Eastern Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua scincoides) Fact Sheet: Managed Care

Pet ownership

• Recreational wildlife license required in Australia (Shea 2017)
• Many eastern blue-tongued skinks are captive-bred (Shea 2017

Zoos, general

• Mid to late 1800s (Shea 2004b)
  • First exhibited in zoos in Australia and Europe
  • Imported to Europe for pet trade
    • Tiliqua species very popular for being placid and low maintenance (Werning 2004)
• 1884: Johann von Fischer described five species of blue-tongue skinks for use in terraria (Werning 2004)
• 1929: successfully bred and raised at Aquarium of the Zoological Gardens in Halle, Germany (Werning 2004)
• Early 1900s: early accounts of hatchings at the Melbourne Zoo (Le Souëf 1918)
• Today: common in zoos in Australia and North America (ZIMS 2018)

San Diego Zoo and Safari Park

• 1958: blue-tongued skinks arrived at San Diego Zoo as part of a large shipment of birds, mammals, and reptiles from Australia (Lint 1958)
• 1977: female in collection gives birth to 21 young (Schafer 1987)
• 1999: litter born at San Diego Zoo (ZIMS 2018)
• Blue-tongued skink used today as animal ambassador (ZIMS 2018)

General

• Calm, docile temperament (Jennifer Hardell, personal communication, 2018)
  • May be timid or defensive when first introduced to handling, but quickly acclimate to periodic handling (Weigel 1988)
• Inquisitive (Samantha Price-Rees, personal communication, 2018)
• Easy to handle and transport (Jennifer Hardell, personal communication, 2018)
• Used by zoos as an “ambassador animal” for educating public audiences about reptiles (Jennifer Hardell, personal communication, 2018)

Shelters and enclosures

• Need areas of sun and shade (Weigel 1988)
  • At least 8 hours of sun each day
• During winter, grasses and leaves should be provided for hibernation (Weigel 1988)
• Within native range, can be kept indoors or outdoors (Weigel 1988)

Social interactions

• Territorial (Weigel 1988; Jennifer Hardell, personal communication, 2018)
• Usually housed singly (Unverzagt 2004)
  • If housed with other lizards, including same species, may bite or chase them

Diet in managed care

• Snails and slugs (Weigel 1988; Unverzagt 2004)
  • Do not feed ones potentially exposed to poisonous traps, baits, or plants
• Insects (e.g., crickets, worms) (Schafer 1987; Unverzagt 2004)
• Fruit and vegetables (Schafer 1987; Weigel 1988; Mancera et al. 2014)
• Flowers (Schafer 1987)
• Ground meat (Schafer 1987)
• Diet of young is similar to adults (Weigel 1988)
  • Begin eating on second or third day of life (Unverzagt 2004)
  • Littermates may compete for food (Unverzagt 2004)

Breeding

• Breed well in managed care (Unverzagt 2004)
• Males and females introduced after hibernation (Unverzagt 2004)
  • Non-aggressive towards one another for a few days following mating
  • After a few days have passed, female chases male away
• Females tend to bask and eat more during pregnancy (Unverzagt 2004)
• Young independent from birth (Unverzagt 2004)
  • Grow quickly
• Young and adults should be housed separately (Weigel 1988)

Enrichment and training

(Jennifer Hardell, personal communication, 2018)

• Supervised sunbathing and outdoor walks
• Provision of novel substrates for digging and burying
• Leaves for digging
• Pools or dishes of water for bathing
• Scents
• Hanging flowers for eating
• Puzzle feeders or balls containing crickets or meal worms
• Can be trained for health exams and public education (e.g., to touch a target with tongue)

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park uses blue-tongued skinks to teach people about Australian wildlife.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.