Mean Blue Tongue Skink

[alec.namen]

I've had Iris, my Meruke Blue Tongue who we still don't know the gender of, for about 2 years now and I got her when she was a juvenile. However I wasn't being the most responsible or patient and didn't give her very much time to adapt to her new home before handling her. She is not the nicest pet. She always runs when she sees me and hates being handled. She scratches me and flicks her tongue at me and almost bites me sometimes. I'm thinking this could be because of her rushed new home. I've looked a lot but couldn't seem to find a very definitive answer on how to fix this. Maybe it can't be fixed but I would like to get her more used to people and being handled. I'm willing to try a lot so any suggestions would be very helpful. Thank you

[Yeshika]

Dedicate at least an hour every single day to just sitting outside the vivarium and talking to her. Give her treats if she'll let you. In her mind, you are very scary. When you get to the point where she won't respond negatively to you when she is in her home, try taking her out of it. Make feeding time happen outside, on your bed or couch or somewhere you can sit with her and she can't scurry straight under the furniture. She'll start seeing outside time as a positive thing. If you're home for her bedtime, take her out for a while beforehand, somewhere you can sit down for a long time. I got my skink to trust being outside for lengthier amounts of time by letting him tire himself out and fall asleep on my bed. Eventually it became routine, and he expects his evening snuggle every night.

It's all about building trust. Imagine it like any friendship. You can be acquaintances with someone for years, but that doesn't mean you're friends. She knows you, but doesn't trust you yet. She will, eventually! I 100 percent empathise, my skink hated me at first. Persevere, keep going, and it'll be worth it. Skinks make great pets, once they get over the hissy fits

[kingofnobbys]

If she's an Indonesian BT, even though you got her as juvenile. it's very likely she was wild caught (poached, taken illegally from the wild) and trafficked from Indonesia to the USA and lucky she survived (most don't survive the process) so she has learnt humans are BAD from the get go …. you don't seem to have helped.
It's her experiences with people that have made her act out this way …. I live in Australia and wild BTs are very frequently encountered in people's gardens, sheds, under their homes, even coming inside the home …. I've encountered more wild bluetongues than I can count and never one that is who aggressive , even hissy …. lots of them even let you pick them . But then I'm a regarded by the local neighbourhood as a sort of a "lizard and bird whisperer" .

I expect the same is the case of wild Indo BTs who have not been treated badly by people.

This "defenciveness" on the part of your skink can be turned around , but will take lots patience from YOU.

I'd try offering food treats by hand every time you go near her for starters …. and every time you get her out …. for a start.