Pink-tongued Lizards

[Xeaal]

I was just wondering why Bluey's seem so much more prevalent in the herp hobby than Pink Tongue's? I got to meet some pink tongues for the first time last week and they are such a lovely lizard, yet I don't think I have ever seen anyone show pictures of theirs or really make any comments about them at all. Are they hard to come by or to keep for some reason? Anyone have any information or photos?

 

[Umbral]

I'm not 100% sure on this as I have never looked into them, I think they are mostly out in the evening and at night which my be why people seem to prefer blue tongues.
Someone with more experiance may be able to give more insight.

 

[Bushman]

Pink-tongues are not hard to come by if you look at the right time of year.
They don't handle as well as Blueys and as Umbral mentions, they tend to be more crepuscular and nocturnal in habit, although they sometimes come out and bask during the day. These could be part of the reason that they're less popular.

 

[book]

They should also be housed differently to Blue Tongues as they are more at home in a rain forest environment and like to climb. Substraight can be mixes of sand, coir peat, sphagnam moss or moist leaf litter. Give them lots of hiding spaces and things to climb and make sure the enclosure has a well fitting lid.

 

[Bushman]

That's a good set-up and healthy looking specimens. They also look quite content in there.
How do your animals handle?

 

[gemrock2hot]

I have 13 pink tongues I love them they are pretty cool I think they can be picky feeders and mainly eat snails but if u bring them up on catfood then they are a bit cheaper to feed.
I can't upload photos ATM but I have some with patterns and some without

 

[Xeaal]

These are lovely! Thank you SO much for sharing these photos I was told that they like to climb, (actually the comment was "They are arboreal") but I couldn't quite get my head around it and wanted to know more. The one in the 4th photo almost looks like a snake.. so flexible! And the colours on the two in No. 6 are just gorgeous. Are these from a particular locality? Do they come in many colours? I don't need to buy any, since I have my quota of reptiles now, but I love learning about different species and these little guys are so cool.. I hope some more people are encouraged to share photos.

 

[Tiliqua]

There's a few threads on this site discussing Pink-tongued skinks already.
I think the main thing holding their popularity back is that juveniles are much more delicate than blue-tongue skink juveniles that keepers are used to. After the first year they would have to be the easiest skink to keep - No UV, a little heat at one end, feed them free snails found in the yard, coco peat or kritter crumble works well for substrate and offer some branches to climb and your set.

 

[Stickman]

This is mine and I have to say she is the most grumpy lizard I have ever owned or seen. I have seen ones in the wild more placid then her. The reasons they are not kept as much in captivity is because of their requirements to have lots of humidity and climbing space. They also usually have a grumpy nature though I know many people who have very placid animals.

 

[book]

That's a good set-up and healthy looking specimens. They also look quite content in there.
How do your animals handle?

They are very content to be watched or have me clean the enclosure around them but I don't handle them unless it is necessary. Mine don't bite me but always try to wriggle away before they relax a bit.

These are lovely! Thank you SO much for sharing these photos I was told that they like to climb, (actually the comment was "They are arboreal") but I couldn't quite get my head around it and wanted to know more. The one in the 4th photo almost looks like a snake.. so flexible! And the colours on the two in No. 6 are just gorgeous. Are these from a particular locality? Do they come in many colours? I don't need to buy any, since I have my quota of reptiles now, but I love learning about different species and these little guys are so cool.. I hope some more people are encouraged to share photos.

Thanks, I am very fond of them. There are some colour variations, reduced pattern and patternless ones around. I prefer ones with stripes but I don't know the locality of mine. The ones in photo No.6 are still young. The strength of the colour and pattern tend to fade as they grow but they should still be attractive adults.

There's a few threads on this site discussing Pink-tongued skinks already.
I think the main thing holding their popularity back is that juveniles are much more delicate than blue-tongue skink juveniles that keepers are used to. After the first year they would have to be the easiest skink to keep - No UV, a little heat at one end, feed them free snails found in the yard, coco peat or kritter crumble works well for substrate and offer some branches to climb and your set.

I agree they are more delicate as juveniles compared to Blue Tongues but I still provide UV for mine as they do bask in the day at times. Snails are hard to get here so I have mine eating a blend of dog food and finely chopped veggies. I start with chopped snails mixed in but reduce the amount over time till they eat it without snails.