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Blue Tailed Skink
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The blue-tailed skink is also called a five-lined skink. The blue tail is a characteristic of juvenile skinks and females. Adult males change color and are black with faded yellow lines or solid brown. Females also change color but the tail usually remains a pale blue color. The lizard can detach its blue tail, which keeps moving while it escapes from predators and then grows back.
Diet in the Wild
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In the wild, the blue-tailed skink eats a variety of insects, including spiders, ants, snails, beetles, crickets, worms and grasshoppers. The skink uses its relatively large head to shovel under fallen leaves and brush to search for its prey. They frequently rustle through underbrush searching for food and are most often active during the day.
Captivity Diet
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In captivity, blue-tailed skinks can be fed crickets, locusts, cockroaches, spiders and worms. Owners often add a calcium powder supplement dusted on their food. The lizard should be fed live insects so that it can practice its normal foraging behavior. They can also be fed pre-made reptile food for lizards or monitors as a treat.
Habitat
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The blue-tailed skink likes damp and moist forested areas with plenty of places to hide and borough. They can be found in many regions including Canada, the United States, Southeast Asia and Australia. The lizards are often found near rivers and lakes.
In captivity, blue-tailed skinks should have a tank filled with sticks, plants and leaves so that they can hide. They need a rock with a heat lamp for basking and a bowl of water always available. Male blue-tailed skinks are very territorial and there should only be one male per tank.
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What Do Blue-Tailed Lizards Eat?
The blue-tailed skink (also called blue-tailed lizard) belongs to the diverse family of skinks and is named after its bright turquoise tail. They are frequent visitors to places inhabited by humans as they enjoy dark and secluded spaces created by garbage cans, patios and modern construction. They are also kept as pets.