Blue Tailed Skink Eggs: Nests, Hatching and What to Do

Blue tailed skink eggs are not laid by one single species. The bright blue tail belongs to a juvenile stage shared by several North American Plestiodon skinks. The main ones are the five lined skink, the broadhead skink, the southeastern five lined skink, and the western skink.

Females lay their eggs in rotting logs, under loose bark, or beneath leaf litter and debris. They then stay with the clutch until it hatches.

Blue Tailed Skink Breeding Season

Breeding season for the five lined skink runs from May into July. Its range stretches from lower Michigan, southern Ontario, and eastern New York south to northern Florida, and west to Wisconsin, Missouri, and eastern Texas.

Males compete for mates and territory during this window. Courtship is brief compared with the weeks a female then spends guarding her clutch. The blue tailed skink juvenile stage that follows shows up in yards by mid to late summer, once that season’s eggs have hatched.

Broadhead skinks and southeastern five lined skinks breed on a similar spring into summer schedule. North Carolina’s wildlife agency lists spring as the nesting season for the southeastern species. All three share the same pattern: mating in spring, laying in early summer, hatching by late summer.

Western skinks run a few weeks later. Washington’s wildlife agency reports breeding in May or June, egg laying in July, and hatching in August.

Where Females Nest

Female skinks do not dig a deep burrow the way many reptiles do. Instead they choose an already moist, sheltered cavity. A rotting log, a gap under loose bark, a pile of leaf litter, or a spot under a flat rock or board all serve.

Connecticut wildlife biologists describe five lined skink habitat as steep, rocky ground with open ledge and scattered tree cover. Rotten logs and loose rock slabs near moist deciduous forest are common there too. That description doubles as a guide to typical nest sites.

Species differ slightly in the moisture they favor. Southeastern five lined skinks prefer drier ground, including dry pine forest and coastal sites with plenty of fallen wood. Five lined skinks lean toward moister sites instead.

That preference carries over into nesting choices. A clutch found under damp bark near a stream is more likely a five lined skink. One under dry wood in a pine stand may belong to the southeastern species, which mirrors the general habitat each species uses as an adult.

Clutch Size and Egg Laying

Blue tailed skink eggs come in different clutch sizes depending on the species that laid them. The five lined skink lays 15 to 18 eggs per clutch, one of the larger clutches among North American skinks. The broadhead skink lays fewer, typically 8 to 13 eggs, with an average near 11.

The southeastern five lined skink lays the smallest clutches of the group. North Carolina’s wildlife agency gives 3 to 10 eggs.

Washington’s agency gives laying and hatching months for the western skink but no clutch count. That figure is left open rather than guessed.

Maternal Brooding: Do Mothers Guard the Eggs?

Yes. Female five lined skinks brood their eggs intensively, repositioning them in the nest cavity based on soil moisture.

They also use basking heat carried on their own bodies, plus urination, to keep the clutch humid. This is active parental care, not passive guarding.

Broadhead skink females remain with the nest through the entire incubation window. Southeastern five lined skink females likewise lay in moist soil or rotten logs and attend the eggs until hatching. Brooding behavior is consistent across all three documented species, part of the wider pattern seen in skink breeding generally.

Incubation: How Long Do Blue Tailed Skink Eggs Take to Hatch

For the five lined skink, incubation runs 24 to 55 days. Warmer soil speeds development, while cooler soil pushes incubation toward the longer end of that range.

The broadhead skink incubates over a slightly longer window, roughly 3 to 8 weeks. That overlaps the five lined skink’s range but can run longer in cooler conditions.

The southeastern five lined skink incubates for 2 to 8 weeks. Western skink eggs laid in July hatch in August, so roughly 4 to 6 weeks.

If a nest is found and the species is uncertain, use the broadest range. That is about 2 to 8 weeks from laying to hatching.

Hatchling Size and the Blue Tailed Skink Baby

A newly hatched five lined skink measures about 2 to 2.5 inches long, or 5 to 6.4 centimeters. It already shows five to seven light stripes on a dark body and a bright blue tail.

This is the blue tailed skink baby people most often find. It hatches fully formed and independent, with no feeding period from a parent afterward.

Hatchling size has not been documented for the broadhead skink, southeastern five lined skink, or western skink. Broadhead skinks do reach sexual maturity around 75 millimeters in total length, well short of their adult size maximum near 325 millimeters. Growth toward full adult size takes roughly 2 to 3 years across this group, a span covered further on this site’s lizard lifespan guide.

Why the Blue Tail Fades

The bright blue tail is a juvenile trait that dulls as the skink matures. The pattern of that fade differs slightly by species and sex.

In the five lined skink, the blue tone darkens toward gray with age. It is more often kept into adulthood by females. Adult males typically show gray tails and can lose the stripe pattern, with head color brightening during breeding season.

In the broadhead skink, males lose their stripes entirely by sexual maturity. They turn uniform brown with an orange to red head that intensifies during breeding season, while females keep some striping but lose the blue tail. The southeastern five lined skink follows a similar path, with the blue fading and males sometimes developing reddish or orange head color.

A skink that loses its tail to a predator regrows a replacement. That regrowth, called autotomy, produces a tail that is shorter and grayer than the original, regardless of species or age.

What to Do If You Find Eggs or Hatchlings

Finding blue tailed skink eggs or a cluster of hatchlings in a woodpile, under bark, or in garden mulch is common in late spring and summer. The right response in nearly every case is to leave them exactly where they are.

• Do not move the eggs or dig them out. Repositioning disrupts the humidity and temperature the mother has been managing.
• Put back any log, bark, or debris you disturbed while gardening, and avoid that spot until the eggs have had time to hatch.
• If you find hatchlings, let them disperse on their own. They are independent from the moment they hatch and need no food or care from people.
• Keep pets away from the nest site for a few weeks if possible. Cats and dogs will readily dig up and eat both eggs and hatchlings.

Skinks earn their keep in a yard. Both adults and juveniles eat large numbers of insects, spiders, and other invertebrates as part of their normal diet. Leaving a nest alone for a few weeks is a small cost for keeping that pest control in place.

Law and Welfare: Can You Keep Blue Tailed Skink Eggs?

These are wild native animals, and collection rules vary by state. There is no single national answer to whether picking up eggs or a hatchling is legal.

Connecticut treats the five lined skink as a state threatened species. Its wildlife agency advises against capturing or keeping wild skinks, recommending instead to observe from a distance and leave the animal alone. Other states classify these skinks differently, so checking the current rule where you live is the only reliable approach.

There is also a welfare argument for leaving wild clutches alone, even where collection is technically permitted. A skink egg or hatchling removed from its nest loses the humidity and temperature control its mother was providing. Survival odds drop sharply outside that setup.

Wildlife agencies also warn against releasing a captive bred or pet store skink into the wild. Escaped or released animals can introduce disease to native populations that have no resistance to it. That is why the wild population and the pet trade need to stay separate.

Anyone drawn to keeping a skink after finding a wild clutch is better served looking into captive bred five lined skink stock from a reputable breeder. That route avoids both the legal uncertainty and the welfare cost of pulling an egg from a wild nest.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do blue tailed skink eggs take to hatch?

Five lined skink eggs hatch in 24 to 55 days, depending on soil temperature. Broadhead skink eggs run a bit longer, about 3 to 8 weeks. Southeastern five lined skink eggs take 2 to 8 weeks, while western skink eggs laid in July hatch in August.

How many eggs does a blue tailed skink lay?

A five lined skink typically lays 15 to 18 eggs in a clutch. A broadhead skink lays fewer, usually 8 to 13, with an average near 11. The southeastern five lined skink lays only 3 to 10, and no clutch count is published for the western skink.

What does a blue tailed skink baby look like?

A hatchling five lined skink measures roughly 2 to 2.5 inches long. It already shows the full adult stripe pattern and the bright blue tail. It looks like a miniature adult from the moment it hatches.

The blue color is brightest in the first year or two. It gradually shifts toward gray as the animal nears breeding age.

When is blue tailed skink breeding season?

Breeding activity runs from May through July for the five lined skink. Eggs laid during that window typically hatch by late summer, which is when the blue tailed juveniles most often turn up in yards.

Is it legal to keep blue tailed skink eggs found in the yard?

Rules vary by state. Connecticut lists the five lined skink as threatened and advises against capturing wild individuals of any age. The safest approach is to leave wild eggs and hatchlings in place and check the current rule in your own state before collecting any native reptile.

Do the mother skinks guard their eggs the whole time?

Five lined and broadhead skink mothers stay with their clutch for most or all of incubation. They reposition eggs and maintain moisture rather than leaving the nest unattended. That hands on brooding is a major reason a disturbed nest hatches less successfully.