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Some federal rules apply

Western blue-tongued skink

Tiliqua occipitalis

Also known as Western Bluetongue, Western Blue-Tongued Lizard

Reptiles › Lizards (Lacertilia) › Scincidae (Skinks)

The western blue-tongued lizard (Tiliqua occipitalis), also known as the western blue-tongued skink, is a large skink native to Australia.

Pet trade

Experience: Easy

FamilySkinks

Adult weight20.1 oz

Kept byPet trade

HabitatWoodland

Care at a glance

Species-specific values

Values researched for this exact species. Where they differ from the group guide below, follow these. Air, surface and water temperatures are listed separately, and each source is kept as published rather than averaged.

Humidity	20–40 % RH Species recommendation	206
Cool zone temperature	70–85 °F Source cool-zone wording; measurement surface versus air not explicit	206
Air temperature night	65–75 °F	206
Basking surface temperature	100–105 °F	206

Care guide

Group care guide

Blue-tongued skinks and Australian/Pacific skinks

Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Woodland, grassland and rainforest. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.

Housing & setup

For Tiliqua, current ReptiFiles guidance calls for at least 12 ft² of floor area; this does not specify arboreal Corucia housing.
Deep substrate, a basking spot and UVB.

Sources 113 114 66 206 207

Climate & lighting

Starting point only: Tiliqua moisture requirements differ by species and subspecies; the 40–60% default excludes Indonesian and arid forms. Check the species-specific values for this animal where shown.

Basking spot	95–105°F
Warm side / daytime	82–88°F
Cool side	72–78°F
Humidity	40–60%

UVB: Recommended.

Sources 113 114 66 206 207

Diet

Blue-tongues: omnivorous mix of lean protein, greens and vegetables. Solomon Islands skinks: strictly leafy greens and vegetables.

Sources 113 114 66 206 207

Social life

Tiliqua should be housed individually; do not extrapolate that recommendation to every genus in this guide.

Sources 113 114 66 206 207

Health watch

Obesity and retained shed; Indonesian species need more humidity than Australian ones.

Sources 113 114 66 206 207

Understanding the animal

About this animal

It is one of six species of blue-tongued skinks found in Australia, though further species are found in New Guinea and Indonesia. The western blue-tongued lizard grows to around 45 cm (18 in) in length.

Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Western blue-tongued lizard” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174

In the wild

Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.

Overview

The western blue-tongued lizard (Tiliqua occipitalis), also known as the western blue-tongued skink, is a large skink native to Australia. It is one of six species of blue-tongued skinks found in Australia, though further species are found in New Guinea and Indonesia. The western blue-tongued lizard grows to around 45 cm (18 in) in length. It has a brown, banded pattern across the body and tail; the underside of the body is usually pale. — Wikipedia (community-edited)

Native climate (measured)

Warm-season highs	about 91°F (up to 98°F in the hottest sampled areas)
Cool-season lows	about 43°F (down to 39°F in the coldest sampled areas)
Average temperature	61–71°F across sampled records
Relative humidity	49–65% on average (driest month about 47%)
Rainfall	about 340 mm a year

Measured at 119 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.

Data and studies

Researched care notes

Findings checked against veterinary, zoo, welfare, keeper and peer-reviewed sources. Air, basking-surface and water temperatures are kept separate, and where sources disagree both are shown. “Study” notes report what a paper measured, not a universal rule.

Blue-Tongued Skink

Researched for this genus; applies to its species unless a species note says otherwise.

Surface: ReptiFiles distinguishes a general basking surface of 37–40°C from 40–46°C for Tiliqua scincoides; these are localized surface recommendations, not whole-enclosure air settings.¹
Air / night: the guide gives Australian species approximately 18–24°C and Indonesian species 21–24°C; apply the identified species' requirements rather than merging them.¹
Humidity / taxon difference: Northern and Eastern T. scincoides receive 40–60% RH guidance, versus 60–80% for Indonesian T. gigas; uncertain identification prevents choosing a single genus-wide value.¹
Study: eleven adult T. scincoides showed increased plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D after four weeks of either two or twelve hours of daily UVB exposure.²
Study limit: this UVB experiment measured a biochemical response under one diet; it does not establish a universal safe lamp distance, UV Index, or supplementation dose for every Tiliqua species.²
House individually; ReptiFiles warns that territorial disputes can seriously injure co-housed skinks of either sex.³
Provide substantial horizontal movement space plus sufficient height for furnishings and safely installed lighting; cage footprint alone does not describe the usable setup.³
Feed a varied omnivorous ration containing suitable plant and animal foods; younger skinks need a different balance from adults.⁴
Prepare firm vegetables in finely chopped, shredded or mashable form so they are easier to consume.⁴

The numbers

Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.

Typical adult weight

Reported20.1oz

Myhrvold et al. 16320.1

Average adult body mass in each database (FishBase gives the maximum recorded weight).

Adult snout-to-vent length

Reported10.9in

Myhrvold et al. 16310.9

Body length without the tail.

Litter size

Reported6.2young

Myhrvold et al. 1636.2

Average per litter or clutch.

Federal legal snapshot

Some federal rules apply

CITES Appendix III. Appendix III: international trade from the listing country needs CITES paperwork. No effect on buying captive-bred animals within the U.S. 173 186

State law decides most of it. Each state sets its own permits and bans for exotic, native, venomous and dangerous animals, and cities and counties can be stricter. Find your state agency →

Not covered by the Animal Welfare Act

The Act only covers warm-blooded animals. Reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates have no federal care standards, even at licensed facilities; state and local rules may still apply.

Kept in captivity?

Every species on this site needs evidence that people actually keep it. For this one:

Included in our hand-checked list of animals kept as pets, livestock or in zoos
8 iNaturalist observations of captive animals

Sources for this sheet

Myhrvold et al. (2015). An amniote life-history database. Ecology 96: 3109 Peer-reviewed researchPeer-reviewed compilation of life-history data for over 21,000 birds, mammals and reptiles.
Species+ (UNEP-WCMC and the CITES Secretariat) Zoo, university or veterinaryThe official database of species listed under CITES.
USFWS International Affairs: CITES Zoo, university or veterinaryFederal agency that issues CITES permits.
Merck Veterinary Manual: Management and husbandry of reptiles Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional, metabolic and endocrine diseases of reptiles Zoo, university or veterinaryThe Merck Veterinary Manual: a standard veterinary reference written and reviewed by veterinary specialists.
ReptiFiles: Blue-tongued skink care Experienced keeper or breederWell-researched care guide.
ReptiFiles: Blue-tongued skink temperatures, lighting and humidity Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
ReptiFiles: Blue-tongued skink enclosure size Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
The Reptile Database Peer-reviewed researchScientist-curated catalog of every reptile species, with taxonomy and literature.
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) Peer-reviewed researchInternational scientific taxonomy used here for classification.
Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.