How Big Do Blue Tongue Skinks Get? + 5 Surprising Facts

In this article, we are going to learn how long does blue tongue skink gets, but before I begin, let me say this. Multiple factors can influence how big do blue tongue skinks get. Skinks’ full-grown size can be determined by diet, health, sex, genetics, and environment. Knowing what impacts skink species’ size makes it significantly easier for you to provide better care.



This article will cover everything you need to know about blue tongue skink size. Knowing all blue skink species size will give you an idea of what you are getting into and what condition you will need to provide for their wellbeing and growth. I hope by the time you are done reading this article, you will be ready to go.

How Big Do Blue Tongue Skinks Get?

An adult blue tongue skink will be fully grown at two years of age. A blue tongue skink should measure anywhere from 18 inches to 24 inches in length and weigh 10 ounces to 18 ounces.

Most of their size usually comes from their tails. You will notice the skink’s tail being the same length as their body – if not longer. Knowing an accurate adult size of your blue tongue skink can be difficult. However, you can always use the Juvenile growth chart of blue tongue skink to get an accurate guesstimate. So, in this article further, we are going to take a closer look at how long does a blue tongue skink grows.



To know the perfect care routine for your new skink, you first need to estimate how big do skinks get when fully grown. Knowing their full-grown size becomes more important as it helps in choosing up the best enclosure size and determining a proper feeding plan.

How Long Does It Take For A Blue Tongue Skink To Reach Full Size?

Blue Tongue Skink can take up to 2-4 years to reach its full mature size. Many are fooled by perceiving skink reach their full size after reaching sexual maturity, which is not true. Skink usually reaches their sexual maturity between 18 months to 2 years. Although they can grow up to 4 years, they need proper care and take size to the tank.



Every blue tongue skink is always considered unhealthy under 16 inches in size after reaching full maturity. If your skink is over 4 years old and still hasn’t reached the minimum size, your skink has likely suffered from stunted growth. Stunted growth in blue tongue skinks can be caused and affected by many factors. It can cause serious threats to Skinks’ physical and cognitive development. Let’s talk about factors that influence a blue tongue skink size.

6 Factors That Influence A Blue Tongue Skink Size

When holding your first tiny skink, you should be right imagining them doubling, tripling, or quadrupling in size. It is not only to be said but also their expected growth to be quite extreme.

Baby and Juvenile skinks grow very fast during the first year of their life. let’s learn what factors in ways how fast they grow.

Gender

Gender plays an important role in influencing their size. It is normal to notice a difference between males and females by their physical size bumps on the tail, head size, and color. Male skinks’ tails tend to be longer and head to be broader than females. However, around your locality or garden, a female skink has often been seeming bigger than the males in size.

The overall coloration of both skinks’ gender is different.

Genetics

Genetics play a huge role in the growth of your blue tongue skink. It can help to determine the maximum growth size your skink can be. These kinds of determinants are usually inherited from how large your adopted skink’s parents are.

Habitat

Bluetongue skink adult size can be easily affected by their enclosure. I’m talking about the tank you are planning to keep skink in. Ensure that the tank has enough room to promote its growth and size. Choosing an improper tank size can lead your skink to stunted growth as they don’t get enough space to grow or exercise. Usually, Juvenile skinks need at least 35 gallons tank, whereas adults have a requirement of a minimum 55-gallon enclosure. Make sure to provide them with the correct lighting in the tank and feed them calcium supplements.

Lighting

If you have installed an incorrect lighting setup or faulty lighting type, then it will hinder your stink growth. Without getting enough heat, your blue tongue lizard cannot efficiently absorb nutrients or synthesize Vitamin D. All in all, improper or incorrect lighting setup will compromise skink metabolic function leading to a metabolic bone disease.

Diet

A blue tongue skink growth can also be hindered by a low nutrient diet. With the changing age, you should change their diet as well. Specifically talking, Juvenil skinks need more protein compared to adults for their further growth and wellbeing. Whereas adult skinks need only 40% protein, 50% leaves, and vegetables, and 10% fruits to support their health, growth cover, and wellbeing. You should avoid feeding high-fat insects to your skink as it can imbalance the nutrients intake.

Health care

You should occasionally visit the nearest veterinarian with your beautiful skink to analyze its health, weight, and size. Occasional testing can help you find illnesses or parasites that prevent your skink from absorbing enough nutrients. If you see signs of sudden weight loss or being sluggish suddenly, consider speaking with your Vet.

How Big Of A Tank Does A Blue Tongue Skink Need?

Blue tongue skink needs at least 55 gallons size tank for their rapid growth, proper body function, best health condition, exercise, and wellbeing. At the same time, juvenile skink needs at least 35 gallons tanks for their continuous growth until nine months. Providing smaller tanks less than that will hinder their growth or can make your skin suffer from stunted growth.

How Big Do Northern Blue Tongue Skinks Get?

Adult Northern blue tongue skink can reach up to 12-18 inches in length. It tends to have a large, heavy body with ridged or keeled scales. You will notice them having dark cross bands with pink to orange coloring. They are omnivores and primarily feed on plant matter, berries, and insects in the world.

When petting northern blue tongue skinks, parasite testing, quarantine, and regular physical examinations are mandatory. They are very docile lizards, so consider wearing a rawhide glove to help prevent scratches on your skin while being held.

How Big Do Indonesian Blue Tongue Skinks Get?

Indonesian blue tongue skink can reach up to 15-24 inches in length and weigh between 450-550 grams. Some individual skinks can also reach up to 30 inches in length and weigh 700 grams or more depending upon their environment, care, and genetics. In captivity, they’re likely to reach up to at least 20 inches in length if the tank is larger than 55 gallons with any health issue.

Indonesian blue Tanki skinks are continuing to increase in popularity and are amazing lizards to have. They are even good for beginners as their docile nature makes them great for handling. They need recurring costs and a larger enclosure for their wellbeing. As long as you have plenty of research and complete preparation, Indonesian blue tongue skink species can be your first lizard.

How Big Do Halmahera Blue Tongue Skinks Get?

Halmahera Blue Tongue Skinks can grow up to 16 inches 24 inches long. They are widely available and come from the Halmahera island of Indonesia. They are also close relative to the eastern blue tongue lizards and can weigh between 11 Oz to 18 Oz. 

Halmahera skinks need high humidity for their wellbeing and prefer living in the rainforest. In captivity, they require a larger tank, high humidity, and maintaining temperature. Blue tongue skink likes to brumate as an instinctive reaction to the local weather. If you keep them in a controlled and manage temperature continuously, you will be successful in stopping them from brumation.

How Big Do Irian Jaya Blue Tongue Skinks Get?

Irian Jaya blue-tongue skinks can grow up to 15-30 inches in length. They tend to be very defensive in times of danger or distress. They are popular for their distinct appearance and are considered as one of the most beautiful lizards among blue tongue skink. It weighs between 11 ounces to 22 ounces. Irian Jaya blue-tongue skink has a lifespan of 15-30 years with 100 days of gestation period. They are also opportunistic omnivorous like its other subspecies and need a larger cage when kept as a pet.

Can A Blue Tongue Skink Live In A 20-gallon Tank?

Hatchlings and two-week-old skinks can live in a 20-gallon tank for the upcoming 10-18 days. Adult size skinks need 50 gallons or more sized tanks for further growth. Keeping a blue tongue skink with an 8 inches long body or more in a 20-gallon tank can stress them out. It will hinder their growth and health.

Final Thoughts

I hope I tried enough to give you all the information on how big do skinks get and their subspecies sizes. If you have any other concerns regarding skinks’ size, ask me in the comment section. I’ve already shared a guide on how long do skinks live. Make sure to check our detailed guide on how to care for the skink. I hope you will find this post helpful and share this one further. See you in the next post, till then, take care and goodbye.