Chapter 5 of 9 · Blue-Tongued Skink Care Guide
Health and Hygiene
Disclaimer: I'm not a veterinarian and I don't hold a degree in animal science or animal care. This guide is compiled from the published sources listed in every chapter. For a sick animal, a reptile vet is the authority.
The short version
- Quarantine every new skink alone for at least 3 months, 6 months to be safer [4].
- Weigh weekly. Sudden weight loss is the earliest sign of trouble [19].
- Most common problems trace back to husbandry. Vets see bone disease and obesity most; respiratory infection, stuck shed and parasites are also common [3][4][19].
- Wild-caught Indonesian imports carry the highest health risk. Get a fecal test for any new animal [12][21].
- Wash your hands with soap and water after touching your skink, its enclosure or anything in it. Salmonella is a real risk for young children [15][33].
Quarantine
Quarantine every new skink, and especially any Indonesian import. Keep it alone in a separate room, on paper towel or a simple substrate, with its own tools and dishes. Veterinary guidance is a minimum of 3 months, and 6 months is safer. A shorter window is reasonable only after a vet exam with internal and external parasite checks and viral testing [4].
During quarantine [19][12]:
- Weigh weekly and write down feeding, stool and shedding.
- Take a fresh fecal sample (under 24 hours old, ideally refrigerated) to your vet when the animal arrives [12]. Many keepers send a second sample before the animal leaves quarantine.
- Wash your hands and change gloves between the quarantine animal and any other reptiles.
Australian vets list nidovirus, sometimes called "bobtail flu," among the common conditions in Tiliqua [4]. Viral disease is one reason vets recommend such a long quarantine and viral testing.
Wild-caught animals
Wild-caught Indonesian imports are the biggest health risk in this species. Most Indonesians sold in the US are wild-caught and likely carry many parasites, and capture and shipping stress lets those parasites take over [12]. Wild-caught reptiles are also more likely to have other health problems and are harder to tame [8]. The WWF responsible-pet assessment rates the Indonesian blue-tongued skink moderate risk, noting it is not widely captive-bred and most animals in trade are likely wild-caught [21]. Choose a captive-bred animal when you can. If you do take on a wild-caught skink, plan on a full quarantine and a vet visit with a fecal test.
Common illnesses
| Problem | Signs | Common causes | What to do and when to see a vet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metabolic bone disease (nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism) | poor appetite, lethargy, odd walk, swollen or rubbery jaw, bowed or swollen limbs, tremors, twitching, fractures, kinked spine | low calcium, poor calcium-to-phosphorus balance, no UVB or D3, too cold. Merck calls it "a disease of mismanagement" [13][3] | See a vet at the first sign. The vet confirms with X-rays and blood calcium. Treatment is calcium, fluids and fixed husbandry, and the outlook is good if the skink is still eating [13] |
| Obesity and fatty liver | fat rolls at the neck and limb bases, bulging tail base, reluctance to move | too much protein or dog/cat food, feeding too often, small enclosure [3][10] | Fix the diet first: fewer, more plant-heavy meals and a bigger enclosure. See a vet if your skink is lethargic or off food. Take weight off slowly, over months, not by starving it |
| Respiratory infection | bubbles or mucus at the nose or mouth, open-mouth breathing, wheezing, clicking | too cold, too dry for Indonesians, or too damp without airflow; dirty enclosure [14][8] | See a vet right away [14]. While you wait, check that temperatures and humidity are in range |
| Scale rot and blister disease | brown or black belly scales, blisters, soft spots | soaking-wet substrate, dirty enclosure [19][8] | Dry out and clean the enclosure. See a vet if lesions are open or spreading |
| Mites | tiny black or red dots around the eyes, ears and limb pits; lots of soaking; dull skin | usually arrive on new animals or shared tools | Treat right away with a vet-directed product and deep-clean everything. Mites can spread viral disease between reptiles [14] |
| Internal parasites | weight loss, foul or runny stool, regurgitation, poor appetite, worms in stool | pinworms, coccidia, protozoa, spirochetes; very common in wild-caught Indonesians [8][12] | Fecal test when you get the animal and once a year. Your vet prescribes the dewormer; a probiotic during treatment can help [12] |
| Stuck shed on toes and tail tip | dull gray rings of old skin that tighten and cut off blood flow; the toe darkens, dies and falls off | humidity too low, especially for Indonesians [8] | Soak 15–20 minutes in shallow lukewarm water, then gently roll the shed off with a damp cotton swab. Raise humidity and add a humid hide. See a vet if the toe is already dark or swollen |
| Mouth rot (stomatitis) | redness, pus or cheesy material along the gums | wrong humidity, bacterial infection, rubbing the face on walls, dirty water, stuck shed around the face [14][8] | See a vet |
| Nidovirus ("bobtail flu") | respiratory signs | viral; listed by Australian vets [4] | See a vet and keep the animal strictly isolated |
Prevention habits
- Weigh weekly. A healthy adult should hold steady or gain slowly [19].
- Check toes and tail tip after every shed for leftover rings of skin [8].
- Keep UVB and calcium on schedule. Bone disease is largely preventable through diet and husbandry [4][13].
- Watch the waistline. Too much protein and too-frequent meals cause obesity, one of the most common husbandry problems vets see in this species [3].
- Keep a reptile vet's number posted before you need it. ReptiFiles keeps a reptile vet directory [19].
Salmonella and hand-washing
All reptiles can carry Salmonella, even when they look healthy [15].
- Wash your hands with soap and water after touching your skink, its enclosure or anything in it [33].
- Keep your skink and its gear out of the kitchen, and never wash its dishes in the kitchen sink.
- Supervise children and make sure they wash their hands right away.
The CDC says children under 5 should not touch reptiles, and reptiles are not recommended for homes with children under 5, adults 65 and older, or people with weakened immune systems [33]. It also advises families expecting a baby to move a pet reptile out of the home before the birth [15].
Is a permit needed in New York?
Blue-tongued skinks are not on New York State's list of "wild animals" that cannot be kept as pets. That list (Environmental Conservation Law section 11-0103) names crocodilians, venomous reptiles, certain large pythons and anacondas, and certain monitors, and skinks are not among them [34]. No state permit is needed to keep one as a pet. Towns, cities and counties can add their own exotic-animal rules, so check locally, and check again if you move.