Hi, I was changing the substrate in my Skink's viv and I temporarily put her on a table behind me, making sure to keep an eye on her.
I looked away so I could tie the bag shut that contained the old substrate in it and as I went to pick her up, she threw herself off the table for seemingly no reason (It looked more like she was looking over the side to see what was going on and fell), I put her back on to watch how she moved and she crawled around fine and didn't seem to be in any pain or have any injuries so I put her back in her viv where she just went straight to hide.
Should I be concerned about her or are they tough enough to handle an accidental fall?
The table is 27 inches high.
Skink threw herself off a table.
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In this forum all are welcome to ask blue tongue skink-related questions, share information, ideas, tips, experiences, and pictures with fellow BTS enthusiasts.
If you are wondering if your BTS is acting normally or might be sick, this is where you can get help with that.
This is also where you can have some FUN while sharing the enjoyment you get from your blueys!
- Taliats
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- Tokkay
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Re: Skink threw herself off a table.
If she seems to be doing okay just be sure to keep an eye on her for any signs of internal injury (such as if she isn't eating/drinking normally, becomes lethargic, or if you see swelling anywhere).
One of my skinks fell from a lower height once in the past but was fine; skinks are pretty tough and it wasn't an incredible height so she's likely going to be just fine! I believe that skinks (or maybe lizards in general) lack the same depth perception as humans do, meaning that putting them up on heights like that often results in falls. It's best to put them in something like a plastic bin with high sides to keep them contained during cleaning.
I hope your skink is alright!
One of my skinks fell from a lower height once in the past but was fine; skinks are pretty tough and it wasn't an incredible height so she's likely going to be just fine! I believe that skinks (or maybe lizards in general) lack the same depth perception as humans do, meaning that putting them up on heights like that often results in falls. It's best to put them in something like a plastic bin with high sides to keep them contained during cleaning.
I hope your skink is alright!
- splashy07
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Re: Skink threw herself off a table.
One of my Northerns pulled out a circular air vent in his enclosure (which I thought was too high for him to reach...!) and crawled out the hole and fell four feet to the floor. Imagine my surprise when I came home from work seeing the vent displaced and him gone. He was three months old at the time and my first Sunrise. Thank God I quickly found him under the couch, no worse for the wear. Needless to say I was a wreck for a while waiting for him to turn up cripple or something. This one is particularly adventurous, unlike some of my others who will sit on a table all night and not even contemplate going over the edge. Spent the whole next day securing all the vents in all the enclosures....and yes, place them in a tub when cleaning. I use a spare in my snake rack. Whew. That experience was hard to re-live. Hope your skink is well!
- Taliats
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Re: Skink threw herself off a table.
She seems fine, she wasn't too pleased this morning when I had to go in that room and I accidentally woke her up but she seems to just be doing skink things now as normal and is moving about fine.
I have a giant plastic tub that can contain her in future.
I have a giant plastic tub that can contain her in future.
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Re: Skink threw herself off a table.
I'd keep an close eye on her , especially if the surface she landed on is hard and unforgiving such as tiles, lino over concrete, or polished timber..
Chances are she'll be fine , but she may well have done internal damage or broken some ribs on landing.
In the wild , when the fall of stuff it's usually onto leaf litter or grass so the fall is not onto a hard surface , they are not a reptile evolved to sustain falls and landing on hard surfaces like other skink species who are adapted to climbing rocks and branches and trees.
Chances are she'll be fine , but she may well have done internal damage or broken some ribs on landing.
In the wild , when the fall of stuff it's usually onto leaf litter or grass so the fall is not onto a hard surface , they are not a reptile evolved to sustain falls and landing on hard surfaces like other skink species who are adapted to climbing rocks and branches and trees.
- Taliats
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Re: Skink threw herself off a table.
kingofnobbys wrote:I'd keep an close eye on her , especially if the surface she landed on is hard and unforgiving such as tiles, lino over concrete, or polished timber..
Chances are she'll be fine , but she may well have done internal damage or broken some ribs on landing.
In the wild , when the fall of stuff it's usually onto leaf litter or grass so the fall is not onto a hard surface , they are not a reptile evolved to sustain falls and landing on hard surfaces like other skink species who are adapted to climbing rocks and branches and trees.
She landed on a soft wood floor, it's not a particularly rough surface but it has some jagged edges.
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Re: Skink threw herself off a table.
soft as in cork ?Taliats wrote:kingofnobbys wrote:I'd keep an close eye on her , especially if the surface she landed on is hard and unforgiving such as tiles, lino over concrete, or polished timber..
Chances are she'll be fine , but she may well have done internal damage or broken some ribs on landing.
In the wild , when the fall of stuff it's usually onto leaf litter or grass so the fall is not onto a hard surface , they are not a reptile evolved to sustain falls and landing on hard surfaces like other skink species who are adapted to climbing rocks and branches and trees.
She landed on a soft wood floor, it's not a particularly rough surface but it has some jagged edges.
- Taliats
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Re: Skink threw herself off a table.
No, no that soft, I am not sure of the material.
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