Do Blue Tongue Skinks Smell? & Do Skinks Smell With Tongue?

If you are planning to own a blue tongue skink, you may have many questions, including wanting to know if blue tongue skink smells? In this article, I am going to answer the query do blue tongue skink smells or not. Further, we are also going to discuss – do blue tongue skinks stink or not. If you currently have a blue tongue skink and have noticed them smelling a lot, you might want to know what is causing such an odour.



This post will cover if blue tongue skink smell or anything like that associated with your skink causing such odor. If so, how to eliminate that smell coming from the blue tongue skink or its enclosure for good.

Do Blue Tongue Skinks Smell?

Bluet tongue skinks do not smell bad. Lizard like skinks has almost no smell at all other than its body aroma that attracts opposite sex. If there is any foul odour coming from a blue tongue skink enclosure, it could be anything other than the skink itself. A healthy blue tongue skink with good care from a responsible owner should not smell.



Further, we will discuss significant reasons that can cause a blue tongue skink to smell. If you keep your skinks healthy and well maintained, they are less likely to smell. If you house a healthy blue tongue skink and keep them in proper hygiene, there is no reason why your home can’t smell fresh and clean if you board a skink.

Many owners complain about how much lizards and snakes smell. Well, to answer that, cats smell too If You don’t keep their litter box cleaned. Just because reptiles, lizards, and snakes can’t clean up after themselves & they are always confined to tanks, they are likely to smell as much as you allow them to. It would help if you did spot cleaning daily and a complete cleaning once a month.

Do Blue Tongue Skinks Stink?

No. the Blue tongue skink doesn’t stink at all. The only thing that stinks is their faeces. Regular removal of the faeces from the time tank itself will keep your skink away from stinking. Owners who’ve noticed their skink stinking could be only because they have not cleaned faeces or the uneaten food from the cages. 

Uneaten foods and leftovers can also stink a lot if it is not removed soon. The odour of rot, uneaten foods, and pieces can spread all over your room as well. A skink may skink if it runs over its own faeces.

Do Blue Tongue Skinks Smell Bad? (More Info)

Blue tongue skinks can smell bad if they suffer from some health issue, illness or fungal infection. Blue tongue skink doesn’t smell bad itself unless the owner is not sticking to a good spot cleaning the daily routine of their tank. Husbandry and its care can also make your blue tongue skink to smell. It is vital to stick to a good hygiene routine and know when your skin is ill. This habit will allow you and your skink both to smell fresh all the time. Let’s learn why do blue tongue skinks smell?

Why Do Skinks Smell?

Poor husbandry, not cleaning their tank, not spot cleaning their faeces, unable to remove their urine, mouth rot, uneaten food, poor substrate choice, and fungal infection can cause blue tongue skinks to smell. There is nothing else that can cause a blue tongue skink to smell itself other than these reasons. 

As blue tongue skinks mostly in a glass tank when kept by the owner, it becomes a toilet too for your skink. If you don’t do daily spot cleaning with a good cleaner, the bacteria levels can build up quickly. These bacteria are likely to cause a foul smell in the tank and even your skink to smell.

Let’s learn 7 reasons in more detail that can cause your blue tongue skink to smell a lot.

The 7 Reasons That Can Cause A Blue Tongue Skink To Smell:

Knowing these seven significant reasons why a blue tongue skink could potentially smell will allow you to keep a healthy, clean, and happy skink. Knowing these reasons will also help you in maintaining a fresh-smelling home as well.

Not Spot Cleaning Faeces Often Enough

I don’t know if you knew this or not, but lizards like skinks often end up walking through their faeces in an enclosure. Some owners even complain about their blue tongue skink eating their poop in certain circumstances. If you don’t remove their wastes regularly, it can make the tank and skink itself smell very bad. I have shared a detailed guide on why do skink poop smells and how to eliminate it.

Fungal Infection

There are specific health issues that can cause your stink to produce a smell. Talking about such health issues, one is a fungal infection. The most common fungal infection that is likely to have a scent in your blue tongue is a yellow fungus. It is straightforward to spot if you look carefully. A Blue Tongue Skink suffering from yellow fungus infection will have a yellow or brown crust on its scales.



Believe it or not but these crusts in small patches can become more prominent if not medically treated. If you notice such an infection, visit the nearest veterinary office as soon as possible. Here are some signs of yellow infection on the blue tongue skink.

5 Signs Of Yellow Fungus On Blue Tongue Skinks.

1. Lethargic
2. Restless Behaviour
3. Irregular Shedding
4. Loss Of Appetite
5. Random Wounds

You Are Not Cleaning Their Urine.

Most times, blue tongue skink urinate during handling. It can also be released at the same time as faeces. It would help if you did a daily checking routine to identify such issues. You can easily spot their pee. Check and clean it up as necessary.p

You Are Not Keeping Their Tank Clean.

Sometimes it can look like your blue tongue skink is smelling, but in reality, the tank or environment causing the issue. The bacteria present inside the tank itself can cause the tank and your skink to smell. It is an excellent idea to do the complete tank cleaning at least once a month. This habit is helpful and unforgettable as it becomes a part of your monthly routine.

Infection In Their Mouth

Sometimes, blue tongue skinks can suffer from a bacterial infection in their mouth. Such infections that target the gums and the jawbones of the skink’s mouth is infectious stomatitis. Blue Tongue Skink is also prone to tartar buildup if you keep them on a diet with high sugar content. Avoid offering acidic citrus and sugary fruits.

You Are Not Removing Uneaten Food From Their Tank.

There are many reasons why you should remove all the uneaten food and avoid leaving insects in their tank after mealtime. It would help if you only offered as many insects as they could eat. You should only feed them a necessary amount of food (50% Greens, 10% Fruits & 40% Protein). If you leave uneaten foods, they can rot and start to smell.

• What Fruits Can Blue Tongue Skinks Eat?

Sometimes, leaving live insects in their tank is also a bad idea because insects usually hide and end up not being eaten. Sooner, they die a few days later, hidden in between plants and rocks. Hence, they will also begin to rot and smell. Always provide them fresh veg and greens daily and remove the uneaten food.

Bad Quality Or Substrate Choice.

You should avoid using any loose particle-based substrate because it can be problematic overall. Most of the time, a substrate that holds moisture affects their tank’s overall temperature and humidity level. It’s not good when it interferes at the wrong time. Plus, Many loose particle-based substrates inside a blue tongue skink tank, such as substrates made of bark or soil, can smell bad. The chemicals present in those flexible particle-based substrates give off a different smell too.



I would highly recommend you to go with a good quality sand mat as it can be cut down according to the size of your skink’s tank. As it doesn’t contain any loose particles, another benefit of having a sand mat is scratch proof. It will also feel natural and look great. It is excellent for your blue tongue skink nails and doesn’t give off any smell at all.

Is It Unhealthy For My Blue Tongue Skink To Smell?

Yes. It is unhealthy for Blue Tongue Skink to smell a lot. It always indicates something is wrong straight away. It would help if you tried to find the root cause of that smell. A skink can smell out of illness or fungal infection. Plus, your blue tongue skink certainly won’t want to live in an enclosure that smells bad. Keeping a blue tongue skink in a smelly compartment will raise their stress level.

Do Skinks Smell With Tongue?

 

Yes. Blue tongue skink smell using their eponymous tongue or organ called Jacobson’s Organ present on the roof of their mouth. Sensory cells present on Jacobson’s Organ helps them to catch the scent particles present in the air. They usually take out their tongue to sense chemicals & scent emitted by their prey and pulls back their tongue to place it on the roof of its mouth. 

Can Blue Tongue Skinks Smell Their Owners?

Blue tongue skink can smell their owner using their organ called Jacobson’s organ. They have a good sense of smell to learn about their surroundings and the scent emitted by their prey or Predator. Blue tongue skink’s ability to smell their owner also gives them the ability to recognize their owner as well.

Getting Rid Of Blue Tongue Skink Odor

1. Bath a blue tongue skink in lukewarm water once per week.
   
   
2. Keep the tank and the substrate dry because moisture will allow bacterias to thrive, which is the primary reason for the smell.
   
   
3. Do regular spot cleaning, remove faeces and other odour-causing agents.
   
   
4. Remove uneaten food.
   
   
5. Replace the substrate and the bowl of their tank once a month.
   
   
   
   

Does A Blue Tongue Skink Tank Smell?

Yes, a blue tongue skink tank can smell if there are no regular tank cleaning routine or no daily spot checks in place. If you stick to a normal tank cleaning routine for your skink, there is no reason why their tank will smell at all. Believe it or not, daily spot checks are one of the most critical factors of a skink’s proper care routine for all reptiles and lizard owners. Try practicing regular tank cleaning and stick to it as it will eliminate the bacterias causing the smell.

How To Keep A Blue Tongue Skink Tank From Smelling?

Here are a few tips to keep a blue tongue skink tank from smelling.

1. I recommend you to do daily spot checks at least 2-3 times a day to ensure your skink is less likely to step in their poop and walked it in the water bowl. 
   
   
2. Considered cleaning the skink’s enclosure walls, decor, substrate, and other habitat furniture once per week using good disinfectant. Consider using a paper towel and a damp cloth with no chemicals.
   
   
3. You should do a proper complete tank cleaning once a month using good disinfectant and replace their substrate completely. Full tank cleaning once a month and replacing the substrate will help you eliminate odours and keep your tank smelling fresh.
   
   
   
   

FAQ

Does Blue Tongue Skink Poop Smell?

Yes. Blue Tongue Skinks poop does have a smell, but it should not be too much to bear for humans. It is natural for their poop to smell, and it’s not overly potent. Therefore, skink’s poop may smell more or less depending on the type of diet they had. Few factors like parasites can increase the smell of a blue tongue skink poop. 

I have shared a comprehensive guide on blue tongue skink poop smell, running poop, & black poop.

Does Blue Tongue Skink Pee Smell?

Yes. Blue Tongue Skinks pee do smell but not too much. Regular spot checks and cleaning their faeces and pee using paper towel will keep the smell to a minimum and their hygiene to a maximum—skink pee uric acid, which is relatively easy for you to spot.

Does Blue Tongue Skink Food Smell?

Blue tongue skink food does not smell unless it is left uneaten and not cleaned. Uneaten foods or leftovers can rot and start to smell. You should regularly remove uneaten foods after their mealtime to prevent such happenings.

Can Blue Tongue Skinks Recognize Their Owners?

Yes, blue turns skinks can recognize their owner using sense of smell and underdeveloped emotional system. Although they have an underdeveloped emotional system to connect emotionally with other beings, many owners have repeatedly claimed their skinks showing emotion.

• Do Blue Tongue Skinks Like To Be Held?
• Do Blue Tongue Skinks Shed? 
• Do Blue Tongue Skinks Bite?
  
  
  
  

Final Thoughts

Wrapping Up: Blue tongue skink doesn’t smell itself. They have their body aroma to attract the opposite sex. Still, it is unrecognizable to humans unless you are trying to pick the smell by getting significantly closer to your skink. There can be many other reasons causing the smell. The bacteria thrive in lizard and reptile tanks that cause foul odour and smell.



Any uneaten food and loose particle-based substrate will also promote the lousy fragrance. Not cleaning their faeces or pee will also make your skink’s tank and your skink itself smell very poor. Consider doing regular checkups and spot cleaning of their tank to eliminate any smell or odour. Regular spot cleaning and complete tank cleaning once a month will keep your skink and its tank fresh and clean, free of lousy Aroma.

I hope I managed to give you all the information needed on do blue tongue skinks smell. I hope you will share this article with the other people facing the same issue. Do check our comprehensive guide on how to care for blue tongue skink. I hope I will see you in another article, till then take care, and goodbye.