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While not difficult to breed, blue-tongued skinks do need to be kept under the proper conditions to procreate. Always ensure that any reptile breeding attempts are done with only animals in top health.

Of course in order to breed blue-tongues, you will need to know the sex of the animals. The easiest and most reliable way would be to place the animal with one of known sex and watch their interaction. However, for some this is not always possible.

BT's are famous for being extremely difficult to sex visually. While this is true, there are some slight differences between males and females, that with practice, recognition of these is possible.

Head size: This is perhaps the attribute that is most commonly mentioned when sexing BT's. Truth be told, this is also one of the more unreliable physical characteristics. Males do generally have a wider head than females, however, the differences between various animals and species are usually to slight to be accurate.

Body shape: Again, helpful, but not an accurate sexing method in and of itself. Males tend to have straighter sides, with females slightly outward bowing at their middles. Again, though, older, heavier males will appear to be females by this method.

This brings us to what in my opinion are the more reliable external features of males and females.

Hemi-penile bulges: Male blue-tongues are equipped with two separate sex organs. One on each side of its body. These are located in the base of the tail in pockets. Because of this, it is possible to see the bulges created by the hemi-penises. You will notice the difference in the tail base of the two animals below. The picture on the left is a male, and the picture on the right is the female. This feature is more easily displayed during the mating season as the sexual organs swell, and is not visible in baby and juvenile BT's until they reach sexual maturity.

Eye color: Yes, eye color can be used to determine the sex of a blue-tongued skink. Males have a more intense orange colored eye, while females are more brown to brownish orange by comparison. Again, the photo on the left is the male.

Please note that the above pictures are of animals which represent extremes in sexual dimorphism, and even with the above traits, there may be some blue-tongues which a 100% sex determination cannot be made. Behavior must never be left out of the equation when sexing BT's.

There are two options available as far as housing is concerned. Some keep there skinks separate until they desire mating, and then place the male in the female's habitat. Personally, I keep both of my pairs together year round, letting them interact as they desire.

Whichever housing method is used, there is general consensus that at least a partial brumation need take place. BTS's need not be cooled to the extent that most snakes do, however a moderate drop in temperature will aid in getting them to "do their thing" come spring.

At the start of winter, around the middle of November, I decrease their temperatures to a basking spot of 80° F, leaving the ambient temperature to that of the room. Feeding is reduced to weekly, and water is still always available. The male and female tend to ignore each other during this time, and interaction is rare.

Around the beginning of February, I slowly return cage temperatures to normal, and increase feeding. The male will begin to follow the female around the enclosure, with his nose behind the females back legs. I have never been able to witness copulation.

Always make sure to keep an eye on BT's in season. Fights can frequently happen as hormones take over. A female not yet ready to mate will be very aggressive towards unwanted advances by the male. Despite their usual slow nature, a defending blue-tongue moves with surprising speed. The female will circle the male, keeping him in front of her. Strikes are snake like and lighting fast. She will usually not attempt to grab and hold the bite so long as the male backs off. If this happens, separate the pair for a day or two and place them together again, watching closely for signs of aggression on the females part.

On December 15, 2000 my first baby BTS's were born. Normally a spring breeding would result in babies 4-5 months after mating. (June - August depending on breeding dates), however, as the female that had the babies was an import, she had not yet adapted to our reverse seasons, and breeding for her occurred in July. I am now attempting to acclimate her to North American seasonality, so I probably will not receive babies from her again for two years.

The number of babies depends on the size of the skink, as obviously a larger female can have more. Numbers between 5 and 15 are common. My 24 inch female gave birth to 11 babies between 5 and 6 inches long.

The babies are born alive, and are gangly images of their parents. Their legs and heads are larger in proportion to their bodies than are adults.

The female simply drops the babies and moves away, leaving them to care for themselves. Each baby is enclosed in a clear placenta, which they immediately wiggle their heads and front legs out of. They then reach around themselves, and pull off and consume the placenta, giving them their first meal.

They are instantly active, and crawl around exploring their new environment. Babies should be separated from the mother, as her with her large size, she could easily accidentally crush one.

Set up the babies the same as an adult, except temperatures and humidity should be a little higher. They should feed on their own the following day, and can be fed the same diet as the parents, except in very small pieces, or puréed. A calcium supplement should be added as they grow quickly.