Indonesian blue-tongued skink
Tiliqua gigas
Photo: Blue Tongued Skink 001 · Ltshears - Trisha M Shears · Public domain · Changes and credits
These guides provide general husbandry information and do not replace veterinary assessment. If your animal shows symptoms or its condition worsens, contact a veterinarian experienced with exotic animals.
- Warm zone
- 37–40 °C · basking surface
- Cool zone
- 24–29 °C · cool area
These notices cover the cited provisions, not every possible national or local rule. Check additional requirements with the competent authority.
Description
Tiliqua gigas is a blue-tongued skink from the Indonesian region and New Guinea. It has a long sturdy body, short limbs and dark bands, with patterns varying by subspecies and locality. It explores leaf litter and ground shelters for animal and plant foods; females bear live young.
Behaviour
Many individuals habituate to calm husbandry; hissing and an open mouth call for giving space. Support the body and limbs.
Housing together
House individually so each animal has unrestricted access to shelter, food and the thermal gradient. Breeding introductions require supervision and a separate enclosure prepared in advance.
Enclosure and climate
Provide at least 1.1 m² floor area; 183 × 61 cm exceeds this threshold. Provide at least 46 cm height, or 61 cm with internal lamps. Include shelters and moisture-retaining burrowing bedding that does not become waterlogged. Keep a humid retreat and stable water dish; measure humidity on the cool side and check surface drying.
Measure surface with infrared and air with separate probes. Night 21–24 °C; do not replace these with the higher T. scincoides surface values.
Warm area, cool area and hides
If heating is specified, place it at one end and distribute hides between that area and the cool side. Choose openings and internal space suitable for the body; after adding bedding, check that entrances remain clear. Set the dish on a stable base and leave routes between retreats; use low supports only where suitable for the species.
Burrowing and furnishing stability
Secure rock and platform supports to the floor before adding substrate to the specified depth. Leave a continuous digging area and remove material beside bases as a test: furnishings must remain supported. Complete the digging layer before adjusting lamp heights, as it changes the height the animal can reach.
Testing and access
Connect specified heat sources to compatible thermostats and guard against contact. Secure probes according to device instructions; measure air at resting sites and heated surfaces separately with independent instruments. In housing with water, also check water temperature and quality: one zone’s thermostat does not control the others.
With the complete enclosure running, record day and night readings and compare them with the sheet. Test doors, cable openings and cleaning access, keeping vents clear. Change one variable at a time and recheck after each adjustment.
Lighting and UVB
Ferguson zone not assigned with sufficient precision to this taxon.
At the exposed position aim for approximately UVI 3–4, measured at the back or head. The animal must choose its exposure and reach UVI 0 retreats. This local target differs from the Ferguson ecological band and should not be maintained everywhere throughout the day.
UVB is recommended at an intensity appropriate to the species, with the option to withdraw from the light. Evidence of its necessity varies between animals: assess exposure alongside diet and species identification.
UVA is recommended as part of daytime lighting, including when UVB has not been shown to be indispensable. Check the UVB source’s spectrum, as it may already emit UVA: a second lamp is not automatically necessary.
Linear UVB tube with reflector. Indicative UVB percentage stated on the lamp: 5–7%; final selection depends on UVI achieved at the actual distance.
For maintenance, a cycle of approximately 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness can serve as an initial reference. Use a timer to switch lights off at night, and keep retreats available so the animal can withdraw from light during the day. Adapt day length to species and origin, following the specific guidance for seasonal care and breeding.
Light in the animal’s daily life
Keep cover and hides offering shade on the warm side too. The practical peak for T. gigas does not derive from the ecological assignment of T. scincoides.
An example layout in the enclosure
To make the layout concrete, take housing measuring 183 × 61 × 61 cm, using the first dimensional configuration in the sheet. This is a mounting example: retain the conditions and any alternatives attached to the stated minimum.
In a wooden enclosure with internal lighting, imagine the tube 56 cm above the floor and the back or head at 25 cm. The geometric distance is therefore 31 cm. The branch or platform lies below animal height, according to body size. Place lighting over one side, with a route to fully screened retreats.
In a glass enclosure with a mesh roof, retain the same animal height and imagine the tube 5 cm above the mesh: distance becomes 41 cm. Mesh attenuates UV variably; ordinary glass roofs block UVB. Increasing the percentage alone is insufficient: measure beneath the mesh and adjust height, output or layout as needed.
These distances describe the example, not a safe clearance for every lamp. Select the source and adjust mounting until approximately UVI 3–4 is measured at animal height in the exposed position. Also respect the minimum clearance specified for the model used. Recheck with furnishings, guards and mesh installed, including the highest reachable points and animal growth.
Choosing and checking lighting
First define the patch that should illuminate the whole body and the route to a screened retreat. For a broad patch, select a linear tube with reflector; consider a compact only if its useful patch covers the body and leaves an accessible gradient. Check model, output, reflector and mounting distance, then compare measured UVI with the species target. Label UVB percentage alone cannot determine distance and intensity.
The decisive check uses a UVI meter facing the source at animal height. Check the centre and edges of the exposed patch, the highest supports and retreats, which must allow withdrawal from UV. Repeat after moving equipment, changing lamps and plant growth. Without a meter, use the manufacturer’s instructions and measurements for the exact configuration, including safety clearances.
When UVB or UVA are absent
When keeping without UVB, D3 must be supplied through a complete diet or species-appropriate supplementation. Calcium alone does not replace D3. Check existing amounts in prepared diets and multivitamins before combining products; dosage also depends on diet and cannot be derived from lighting hours.
UVA contributes to environmental perception and behaviour and cannot be replaced by vitamins or calcium. A reptile UVB source normally also emits UVA: check its declared spectrum. If the existing lighting lacks it, complete the installation with a suitable source; an ordinary white LED does not guarantee UVA and a UVA-only lamp does not provide UVB.
Humidity and ventilation
High humidity requires ventilation and retreats, not unmeasured continuous misting. Remove contaminated wet material and check shedding around the toes. Measure near hides without letting the hygrometer touch wet bedding, and also inspect substrate beneath retreats. If readings stay outside the specified values, check blocked vents and standing water before adjusting water input; recheck after the change.
Feeding
Tiliqua gigas is omnivorous: rotate leaves, vegetables and suitable animal proteins. Animal foods are more important in juveniles; increase leaf volume in adults without making fruit the base.
Recommended foods
The tiers describe dietary use: rotate foods within each tier rather than treating them as an absolute nutritional score.
| Food | Dietary role | Benefits and limits | Preparation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicory, endive, dandelion and other edible leaves | Main choices | Supply fibre and varied minerals with lower energy density than fruit and seeds. Rotate plant species: no single leaf balances the whole diet. | Identify plants, wash and cut into manageable pieces. Avoid treated plants, unidentified ornamentals and iceberg lettuce as the only green. |
| Cultured earthworms, snails and varied proteins | Main choices | Provide animal-food variety; snails with swallowable shells also supply minerals. No single meat balances the plant component on its own. | Use controlled sources and small bites; meat and eggs, if used, should be well cooked and unseasoned, in rotation without replacing all variety. |
| Feeder roaches | For rotation | These feeders provide a useful second protein source for rotation, but do not constitute a complete diet or replace calcium supplementation. | Offer well-fed soft nymphs sized to the mouth; avoid excessively hard adults. |
| Squash, courgette, edible flowers and varied vegetables | For rotation | Add variety, but soft vegetables should not replace all fibrous leaves. | Wash, remove hard seeds and chop; mix with leaves to discourage selective feeding. |
| Ripe fruit | Occasional | Rich in water and sugar and not a complete food; offer a small taste replacing part of the meal. | Wash and remove stones and large seeds; no syrup-preserved fruit, honey or added sugar. |
| Good-quality complete wet food compatible with an omnivorous diet | For rotation | Can make part of the animal-food mixture repeatable, but a dog or cat formulation is not a complete skink diet. | Check formulation and fat; mix with plants and do not stack existing supplements without assessing the diet. |
Meals by age and size
| Stage and size | Frequency | Amount per meal |
|---|---|---|
| Neonates: about 0–3 months | Daily | As an initial estimate, a mixed meal with roughly the volume of the head excluding the neck. Chop and mix plants and animal foods; measure intake and remove leftovers. Adjust using weight and abdomen rather than the speed at which the dish is finished. |
| Juveniles: about 3–8 months | 3 meals weekly | As an initial estimate, a mixed meal with roughly the volume of the head excluding the neck. Chop and mix plants and animal foods; measure intake and remove leftovers. Adjust using weight and abdomen rather than the speed at which the dish is finished. |
| From about 8 months, subadults and adults according to growth | 1–2 meals weekly; retain the higher frequency while growth is noticeable | As an initial estimate, a mixed meal with roughly the volume of the head excluding the neck. Chop and mix plants and animal foods; measure intake and remove leftovers. Adjust using weight and abdomen rather than the speed at which the dish is finished. |
Adjusting portions
To assess the portion, compare the amount and type of food eaten with growth and body condition. Weekly weighing of juveniles and monthly weighing of adults helps follow the trend. Adjust the ration gradually when growth or reserves require it; reduce it if body condition indicates excess weight or leftovers remain. Investigate unexpected weight loss or abnormal swelling rather than addressing it only with more or less food.
Preparing and offering meals
Prepare insects during the 24–48 hours before feeding: keep them in their culture container with a complete feeder diet and safe hydration. Check access to food and water and remove spoiled leftovers. Then select feeders of the specified size and prepare only the batch to be offered. This step, called gut-loading, improves prey quality; bran or potato alone do not correct deficiencies.
At feeding time the prey should be easy to swallow. As an initial guide, choose insects no wider than the space between the eyes, then adapt size to the mouth and the animal’s response. Offering them individually or in an escape-resistant dish lets you see actual intake and remove leftovers.
Trial amounts are a starting point for a healthy, active animal at correct temperatures: record intake and weight trend, then adjust the ration. Do not feed again merely because it continues striking at prey.
Calcium and vitamins
Immediately before feeding, lightly coat low-calcium insects with phosphorus-free calcium: they should remain visible, without clumps. Common insects often have an unfavourable calcium:phosphorus balance; rotating them alone does not correct it.
Assess calcium and vitamins across the entire mixture. Complete foods for other animals are already fortified: do not automatically add all doses intended for unsupplemented insects.
Choose one supplementation programme: plain calcium for ordinary meals and a species-appropriate multivitamin at its labelled feeding intervals. Record the product and its existing D3 and vitamin A; do not add a second dose to meals using a combined product. With measured UVB, agree the oral D3 provision; product concentrations are not interchangeable.
Daily care
First days
Before arrival, run the complete enclosure and check temperature, light and humidity at usable positions. Prepare water, retreats and first food. On arrival, follow a quiet routine for feeding, water changes and cleaning; record food offered, leftovers and weight. Delay unnecessary contact until the animal feeds regularly and moves confidently. Weakness or weight loss warrants veterinary assessment.
Cleaning
Each day check water and collect waste, including beneath retreats, with dedicated tools. Clean dishes and replace their water; for pools follow the species’ water-change plan. Wash your hands afterwards. Keep animals and equipment away from kitchens and food areas, use tools dedicated to each enclosure and wash your hands with soap and running water after handling animals, food, tank water or furnishings. Quarantine new arrivals separately and agree the duration and checks with a veterinarian before introducing them to established animals.
Handling
Wait for reliable feeding and confident movement. Approach from below, support the body and allow withdrawal; stop if the animal flees or stiffens. Never grab the tail.
Checks
Monitor appetite, weight and movement. Weight loss and weakness are not a normal settling stage.
Labored breathing, wounds, burns or marked stool changes need veterinary assessment; this sheet cannot establish a diagnosis.
Do not tear retained skin or indiscriminately raise temperature or humidity: verify measurements before adjusting the setup.
Breeding
Sex, maturity and readiness
Record subspecies and origin: Tiliqua gigas should not be treated as an interchangeable Australian blue-tongue. Head shape is a weak sexing clue; obtain competent confirmation before introductions. Choose adults in stable condition with an established health and feeding history.
Start a record for each breeding animal with identity, origin, documented age and previous weights. Compare the weight trend with growth and body condition; delay introductions for animals still growing rapidly, losing weight or recently acquired. Use stated ages as guidance alongside these checks. If sex cannot be identified reliably, obtain assessment by qualified personnel before pairing.
Preparation and seasonal cycle
Retain the thermal gradient and moisture regime appropriate to the female’s origin. Do not automatically apply an Australian winter cooling schedule. Record spontaneous changes in appetite and activity, but do not induce fasting or cold to obtain mating without a protocol for the lineage kept.
Before encounters, prepare and test offspring enclosures and have first foods available. Check records for regular adult feeding and good body condition, then verify access from exposed areas to retreats. If the species protocol includes seasonal changes, adjust settings gradually and record the response. Record night-time air, surface and egg temperatures separately, noting where each is measured. Keep water available throughout preparation.
Courtship and mating
Prepare supervised introductions with individual enclosures available. Pursuit and holding during courtship can cause injuries; a female fleeing continuously must be able to escape the male. Record observed copulations and separate the animals if contact becomes persistent or damaging.
Pregnancy and preparation for birth
Females give birth to live young: prepare accessible shelters and a quiet area rather than looking for a clutch to incubate. Track weight, activity and feeding through brief observations; an enlarged abdomen alone does not confirm pregnancy. Prepare individual neonatal housing before birth.
Gestation and birth
An approximate reported gestation is 3.5 months; this is neither a diagnostic deadline nor an identical value for every origin. Record the interval from actually observed mating to birth and let the female choose her microclimate. Persistent straining without progress or weakness needs veterinary assessment.
Maintain the usual gradient, shelters and free access to water; the female must be able to move away from warmth. Prepare a cleanable surface and observe without repeatedly moving her. Count offspring after birth has finished; do not pull membranes, cords or still-attached young. Remove birth material after the animals have separated.
First meals and juvenile care
After offspring have separated from membranes and mother, place them in individually monitorable housing. Offer small portions of the juvenile omnivorous diet, readily accessible water and shelters. One sibling eating is not evidence that all offspring have started feeding.
During the first weeks, monitor each youngster: a feeding group does not guarantee that every individual eats. Record intake, droppings and weight at regular intervals to follow growth and adapt housing and food size. Provide separate accommodation if competition prevents an individual from feeding or size differences become marked. Document repeated independent meals before transfer to another keeper.
Female recovery
Offer the mother water and manageable portions of her usual diet, monitoring appetite and weight recovery. Keep the male separate during recovery and assess condition before another season. Weakness, persistent straining or protruding tissue after birth requires veterinary assistance.
Equipment and example diary
Prepare the female’s enclosure, dividers or neonatal enclosures according to the species’ social structure, shelters, accessible water, thermostat and probes, scales and first foods. An incubator is unnecessary: reserve space and time for monitoring offspring and mother.
A consistent diary using actual dates helps follow reproduction in Tiliqua gigas. Start with adult identity, weight and condition, then record observed encounters, laying or birth and development conditions. After emergence record the first meal actually accepted and each youngster’s growth while continuing to follow female recovery. Over time these records help identify your lineage’s pattern without turning approximate durations into deadlines.