Do Blue Tongue Skinks Bite? A Detailed Look

If you’re thinking about getting a pet blue tongue skink, one of your first questions is probably “Do blue tongue skinks bite?” As large lizards with sharp teeth and long tails, blue tongues can look intimidating. So it’s understandable to wonder if they pose any risk with their mouths.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: Most blue tongue skinks rarely bite. As captive bred pets from a young age, blue tongues tend to be quite docile and comfortable with human handling when properly socialized.

In this roughly 3000 word guide, we’ll take an in-depth look at blue tongue skink biting behavior. We’ll cover topics like:

Do Pet Blue Tongue Skinks Bite?

Blue tongue skinks are typically docile lizards that rarely bite. However, like all animals, they can bite if provoked or feeling threatened. Here’s a closer look at blue tongue skink temperament and reasons they may occasionally nip.

Typical Blue Tongue Skink Temperament

In general, blue tongue skinks have a calm, friendly demeanor. They tend to move slowly and deliberately, not darting around like some lizards. With regular gentle handling from a young age, blue tongues become quite tame and tolerate human interaction very well.

These mild-mannered lizards aren’t typically aggressive. They prefer to avoid confrontation if possible. Given adequate space, they will often just turn away rather than bite if feeling threatened.

Reasons for Blue Tongues Biting

While uncommon, there are a few scenarios that can provoke a blue tongue skink to bite:

• Being startled – Quick movements or loud noises can startle them and trigger a defensive reaction.
• Restraint – They don’t like being firmly held or restrained and may bite to get free.
• Mistaken identity – Smelling food on your hand, they may bite thinking your finger is food.
• Defensive instinct – Perceiving your hand as a threat, they bite in self-defense.
• Habit – Occasionally overly handled babies nip and the habit persists as they mature if not corrected.

Bite Risk from Different Blue Tongue Species

While all blue tongue subspecies can bite, some are more prone to it than others:

Reducing the Chances of Getting Bitten

You can minimize the risk of getting accidentally nipped by:

• Holding the blue tongue properly – Support the whole underside, don’t restrain
• Avoiding sudden movements – Move slowly and speak softly
• Handling regularly – This gets them comfortable with human touch
• Washing hands – Remove food smells that may entice exploratory bites

With time and patience establishing trust, blue tongue skinks make very docile, handleable lizards. While an occasional nip is possible, serious bites are rare if the skink feels secure with its owner.

What Does a Blue Tongue Skink Bite Feel Like?

Force of an Average Bite

The force of a blue tongue skink bite depends on the size and age of the skink. Hatchlings and juveniles have very small jaws and teeth so their bites generally feel like a pinch. Adults have much larger and stronger jaws so their bite can be quite painful.

An adult blue tongue skink’s bite force ranges from 35-150 PSI which is a moderate bite force for a reptile of their size.

Most blue tongue skink owners describe a full force adult bite as very uncomfortable but not severe. The intensity is comparable to a strong nip from a medium-large dog breed. Their bite force and teeth are designed to grasp and hold prey rather than tear flesh like carnivorous reptiles.

So while a bluey bite hurts, it’s unlikely to break skin unless they bite a sensitive area like the face.

Blue Tongue Skink Teeth

Blue tongue skinks have small, needle-like teeth designed for grasping, holding, and restraining prey. The teeth are curved slightly inward to help keep a firm grip on food items. They have teeth on both the upper and lower jaws.

Hatchlings have around 20-30 very tiny teeth in each quadrant of their mouth. As blue tongues mature, some of these teeth fall out and are replaced by larger, permanent teeth. Adults have 12-16 teeth in each quadrant, so around 50 teeth total.

The teeth are sharp but relatively small. Each tooth is less than 1mm long. They are fixed in place and cannot be retracted like some lizard species. The small teeth puncture skin easily during a bite but do not typically cause severe lacerations or bleeding except on highly sensitive areas.

Bite Wound Care

Blue tongue skink bites rarely cause medically significant damage to humans. However, any animal bite has the potential to become infected so should be taken seriously.

If your blue tongue skink manages to bite and break skin, there are a few steps you should take:

• Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and warm water.
• Apply antibiotic ointment to prevent infection.
• Cover with a sterile bandage.
• Watch for signs of infection like redness, swelling, oozing, increased pain, fever.
• See a doctor if signs of infection develop.

Even harmless pinches from young blue tongues should be washed because their mouth contains bacteria. Seek prompt medical care if bitten on the face or if the wound is severe.

Bites often occur due to mishandling.Blue tongue skinks rarely bite out of pure aggression. Most bites happen because the skink feels threatened by improper handling. It’s important to evaluate the circumstances of the bite and modify handling techniques to prevent future incidents.

Dealing with an Aggressive or Defensive Blue Tongue Skink

Identifying Problematic Behavior

Blue tongue skinks are typically docile, friendly pets. However, some individuals may show signs of aggression or defensiveness such as gaping, hissing, tail whipping, lunging, and biting. This problematic behavior is often a result of poor socialization, mishandling, stress, or fear.

As a pet owner, it’s important to recognize the signs and identify potential causes of the unwanted behavior.

Socialization Techniques to Stop Biting

With patience and proper handling techniques, an aggressive or defensive blue tongue skink can become tame and trusting. Here are some tips for socializing your bluey:

• Handle your skink daily in short, positive sessions – this allows them to become comfortable with human interaction.
• Use a gentle approach – move slowly and don’t force handling. Allow them to walk into your hand.
• Offer treats during handling to create a positive association.
• Avoid pulling your skink out of hiding – gently coax them out instead.
• Get young skinks accustomed to handling early – adult skinks may be more set in their ways.
• Be aware of signs of stress like gaping or hissing – end the session if your skink seems distressed.

With time and care, an aggressive skink will learn to trust you and enjoy handling. Proper socialization from a young age is ideal to prevent biting and aggression in the first place.

When to Seek Professional Help

In most cases, an owner can socialize their blue tongue skink through proper handling techniques and patience. However, sometimes problematic behaviors persist even with the best efforts. Consulting an exotic pet behaviorist may be needed in the following situations:

• Biting or aggression continues after months of attempted socialization
• The skink lashes out frequently with no identifiable trigger
• You acquire an adult skink with an unknown history and engrained behaviors
• The skink is harming itself or others when handled
• You feel overwhelmed, stressed, or unable to safely interact with your pet

Exotic animal behaviorists have specialized training and experience with reptile socialization issues. They can assess your pet, identify causes of aggression, and provide customized behavior modification plans.

While seeking professional help takes time and money, it may be necessary to improve your skink’s quality of life and ensure everyone’s safety.

Are Blue Tongue Skinks Dangerous to Humans?

Risk Assessment for Children and Adults

• Supervise young children when interacting with a skink. The lizard could accidentally get stepped on or mishandled.
• Support the full body of an adult-sized blue tongue skink when holding it. If dropped, their heavy bodies can cause injury.
• Never grab a blue tongue by its tail or it may detach. This stresses the lizard and also limits future tail defense behaviors.

As pets, blueys may live 10-20 years with proper care. Over time, owners understand a blue-tongued skink’s particular temperament. With gentle and infrequent handling, even grouchy or shy individuals typically tolerate people without resorting to biting.

Venom and Disease Concerns

While alarming due to their large jaws, blue tongue skink bites rarely cause harm beyond some very temporary pain. The CDC reports no records of allergic reactions or infections from their bites.

Importantly, blue tongue skinks are also not venomous. Their dark tongues may look dangerous, but completely lack toxic compounds. Overall there is an extremely minor health risk from a defensive bite, even to young children or elderly individuals.

However, basic hygiene around any animal is still a good practice. Always thoroughly wash hands after contact or cage cleaning to prevent the spread of salmonella bacteria.

Predatory Instincts

Blue tongue skinks are primarily insectivores and herbivores in the wild. With over 500 small, finely shaped teeth they sometimes eat carrion, small vertebrates or eggs. However, blueys pose no predatory threat to pets like rodents, birds, or cats and dogs.

In captivity they rarely feed on anything other than insects, veggies, fruits, high-quality dog or cat foods. Even around small pets or unattended fingers, blue tongues lack the speed and natural behaviors to intentionally hunt fast-moving prey.

The bottom line: blue tongue skink temperaments range from docile to grumpy. But their slow nature means that intentional bites out of hunger or defensiveness are easy for owners to anticipate and avoid in nearly all circumstances.

Conclusion

While their sharp teeth and strong jaws may look threatening, pet blue tongues are typically docile, gentle lizards when properly handled. With a basic understanding of their body language, regular positive interactions, and care taken to avoid over-stressing them, most captive bred blueys present little bite risk.

Pay close attention to your skink’s comfort levels, provide adequate habitat enrichment, and seek help from a qualified herpetologist if concerning behaviors develop. Implement these simple practices, and you can confidently enjoy snuggle time with your blue-tongued buddy.