stress

[reddevil]

hi all
i have now brought home my skink which has now been given the name george by the wife
it is well stressed the condition it was in was awful had a newspaper for its bed/hide no heat and limited water and food as it was kept with a bearded dragon which kept picking on it is around 10 to 12 inches long all it seems to do at the moment is sit under the heat lamp and sleep and drink loads of water but has not eaten as yet
is there any need to worry yet as i no it will take a while for it to settle down and de stress
any hints and tips would be very good at this time

cheers phill

[Katrina]

Don't worry - make sure it has enough hides and good temps, and then just leave it be for 1-2 weeks. Don't handle it, don't wake it, just let it do its thing for about two weeks. Offer food, but don't worry if it doesn't eat.

Unless you are concerned about its health, just leave it be and don't worry. It will settle in and slowly adapt. Good luck! I think the best advice is just to not worry too much.

[reddevil]

hi katrina
thanks for the info. will it be ok to hold if left for a while as the wife love s it to bits and wants to hold it again
it seems to be ok walking around and drinking then more sleep temps are fine
guess its the same with most pets we worry they dont

cheers phill

[Katrina]

It would be best to minimize the handling for at least the first week to let it settle in. Moving is stressful for them, as is handling (especially if they aren't used to being handled much). After that, start handling for short periods of time and keep it as stress free as possible so that they associate it with a non-scary experience.