Deer Fern Farms Uromastyx Agama Page

Bluetongue Skinks

Northerns (Tiliqua s. intermedia)


"Black Stirrups" (male)	"Perfect-7" (male)


"Frosty" (female)	"Crossbow" (female)

Merauke (Tiliqua gigas evanescens)


"Candy Cane" female	"Orange Crush" female


"Pi" Male	"Mascara" Male

Irian Jaya's (Tiliqua gigas gigas)


"Black Cherry" Probable Male


"Licorice" (female) (Halmera Island Indoinesian)	Licorice's" Belly

Bluetongue Skinks are well know in the pet trade. There are numerous species and subspecies inhabiting Australia, Irian Jaya and the Indonesian Islands. Australia closed export of all wildlife many decades ago but the Indonesian islands remain open. Each island seems to have a slightly different subpopulation of Bluetongues, allowing for a subtle but interesting diversity of patterns and colors. Importation from any one island seems to be very limited, allowing a moderate group to be imported then maybe never seen again in the pet trade unless someone sets aside a group for a captive breeding project.

General Care: Bluetongues are omnivores and do well on a variety of diets. We follow the practice of most breeders and rear ours on a base diet of high quality canned dog food with added minerals (Miner-ALL -(I) indoor version). To that we add the occasional insect, slugs/snails, and fruit/veggies (grated squash, peas, carrots, etc). The goal is to offer a high protein, low fat diet and offer a variety. They do not normally play well with others, so we strongly recommend housing each individual in it's own private tank. They seem comfortable in moderate sized housing with a 3' to 4' Breeder style tank working well for most individuals. They require moderate cage temperatures (mid to upper 80's throughout most of the tank floor with a hotter basking area in the mid 90's) with night time lows in the 70'sF. They seem to do best in low to moderate humidity environments but need daily access to a large water bowl in which to soak. We cover the floor with either chunky coconut husk fiber (our preferred bedding) or aspen shavings. We place a low shelter off to one side of the pen for a sleeping hide but otherwise keep the cages clear of ornamentation.

We've chosen to work with the Australian Northern Bluetongue as well as the brighter, friendlier races of Irian Jaya Bluetongues (Merauke and mainland Irian Jaya's). As with most our breeding projects, we seek to produce the highest contrast specimens possible, avoiding the dilutes, caramels, and similar faded colors popular with many commercial breeders. We are not moved by the rarity of the colors/patterns, but by how nice the specimens actually look. With our Northerns, we strive to enhance the black portholes which are the wild species' most distinctive trait. A trait which is largely being bred out by most other breeders. At the same time we hope to enhance rather than dilute the brightness of the orange banding - basically producing something along the lines of the better "Sunset" BTS but preserving as much of the deep black portholes as possible.

For our Irian Jaya's, we're striving to produce clear bright red or orange banding outlined in jet black and set upon nice bright clear to pink backgrounds. We kinda have a "thing" for clean straight bands as well, so hopefully we'll be able to limit the propensity for broken and cross bands in all our lines as we move forward. These are all works-in-progress and progress will likely be slow, but we hope to be producing some exceptional specimens along the way.

The majority of our current Northern group was purchased as newborns in 2007 and were selected to insure they were purebred T s. intermedia, and not intergrades with other subspecies. They reached sexual maturity in 2009 and both Crossbow and Frosty gave us our first babies (sired by "Perfect 7") in July 2009. Our Irian Jaya's have been purchased as cherry picked individuals over the past several years so vary in their ages and origins. Many are still about a year out from breeding but we'll try to convince a few to do the deed for 2010.

Both Crossbow and Frosty bred again this February, 2010 - with Black Stirups and Perfect 7 Bands respectively. So with a little luck we'll have offspring from them again in late summer. "Mascara" has prove interested in breeding but our Merauke females have not yet consented as of early February. We'll post any updates here and on our Ordering/Prices page if things change.

We're still looking for more breeding stock and sometimes buy clutches, of which we'll sell the extras. Let us know if you're looking for some and we'll see if we can help you. The going rate is around $145 each plus shipping, but that can vary greatly. Please let us know if you’re interested in any and if we’re sold out, we’ll put you on our waiting list. We keep a "Wanted" list and fill it as specimens become available so please e-mail or call us (360 435-2679) if you're looking to add a Bluetongue skink to your family.

We are avid supporters of captive breeding and are always looking to support fellow breeders by purchasing healthy captively produced clutches of the reptiles we work with. Please let us know if you have an interest in wholesaling your clutches. We hold all purchased specimens for several weeks after being shipped to us so we can verify their condition and to let them settle in before being offered to the public. So you can rest assured your hatchlings will be well cared for. We occasionally buy exceptional adults as well. E-mail us photos if you wish us to consider your specimens.