Skinks

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No lizard family has more members than the skinks. The Reptile Database lists more than 1,800 described skink species, and more are still being found.

Picture a smooth, glossy lizard with a tapered body and short legs. It vanishes into leaf litter the moment you look away. That is a typical skink.

Some skinks, like the plump blue tongued skink, amble through gardens and eat almost anything. Others, like the armored crocodile skink, hide in rainforest leaf litter and rarely bask in the open. That range is exactly why skinks confuse new keepers.

A care sheet written for one type can be badly wrong for another. The family spans desert sand swimmers, tropical tree dwellers, and cold hardy burrowers.

This guide covers what unites skinks as a family and the main types kept as pets. It also covers how their care differs and how to choose one that fits your setup.

What Makes a Lizard a Skink

Skinks share a body plan that sets them apart from most other lizards at a glance. Their scales are small, smooth, and often glossy. They overlap like fish scales, not the raised, bumpy rows you see on a bearded dragon or an iguana.

Many skinks have short legs for their body size. A few have lost their limbs entirely. These species move in a fast, snakelike slither through sand or leaf litter instead of walking.

Almost all skinks can drop part of their tail when a predator grabs it. This defense is called autotomy.

The tail thrashes on its own for a few seconds, buying the lizard time to escape. Most species regrow a shorter, duller replacement over the following months.

The family is enormous and still being sorted out by scientists. Researchers actively debate how its many subgroups relate to one another.

Skinks turn up almost everywhere lizards can survive. That range runs from the deserts of central Australia to backyards in the southeastern United States.

Reproduction is another place skinks stand out. Most lizards lay eggs, and most skinks do too. The family also includes a surprising number of live bearing species.

Blue tongued skinks and the monkey tailed skink both give birth to live young instead of laying eggs, a trait shared with only a minority of lizards worldwide.

Types of Skinks Kept as Pets

Most skinks people keep as pets fall into a handful of recognizable groups. Knowing which group a species belongs to tells you a lot before you read a single care number. Animals in the same group tend to share a similar diet, temperament, and enclosure style.

The blue tongued group

Blue tongued skinks are the group most keepers meet first. They are large, heavy bodied, and omnivorous. They are famous for the startling blue tongue they flash to warn off predators.

The common blue tongued skink is the classic starter species. Many individuals tolerate regular handling once settled.

The Indonesian blue tongued skink and the blotched blue tongued skink are close relatives. Both have their own coloring and care notes worth checking.

The shingleback is a shorter, stumpier relative from the same broad group. Its short, blunt tail mimics the shape of its head, which can confuse predators.

Wild shinglebacks are unusual among reptiles for forming long term pairs. Researchers have documented these pairs reuniting year after year across more than a decade of field study.

Crocodile and armored skinks

The red eyed crocodile skink looks nothing like a blue tongued skink. It is a small, spiky, rainforest floor species from New Guinea.

It freezes or plays dead when startled. It is also one of the few skinks that makes an audible distress call.

Crocodile skinks need higher humidity and cooler temperatures than the blue tongued group. They also need a much more hands off approach. They do best watched rather than handled, since frequent handling stresses them easily.

Fire and rainbow colored skinks

The fire skink is a West African species prized for its metallic orange, black, and iridescent banding. It is a burrowing, secretive animal. It spends much of its day under leaf litter and needs deep, damp bedding to feel secure.

Fire skinks are skittish compared to blue tongued skinks. They can be prone to stress related illness if handled too often. This matters most in the weeks right after a fire skink arrives in a new enclosure.

Arboreal and tree dwelling skinks

Not every skink stays on the ground. The emerald tree skink is a vivid green, alert species that lives and forages in shrubs and low branches. It needs vertical space and climbing structure, not a flat floor plan.

The monkey tailed skink takes arboreal life further than almost any other lizard. It has a fully prehensile tail and feeds almost entirely on leaves. It also gives birth to a single large offspring rather than laying eggs, a rare trait among skinks.

Ground, sand, and native skinks

Some skinks are built for burrowing rather than climbing or basking. The common sandfish has a wedge shaped snout and reduced limbs. It dives and swims through loose desert sand as if it were water.

Smaller species round out the group. The five lined skink is a common backyard lizard across much of the eastern United States. Young animals show a bright blue tail that fades with age.

The blue tailed skink of the Pacific islands is a small, fast, sun loving species. It keeps its electric blue tail into adulthood and suits a planted display enclosure rather than handling.

The ocellated skink, the pink tongued skink, and Schneider’s skink round out the smaller and mid sized species kept by hobbyists. Each has its own size, temperament, and care needs. Check each species page for the specifics before you buy.

Types of Skinks Compared

How Skink Care Differs Across Types

Every skink needs a thermal gradient and clean water. It also needs a hide on both the warm and cool ends of the enclosure. The details shift sharply between types.

A blue tongued skink from open Australian habitat wants a warmer, drier setup. A crocodile skink from damp New Guinea rainforest wants the opposite.

Diet is the other major split. Blue tongued skinks and shinglebacks are true omnivores. They need a mix of animal protein, vegetables, and the occasional fruit.

Crocodile skinks, fire skinks, and most smaller species are mostly or entirely insectivorous.

Getting this wrong long term causes real problems. Underfeeding protein to an omnivore is one common mistake. Overfeeding fatty insects to an insectivore is another.

Matching the diet to the actual species, not the family in general, matters a great deal.

UVB needs also vary by type. Ground dwelling, sun exposed species generally need stronger UVB than shy species that naturally avoid direct light.

Most keepers now provide some UVB across the board as a safety margin. Exact wattages and gradients still differ enough between species that you should check the specific page.

Lifespan varies just as widely across the family. A well kept blue tongued skink commonly reaches around 20 years. A shingleback can live even longer, with captive records stretching past 30 years.

Smaller species tend to live shorter lives, so plan your commitment around the actual species.

Choosing the Right Skink for You

If you want a lizard you can regularly handle, start with the common blue tongued skink. It is usually the strongest starting point in this family. It is large enough to be satisfying to keep.

It is generally food motivated and well documented, which makes troubleshooting easier when something goes wrong.

If you want a smaller, more visually striking animal, look at a fire skink or an arboreal species like the emerald tree skink. These species reward a well planted, secure enclosure more than they reward handling time. Be ready for a mostly hands off, observation focused pet.

Crocodile skinks and other rainforest specialists suit keepers who already have some reptile experience. Their humidity and temperature margins are narrower, and mistakes show up faster.

Whatever species you choose, confirm current legality in your area first. Some native or protected skinks cannot legally be kept as pets in certain states or countries.

Availability and cost also differ sharply by type. Common blue tongued skinks are bred in large numbers, so captive bred animals are usually easy to find. Fire skinks are widely sold, but many are still wild caught imports, so ask about origin.

Rarer arboreal and rainforest species can be harder to source. It is worth confirming a seller works with captive bred stock before you commit to a less common type.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a skink and a regular lizard?

Skinks are a specific family of lizards, not a separate category from lizards generally. What sets most of them apart is their smooth, glossy, overlapping scales and often shorter legs. Compare that to the bumpier scales and longer limbs of groups like iguanas or monitors.

Are skinks good pets for beginners?

Some are, and some are not. Blue tongued skinks are commonly recommended for beginners because they are hardy and often tolerate handling well. Shy, humidity sensitive species like crocodile skinks suit keepers with some reptile experience already.

How many types of skinks are there?

Scincidae contains more than 1,800 described species according to the Reptile Database, making it the largest lizard family. Only a modest number of these types of skinks are commonly available in the pet trade. The rest live in the wild across nearly every continent except Antarctica.

Do all skinks lose their tails?

Most skink species can voluntarily drop part of their tail when a predator grabs it, a defense called autotomy, and regrow a shorter replacement over time. Not every species relies on this equally. Repeated tail loss is stressful and costly for the animal, so it should never be treated as harmless in captivity.

Do skinks need UVB lighting?

Most keepers now provide UVB lighting for pet skinks as standard practice, even for shy species that avoid direct light in the wild. Exact strength and placement depend on the species. Check the specific care page before setting up an enclosure.

Can different types of skinks be housed together?

Mixing skink species, or even multiple individuals of some species, is generally discouraged. Stress, competition for food, and the risk of injury or disease spread are the main reasons. Each animal is best kept in its own appropriately sized enclosure unless a specific species page says otherwise.