blue tongue skink vs bearded dragon

[fernandezz]

What are the Differences between Blue Tongue Skink vs. Bearded Dragon and which one should some one to get

 

[TammyJ]

Google will tell you the difference if you read about them separately. Then get whichever one you fancy.

 

[Tom]

What are the Differences between Blue Tongue Skink vs. Bearded Dragon and which one should some one to get

Both are terrific pets, but this is such a broad question, and very dependent on personal preferences and opinions. I've had many of each over the last few decades, and currently have two beardies, and one northern BTS. I also have a pink tongue skink, but that's not part of your question... Prehensile tailed skinks too... and black throat monitors, unicolor cribos, a bunch of tarantulas, and my daughter has a crested gecko, but I digress...

Here are some primary care similarities and differences to help you decide which one is better for you:
1. BTS do not need UV. None. They get D3 in their diet. One can argue that is good to give it to them anyway, but it is totally unnecessary. Many generations of them have been captive bred with no UV at all. They simply do not "need" it. Bearded dragons, on the other hand, need a strong, well-maintained, high quality UV source. You will need a meter to check it frequently and adjust as needed to keep the correct UV levels. Do NOT mess around with this. Do the UV right. I have had to rehab countless dragons that were kept under crappy ineffective pet store UV bulbs with no one checking to make sure what the levels were, and no one replacing bulbs on schedule. Beardies WILL get MBD if their UV needs are not met. Luckily, their UV needs are EASY to meet with the right bulb and a little effort. Direct sunshine in suitable weather works too.
2. Both need the same heat. A simple flood bulb from the hardware store set on a timer and screwed into a ceramic based domed fixture is all that is needed. Place the bulb over a large flat basking rock and set the height to get a basking temp around 100-110F (37-43C). Normal room temp of 68-72F (20-22C) is fine at night when the lights go off. If your house is kept colder than that, some night heat should be added in the form of a CHE or RHP set on a thermostat.
3. Additional ambient lighting in the form of LEDs in the 6500K color range are beneficial to both.
4. Both are fine in screen topped glass tanks, but I prefer PVC closed chambers for them. They do much better in them and conditions are easier to maintain correctly. Front opening doors are also better for taming down babies, but certainly not critical or necessary for either of these normally tame species. An enclosure of 2x4 feet is fine for an adult of either species. I enclosure anyone to go larger if you have room.
5. Both are easily tamed and very easy to handle. BTS move around more, and beardies tend to perch more, but BTS sit still sometimes, and beardies walk around sometimes. I love both and both are exceptionally handleable.
6. Food. Here we hit a major difference. All that is needed to maintain a healthy BTS is canned dog food. I'm not joking, and I'm not making that up. Nothing works better at growing them and maintaining them in good health over the long term (I'm talking decades) and for multiple generations. You can mix up your own fancy expensive food mixtures, and it won't work any better than dog food. You can give them other stuff too, but it isn't "necessary". I like to hand roaches or occasional bits of quail or jack rabbit to my BTS for fun, but their main diet is canned dog food. Bearded dragons will require a variety of insects, gut loaded and dusted with calcium or reptile vitamin powder, as well as a wide variety of weeds and greens. I feed adults BTS two or three times a a week. I put out fresh greens for adult beardies daily, and offer them a variety of roach species every other day. Babies of either species should be fed every day.

If you don't mind the bugs and the attention to UV, bearded dragons are wonderful. I don't think any pet reptile is easier to keep than a BTS, but some people don't like their shape for reasons I can't understand. Some people get bored with bearded dragons always perched and looking out at the world, and enjoy the activity of the BTS more. Some people find the spike and the colors of the beardies to be super attractive and fascinating. Some people find BTS to be snake like, but preferable to any snake species. These are all things only you can decide. Questions on any of this are welcome.

 

[TammyJ]

Wow Tom! Love them both.

 

[Jubloo]

Tongue skinks and bearded dragons are both popular reptile pets, but they have some differences in terms of their care requirements, behavior, and appearance.