Blotched blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua nigrolutea)

Short answers

Blotched blue-tongued skink: How big does the enclosure need to be?

120×60×50 cm for one animal (minimum), better 150×60 cm of floor area; a pure ground-dweller.

Blotched blue-tongued skink: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 22–26 °C ambient (cooler side 20–24 °C); copes badly with sustained heat, basking spot 30–35 °C (local basking point, cooler than tropical blue-tongues), at night 12–18 °C.

Blotched blue-tongued skink: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: UVB needed (Ferguson zone 2–3, UV index 2–4; a 10–12 % T5 over about two thirds of the length).

Blotched blue-tongued skink: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 20+ years (average ~11–12 years).

Blotched blue-tongued skink: Is it suitable for beginners?

Rather not – it is considered an intermediate species (difficulty: Intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

22–26 °C ambient (cooler side 20–24 °C); copes badly with sustained heat

Night temperature

12–18 °C

Basking spot

30–35 °C (local basking point, cooler than tropical blue-tongues)

Humidity

40–60 %

UVB

UVB needed (Ferguson zone 2–3, UV index 2–4; a 10–12 % T5 over about two thirds of the length)

Enclosure

Minimum size

120×60×50 cm for one animal (minimum), better 150×60 cm of floor area; a pure ground-dweller

Substrate

A soil and sand mix they can dig in (10–15 cm) with leaf litter, pieces of bark and hides; a generous water dish

Feeding

Food

Omnivorous (~60 % plant / 40 % animal): snails, beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, insects; herbs and greens, berries; occasionally a pinkie

Feeding interval

adults 1–2×/week; juveniles every 1–2 days

Key facts

Adult size

30–45 cm total length, large animals up to 50–55 cm; heavy-bodied, over 1 kg is possible

Life expectancy

20+ years (average ~11–12 years)

Origin

South-eastern Australia: Tasmania, Victoria, NSW, south-eastern South Australia, the Bass Strait islands; cool temperate. A highland (alpine) and a lowland form (the highland form is darker and more heat-sensitive)

Protection status

CITES Anhang III (Australien, seit 22.06.2022) → EU-Anhang C. AU-Export verboten → EU-Tiere = Nachzuchten; Herkunfts-/Nachzuchtnachweis empfohlen (Import: Pflicht). Anhang C i.d.R. Keine BNatSchG-Meldepflicht; im Zweifel WISIA/Behörde prüfen

Brumation

YES, compulsory: a winter rest or brumation of ~2–3 months at ~10–15 °C (12–16 °C by day), with the photoperiod cut to ~8 h and feeding stopped; especially essential for the highland form and for breeding

Cohabitation

Keep them singly. Territorial and solitary; keep them as a pair only temporarily and under supervision for breeding. NEVER keep males together (a risk of serious bite injuries)

Notes

A cool-climate specialist; the commonest mistake = overheating, too warm a terrarium, and no winter rest. Live-bearing (about 3–6 young, and the females often only every second year). Obesity when overfed. Otherwise tame and long-lived – "advanced" mainly because of the climate and brumation.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Centralian blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua multifasciata) – Intermediate
• Common blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua scincoides) – Beginner
• Halmahera blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas gigas) – Intermediate
• Indonesian blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas) – Beginner to intermediate
• Irian Jaya blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua sp. „Irian Jaya") – Intermediate
• Kei Island blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas keyensis) – Intermediate
• Shingleback skink (Tiliqua rugosa) – Intermediate
• Merauke blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas evanescens) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Blotched blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua nigrolutea) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (120×60×50 cm for one animal (minimum), better 150×60 cm of floor area; a pure ground-dweller), substrate (A soil and sand mix they can dig in (10–15 cm) with leaf litter, pieces of bark and hides; a generous water dish), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.