Pink Tongue Skink Care Guide

This is a comprehensive care guide to keeping the Pink Tongue Skink, also known as the Pink Tongue Lizard, as a pet. The scientific name for a Pink Tongue Skink is Cyclodomorphus gerrardii (previously Tiliqua gerrardii) and it’s part of the Scincidae family. This care sheet is going to cover everything you need to keep the attractive and unusual Pink Tongue Skink in captivity, including housing, heating, lighting, substrate and decor.

Meet the Pink Tongue Skink

Common Name	Pink Tongue Skink / Pink Tongue Lizard
Scientific Name	Cyclodomorphus gerrardii
Origin	Australia, primarily along eastern ranges
Size	15 – 18″ total length including tail
Lifespan	15 – 20 years
Housing	48x24x24″ or larger terrestrial
Diet	Fruit and Protein, Live Insects, Powdered Supplements

The Pink Tongue Skink, also known in Australia as the Pink Tongue Lizard, is a medium sized (up to 18″ including the tail) lizard which as the name suggests, has a large pink tongue. They are often compared to the Blue Tongue Skink and are closely related, previously being part of the same genus (Tiliqua). The Pink Tongue Skink has a brown, beige, silver and grey body with horizontal bands across the body and tail, and sometimes the legs. They are found along the eastern coastline and forests of Australia, primarily in moist woodlands. They are primarily crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) and there has been some debate in the herpetological community as to whether they are nocturnal or diurnal. We believe they need to be treated as diurnal in terms of the availability of heat and light; but don’t be surprised if you see these foraging late into the night or before dawn.

Pink Tongue Skinks are generally docile and easily handled, but do not breed as readily in captivity as some other skinks. Additionally they can be a bit more tricky to feed, preferring snails over traditional lizard protein such as livefood. More on that in the diet section below.

You should always acquire your Pink Tongue Skinks captive bred. As they are only endemic to Australia, they are illegal to catch in the wild or export. There should be no wild caught Pink Tongue Skinks outside of Australia.

Pink Tongue Skinks can drop their tail as a defense mechanism, but this is extremely rare. If this does happen the tail can regrow but will look significantly different as it will be made of cartilage rather than having vertebrae.

Pink Tongue Skink Housing

Pink Tongue Skinks are primarily terrestrial but some people do consider them semi arboreal and will see them climbing. They will appreciate plenty of decor and low lying, sturdy branches and logs. They enjoy digging and exploring.

Pink Tongue Skinks reach up to 18″ in length and that means they need a relatively large enclosure. A 48x24x24″ enclosure is a minimum for one adults, filled with decor and substrate to mimic their natural environment. They need a warm enclosure with UVB lighting.

If you are looking at purchasing a Pink Tongue Setup from our store in Cardiff, then it is our 48x24x24″ Bearded Dragon Setup except we will switch the substrate for you. Bearded Dragons also come from Australia and the basic equipment such as lighting and heating is the same for both of these species.

Heating for Pink Tongue Skinks

Basking Spot	90 – 100F	32 – 37C
Daytime Ambient	75 – 88F	23.8 – 31C
Nighttime Ambient	70F	21C

You may find that your Pink Tongue Skink, being crepuscular, does not bask very much in the daytime, however you still need to provide a good thermogradient and basking spot to simulate the natural environment.

You will need a non light emitting bulb such as a ceramic bulb or deep heat projector to heat the enclosure 24/7. This will provide your ambient and night time temperatures and must be controlled by a thermostat set to the correct temperature.

Your basking area will be heated by a basking bulb, which needs to be controlled by a dimming thermostat.

There are always more than one way of heating and lighting an enclosure and obtaining the correct temperatures, but whatever your method of heating, always ensure that it is controlled by a thermostat and that you have a good way of reading it to make sure the tank is at the right temperature – I’d recommend a digital thermometer for the best accuracy.

UVB Lighting for Pink Tongue Skinks

Pink Tongue Skinks are crepuscular and from Eastern Australia. They need a UV Index of 3-4 UVI according to the research done by Arcadia Reptile, although many successful breeders describe them as more nocturnal than diurnal. Giving them plenty of cover means they can choose to come out and experience the UV that’s available, just as they would be able to choose to bask in the day in the wild.

This means If your basking area is 12-15″ away from your UVB bulb you will need a T5 6% UVB or a T8 12% UVB. If it is 15-24″ (which it will be if in a 48x24x24″ enclosure) then it will need to be a T5 12% UVB.

Your UVB bulb should be on 12 hours a day, and always check the manufacturer recommendation for when to change the bulb. It is usually every 9 – 12 months even if the bulb is still giving out light. Not changing the bulb is one of the reasons that reptiles get sick, as people mistakenly think that they can use the UV bulb until it stops working, when in fact the actual UV output declines whilst the visual light is still present.

Substrate and Decor for your Pink Tongue Skink

To help facilitate humidity and also natural digging behaviours, a deep substrate of something that holds moisture well is best. We recommend either Orchid Bark, Coir of some kind, or a blend such as EarthMix. Going as natural as possible will benefit these Skinks, especially if you have wild caught individuals, so they do well with bioactive enclosures, even feeding off woodlice and springtails. If going bioactive you will want to waterproof the enclosure first to keep the moisture out of the wooden base, then a substrate layer of clay balls beneath your main substrate, and a plant light such as the Jungle Dawn LED and to plant it as thick as possible with live plants to create a dense forest floor.

You will want natural hiding places. with multiple hides as well as natural hiding places with dense foliage and plants, branches and cork bark to create areas where they will feel secure. Provide lots of horizontal and vertical branches for climbing as well. In the wild the Pink Tongue Skink will live beneath leaf litter, in hollows and tree stumps.

Water Needs

This species isn’t known to spend time in the water, although they can swim if forced to like most lizards. If having shedding or dehydration problems you can soak them in a lukewarm bath for 15 minutes. A medium sized water bowl in the enclosure to help create humidity and allow them to soak should be provided. It’s very important to keep this clean, and you may find they poop in the water, so change it out daily.

Humidity

Humidity needs to be 60-80%. This will require daily or twice daily spraying. Having your water bowl on the hot side of the tank will help increase humidity. You could also consider having a small running water area in the tank.

You will need a humidity reader (hygrometer) to check the humidity.

Social Needs and Housing Together

Pink Tongue Skinks are solitary species in the wild. They only come together for mating. Keeping females together is usually not a problem, but multiple males can become aggressive to each other. If you don’t know the genders of your skinks this could be problematic. If you are keeping multiple together and find you end up with more than one mature male, they will have to be separated.

Pink Tongue Skink Diet

Diet is the main reason that these lizards are not as popular in captivity as other skinks. Despite being closely related to the Blue Tongue Skink, they do not possess the same voracious, omnivorous appetite. In the wild the Pink Tongue Skink will primarily forage for snails in the moist forest floor. In captivity they will occasionally eat other protein, but will mostly refuse food that is not snails. Whilst it is easy to get frozen snails and defrost them, some skinks will not eat these, and require the snails to be alive. Live snails are not commonly bred as feeder food and you may need to maintain your own colony to get these frequently. Always ask the seller / breeder what they are feeding their Pink Tongue Skinks on and where they are sourcing their food, to make sure you can continue.

Pink Tongue Skinks can eat other food such as fruit, and may occasionally eat very ripe or sweet fruit such as mango, banana or strawberries, but most tend to refuse this.

If your Pink Tongue Skink will take regular livefood then it is recommended to feed them a variety of insects such as earthworms, crickets, locusts, mealworms, cockroaches and silkworms. They can also eat small pinky mice (defrosted) and any commercial omnivorous diet. Bluey or Beardie Buffet is a powdered diet made by Repashy and we have had some success feeding this to our Pink Tongue Skinks but some of them will not eat it.

Powders and Supplementation – You should dust one food source with pure calcium supplement 5 times a week, and a multivitamin supplement twice a week (on the days you do not provide calcium).

Handling your Pink Tongue Skink

Pink Tongue Skinks can be shy and a little fast as babies, but are generally a calm, docile species, not prone to stress. They are easily handleable by all ages and experience levels. They are a good size to pick up and it’s very easy to support them on their body. Always scoop your skink from below, support the full body and do not hold them by the tail. If you are putting them on the ground to let them explore, supervise them at all times, as you’d be surprised how fast they can be when you’re not looking!

You should wash your hands before and after handling any reptiles as good hygiene practice.

Sexing Pink Tongue Skinks

Sexing Pink Tongue Skinks can be difficult. It is easier when you have a group living together so you can tell the visual difference, and it is easier once they are fully mature. Sexing babies is next to impossible. As adults, males have larger heads than females, a more prominent tail base, and may have hemipenal bulges. Females in comparison are generally more slender and have a straight tail. The best way to guarantee sex is to witness mating behaviour. If you are only keeping one Pink Tongue Skink as a pet, the sex really doesn’t matter, as the care is identical for both genders.

Any Questions?

If you have any questions at all about keeping Pink Tongue Skinks in captivity, please message us direct on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.

Please note that the images used in this caresheet are either photography used with licensing rights, or photography taken by Reptile Cymru. All images are protected by their original copyright. Do not reproduce this sheet or use any images within without permission.