Have you ever seen a Blue-tongued Skink? I have. There’s one here at The Animal Store. And darned if that thing doesn’t really have a blue tongue. As I mentioned in my last post, the reptiles seem to be taking over the joint. It’s not true, of course. The aquatics department still rules, with more than 100 tanks of beautiful tropical fish, turtles, amphibians, coral and anemone. And me, your host, Ernie the Giant Gourami.

But back to the skink. In the wild, that blue tongue is used to scare off predators. I’m sure you can see how that would work. As a pet, the blue tongue is just pure cool. The Blue-tongued Skink originates from Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania, and Indonesia. These guys are really friendly, easy to tame, and I hear they make great pets, even for young kids.

A full-grown skink will be about 18-24 inches long and needs a large, safe enclosure. They can live from 10 to 20 years. Kenn or one of the other pet masters can tell you everything else you need to know.

So come in soon and stick your tongue out at our skink, and maybe he’ll stick his blue tongue out back at you.