Blue tongues

[Krinchley]

Hey all. I've got a few snakes, but I want to get a blue tongue as I used to catch then as a kid and I just think they're neat. Just after some definite info on care, substrate, lighting, hides, food, water requirements. All that jazz.
Cheers lads.

 

[pwood]

I’ve kept blue tongues for a few years and they are incredible lizard to own. All the info below is what works for me but other’s opinions may vary. A easy substrate to maintain is coco fibre which should be layered quite deep as blue tongues love digging. Provide a shallow dish for water in an area where it can’t get to dirty and refresh this every few days. For food i alternate between dusted meal worms, fresh fruits, snails from the garden (insure these haven’t been treated with anything) and small amounts of meat (i use kangaroo and chicken combo). Your blue tongue will go nuts for these so make sure not to over feed as they will eat everything put in front of them. Provide minimum of two hides, i use the large cave hides you can get at all reptile shops and these work perfectly. It can also be beneficial but not necessary to include rocks and branches which they can climb over as a form on enrichment. For heated i have two ceramic heating bulbs which are placed high enough that the lizard can’t burn itself on. They are pretty simple lizards to own and can be an absolute delight to handle and look after. Hope this helps slightly!

 

[Krinchley]

I’ve kept blue tongues for a few years and they are incredible lizard to own. All the info below is what works for me but other’s opinions may vary. A easy substrate to maintain is coco fibre which should be layered quite deep as blue tongues love digging. Provide a shallow dish for water in an area where it can’t get to dirty and refresh this every few days. For food i alternate between dusted meal worms, fresh fruits, snails from the garden (insure these haven’t been treated with anything) and small amounts of meat (i use kangaroo and chicken combo). Your blue tongue will go nuts for these so make sure not to over feed as they will eat everything put in front of them. Provide minimum of two hides, i use the large cave hides you can get at all reptile shops and these work perfectly. It can also be beneficial but not necessary to include rocks and branches which they can climb over as a form on enrichment. For heated i have two ceramic heating bulbs which are placed high enough that the lizard can’t burn itself on. They are pretty simple lizards to own and can be an absolute delight to handle and look after. Hope this helps slightly!

Thanks. This helps heaps.
Do you use any uvb?

 

[pwood]

Yes i have a tube uvb bulb that i turn on early morning and off at night! If your lizard is in an very sunny place it is not necessary but definitely very beneficial.

 

[Krinchley]

Yes i have a tube uvb bulb that i turn on early morning and off at night! If your lizard is in an very sunny place it is not necessary but definitely very beneficial.

They'll be inside so probably essential
With the coco fibre, are you talking the bricks you can get from bunnings?

 

[Auguriim]

A minimum of a 4ftx45cmx40cm tank for an adult. Preferably a 4x2x2ft is best especially if the bluey is longer than 45cm long from head to tail.
Can live with just a basking lamp, they can thrive without UVB provided that you supplement with vit D3 in their food and give them 30min of outside time every other day or once a week. Basking spot should be in the low to mid 40s, hot end 32-35’C, cool end at 25-27’C. Humidity should be 30-50% or 40-60% depending on the subspecies and locale you get.
substrates that handle moisture are best, I prefer euci mulch or a mix of euci mulch and coco fibre, I don’t recommend coco fibre by itself because of how dusty and powdery it is when dry and it can cause eye irritation. Aspen, straw or something similar are ideal to add in a corner or digging box for burrowing and especially good for brumation, they aren’t good base substrates because they can‘t handle moisture. You can buy euci mulch from bunnings in big bag for 8-9 bucks, any brand doesn’t matter.
2 or more hides PLUS plenty of foliage and cover. If the tank is too open and bare, the bluey will be more flighty and not come out as much. Do provide a lot of enrichment like branches, rocks etc; and change it up each time you clean the tank.
I recommend feeding them a mixture of high quality/grain free dog food and greens/veg as it’s more nutritionally complete and contains cartilage, organ meat and bone that normal minced meat meant for humans doesn’t have and skinks do benefit from this stuff. Alternate 3 different brands/flavours and also have some vetafarm lizard food to ensure they have plenty of protein variety. I personally don’t include fruit in their mixtures unless they’re being picky, it’s like putting lollies in a salad, I keep it as a treat only by feeding them outside of their main meals. Babies (0-3 months) should eat everyday, juvies (4-8 months) every 2nd-3rd day and adults (9-12+ months) about once or twice a week. Young blueys need higher protein and gradually increase vegetation as they get older.
I recommend reading more care guides, more info is always better because one care sheet is one person’s experiences and their methods may or may not work for you. Other really good sources of blue tongue info are ReptileMountainTV, coop‘s reptiles (both on YouTube) and reptifiles.

 

[Krinchley]

A minimum of a 4ftx45cmx40cm tank for an adult. Preferably a 4x2x2ft is best especially if the bluey is longer than 45cm long from head to tail.
Can live with just a basking lamp, they can thrive without UVB provided that you supplement with vit D3 in their food and give them 30min of outside time every other day or once a week. Basking spot should be in the low to mid 40s, hot end 32-35’C, cool end at 25-27’C. Humidity should be 30-50% or 40-60% depending on the subspecies and locale you get.
substrates that handle moisture are best, I prefer euci mulch or a mix of euci mulch and coco fibre, I don’t recommend coco fibre by itself because of how dusty and powdery it is when dry and it can cause eye irritation. Aspen, straw or something similar are ideal to add in a corner or digging box for burrowing and especially good for brumation, they aren’t good base substrates because they can‘t handle moisture. You can buy euci mulch from bunnings in big bag for 8-9 bucks, any brand doesn’t matter.
2 or more hides PLUS plenty of foliage and cover. If the tank is too open and bare, the bluey will be more flighty and not come out as much. Do provide a lot of enrichment like branches, rocks etc; and change it up each time you clean the tank.
I recommend feeding them a mixture of high quality/grain free dog food and greens/veg as it’s more nutritionally complete and contains cartilage, organ meat and bone that normal minced meat meant for humans doesn’t have and skinks do benefit from this stuff. Alternate 3 different brands/flavours and also have some vetafarm lizard food to ensure they have plenty of protein variety. I personally don’t include fruit in their mixtures unless they’re being picky, it’s like putting lollies in a salad, I keep it as a treat only by feeding them outside of their main meals. Babies (0-3 months) should eat everyday, juvies (4-8 months) every 2nd-3rd day and adults (9-12+ months) about once or twice a week. Young blueys need higher protein and gradually increase vegetation as they get older.
I recommend reading more care guides, more info is always better because one care sheet is one person’s experiences and their methods may or may not work for you. Other really good sources of blue tongue info are ReptileMountainTV, coop‘s reptiles (both on YouTube) and reptifiles.

That is ridiculously helpful. Thank you

 

[Auguriim]

That is ridiculously helpful. Thank you

No worries!

 

[user 43767]

I’ve kept blue tongues for a few years and they are incredible lizard to own. All the info below is what works for me but other’s opinions may vary. A easy substrate to maintain is coco fibre which should be layered quite deep as blue tongues love digging. Provide a shallow dish for water in an area where it can’t get to dirty and refresh this every few days. For food i alternate between dusted meal worms, fresh fruits, snails from the garden (insure these haven’t been treated with anything) and small amounts of meat (i use kangaroo and chicken combo). Your blue tongue will go nuts for these so make sure not to over feed as they will eat everything put in front of them. Provide minimum of two hides, i use the large cave hides you can get at all reptile shops and these work perfectly. It can also be beneficial but not necessary to include rocks and branches which they can climb over as a form on enrichment. For heated i have two ceramic heating bulbs which are placed high enough that the lizard can’t burn itself on. They are pretty simple lizards to own and can be an absolute delight to handle and look after. Hope this helps slightly!

Hi, CHE`s are totally ineffective as basking bulbs because they direct the heat all around rather than downwards towards the animal, much more effective are par 38 flood beam halogens at a suitable wattage (note these bulbs can be fitted with adimeer switch which makes adjusting the surface temp much easier or obviously it`s possible to raise/lower bulb or basking object.
Snails can be full of parasites, especially wild caught, so care must be taken to ensure they are safe to feed (you can breed or buy them). The water container MUST be changed daily even if the lizard doesn't use it very much.

A minimum of a 4ftx45cmx40cm tank for an adult. Preferably a 4x2x2ft is best especially if the bluey is longer than 45cm long from head to tail.
Can live with just a basking lamp, they can thrive without UVB provided that you supplement with vit D3 in their food and give them 30min of outside time every other day or once a week. Basking spot should be in the low to mid 40s, hot end 32-35’C, cool end at 25-27’C. Humidity should be 30-50% or 40-60% depending on the subspecies and locale you get.
substrates that handle moisture are best, I prefer euci mulch or a mix of euci mulch and coco fibre, I don’t recommend coco fibre by itself because of how dusty and powdery it is when dry and it can cause eye irritation. Aspen, straw or something similar are ideal to add in a corner or digging box for burrowing and especially good for brumation, they aren’t good base substrates because they can‘t handle moisture. You can buy euci mulch from bunnings in big bag for 8-9 bucks, any brand doesn’t matter.
2 or more hides PLUS plenty of foliage and cover. If the tank is too open and bare, the bluey will be more flighty and not come out as much. Do provide a lot of enrichment like branches, rocks etc; and change it up each time you clean the tank.
I recommend feeding them a mixture of high quality/grain free dog food and greens/veg as it’s more nutritionally complete and contains cartilage, organ meat and bone that normal minced meat meant for humans doesn’t have and skinks do benefit from this stuff. Alternate 3 different brands/flavours and also have some vetafarm lizard food to ensure they have plenty of protein variety. I personally don’t include fruit in their mixtures unless they’re being picky, it’s like putting lollies in a salad, I keep it as a treat only by feeding them outside of their main meals. Babies (0-3 months) should eat everyday, juvies (4-8 months) every 2nd-3rd day and adults (9-12+ months) about once or twice a week. Young blueys need higher protein and gradually increase vegetation as they get older.
I recommend reading more care guides, more info is always better because one care sheet is one person’s experiences and their methods may or may not work for you. Other really good sources of blue tongue info are ReptileMountainTV, coop‘s reptiles (both on YouTube) and reptifiles.

Hi, how much supplementary D3 do you recommend, bearing in mind supplements are mostly pure guesswork, and some of no benefit?
Why offer fog food when there are so many more "natural" options available (other than it`s cheaper and easier for the keeper?
If the basking surface temp is in the low 40`sC there is no real need to worry about the ambient around that area so long as there are cooler places to retreat to. The coolest parts only need to be around 21c or so, nighttime can be a bit lower.

 

[pwood]

Hi, CHE`s are totally ineffective as basking bulbs because they direct the heat all around rather than downwards towards the animal, much more effective are par 38 flood beam halogens at a suitable wattage (note these bulbs can be fitted with adimeer switch which makes adjusting the surface temp much easier or obviously it`s possible to raise/lower bulb or basking object.
Snails can be full of parasites, especially wild caught, so care must be taken to ensure they are safe to feed (you can breed or buy them). The water container MUST be changed daily even if the lizard doesn't use it very much.



Hi, how much supplementary D3 do you recommend, bearing in mind supplements are mostly pure guesswork, and some of no benefit?
Why offer fog food when there are so many more "natural" options available (other than it`s cheaper and easier for the keeper?
If the basking surface temp is in the low 40`sC there is no real need to worry about the ambient around that area so long as there are cooler places to retreat to. The coolest parts only need to be around 21c or so, nighttime can be a bit lower.

hi, thank you so much for the info about the heat bulbs! The reptile shop i bought my blue tongue from recommend it and i never thought to question it which is a fault on my part.
With the snails i was tired when i wrote that and reading back i realised i probably should have been more clear/detailed, i have a small section of the garden sealed off in which i breed them in.
The water is a quite large bowl so i change every two days (or sooner if it gets dirty), should i switch to everyday?

 

[user 43767]

Hi, I recommend leaving clean water every single day. Sometimes petshops are the worst places to go for advise(sadly)...

 

[ShadowPaw]

I apologize if this may be off topic but I am currently looking to get my first bluey and trying to find a good site to get a terrarium for it I know some stores as well as online are over priced
I have thought about building one but still doing research on that I don't know if it will be just as good or what kind of wood to build it out of right now I have sheets of plywood and mdf can anyone help guide me to the right track