.
- PVC – PVC can be beneficial in that it is lightweight, very easy to clean and is excellent at maintaining heat and humidity levels. But, there are some downsides and they could be dangerous to your reptile. When PVC gets hot it releases harmful chemicals and unpleasant odors.
- Melamine – Melamine is an excellent insulator and light reflector when painted white, which can make your blue tongue skink more colorful. This material is strong, but also very heavy.
- ABS – ABS is a plastic enclosure which provides easy cleaning and a lightweight design. Plastic is combustible and therefore this could potentially be very dangerous for your new pet.
Other Important Considerations
You are going to want to be able to see your reptile when it’s in its vivarium. A clear front can make viewing more enjoyable.
If you choose a melamine or wooden cage, then you can consider a mesh front, which can enhance viewing and ensure ample fresh air circulation.
Front opening enclosures are often preferred for reptiles, it can make it easier for you to get your pet in and out.
Front openings also reduce the risk of a mesh top, which can release the humidity you need to promote general well being and shedding.
Any enclosure must be securely fastened. These reptiles are clever and are excellent escape artists.
Always when making your selection remember that the blue tongue skink is from a warm environment and therefore you will have to provide outstanding insulation to keep your skink warm.
Blue Tongue Skink Cage Setup
The tank set up is also very important when it comes to the health and happiness of your reptile.
A blue tongue skink doesn’t climb, so don’t waste your time or money on branches to climb, rather focus on a low basking log, rocks, artificial plants and backgrounds, which can be used to cover the three sides of the terrarium to help keep your lizard feeling safe and secure.
A large and sturdy water dish should be readily available. These lizards love to bathe in their drinking water, which means you will need to change the water regularly.
Create some hiding spaces on the bottom of the tank where your lizard can hide if they feel threatened. Rocks must be firmly placed and a humidity hide is always welcome, which is a storage box of moss that holds moisture to assist with shedding.
You will want to place a heat lamp on one side of the tank to ensure your lizard gets 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the cool side of the tank and up 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the hot side of the tank.
The basking log should be placed under the heat lamp. Lighting is essential and add a thermometer to both ends of the tank, so you are able to monitor the temperatures to ensure the right levels at all times.
More details about blue tongue skink habitat setup here.
How To Clean A Blue Tongue Skink Enclosure
In order to thrive, your blue tongued skink will need a clean environment. This means you should be spot cleaning regularly with a full clean every few weeks.
At most you should do a full clean at least every four weeks.
Remove the lizard, decorations, bedding and anything else in the tank before spraying the tank with disinfectant.
Decorations should be thoroughly cleaned, rinsed and dried before returning them to the terrarium.
The best time to clean the enclosure is during the day, which ensures your lizard returns to a warm enclosure before any lights are turned off for the night.
Final Thoughts
There are so many good enclosures you can use for your blue tongued skink.
The best rule of thumb is that if your lizard requires high humidity, then consider a PVC or glass tank which can help to maintain higher humidity levels to keep your pet happy and healthy.
For the blue tongued skinks that require a lower humidity, such as the Northern blue tongue skink, you can consider a glass or wooden enclosures, where you can lower humidity levels and increase air flow easily.
Remember when making your selection to work with what is best for your lizard, ensuring that they have the best habitat that they can thrive in moving forward.