A Blue Tongued Skink is a very easy pet to take care of because they do not have a restricted diet and unlike dogs, they do not require outdoor walks every day. However, one aspect of taking care of your skink is that you cannot compromise on providing the ideal environment to the reptile and this environment includes the cage material and size, the screen top, the setting and environment in the cage and the amount of heat, humidity and light you provide to the reptile.
Normally, a blue tongued skink requires three different types of temperatures in the cage – a hot temperature, a cool one and one that is somewhere in between. Humidity is also very important but you can easily take care of that by keeping live substrate and plants in the cage, which will keep the humidity levels high enough for the lizard. Temperature of the enclosure in the daytime should be somewhere between 70 degree to 80 degree but if you want your pet to bask in the heat, the temperature range needs to be between 95 degree to 100 degree.
Keeping the enclosure next to a window that has direct sunlight may not be a good idea because it can easily raise the temperature inside the cage above 110 degrees, which is way too much for the reptile. The best way to regulate the temperature inside the cage is through heat lamps and a heat lamp with the best temperature range would have a 10-inch diameter and would give you greater flexibility. You also do not have to worry about tipping the heat lamp especially if your lamp is clipped. For the perfect heating facility, your heating lamp should be equipped with an incandescent bulb of about 100 watts.
If the enclosure for your blue tongued skink is taller and larger than an average cage then you might need a bulb of higher strength, something like 150-200 watts. In order to test this method of heating the enclosure, first place the lamp on the screen top and turn it one for a couple of hours. Test the heat to make sure this is what you want before putting the reptile pet in it. One way of knowing if the enclosure is too hot for your animal is if the skink spends too much time in the cooler part of the enclosure or lying in the water bowl. Be very careful of where you place your heat lamp because it is very easy for another household pet like a cat to knock the lamp over.
