Help me out? Always hiding !

[BruinsEv]

To piggyback off Ty's thread, I figured I would ask for some input on my BTS since she came from the same clutch as his.

She is ALWAYS hiding. Whether burrowed in her bedding, or in one of her hides. Every once in a while she will
Be basking, and as soon as I walk in the room she crawls into a hide and looks away. She is so uninterested in everything, and I understand bluesy are not mammals, but after reading Ty's thread, she has really got me worried.

Even when I put food in, she doesn't go after it. I literally have to pick her up and feed her on my lap for her to eat. Basking spot is 102-105, cool side is 72-75. I clean her viv almost daily, she is in a quiet nice spot, huge viv, huge bowl of fresh water, lots of veggies, meal worms, super worms, calcium dust, etc.

I feel bad digging her out to interact, but after the initial huffing, once I get her out she is great. She sits on my shoulder for hours while I watch tv!!

Should I be worried with this behavior ? Any tips or am I just over thinking it ? I will post pics of the viv when I get home tonight if that helps

[Spindown]

Basking spot is a bit hot, 95-100 is pretty much the hottest it should be. Cool side sounds find though. You are probably disturbing her too much cleaning her viv daily, I clean mine once a week, and considering mine only poop every 3-7 days depending on how much they eat, it works out great. Hiding is normal. Many of mine hide all day long until I come in and then they come out to see whats happening

She could have nothing to do and so is sleeping, you could provide new cage items/hides/etc for her to explore, or rearrange her cage furniture every so often. Mine seem to enjoy exploring their newly arranged digs

Doesnt sound like there is anything at all to worry about whatsoever! Every single skink is going to be different, from the same litter or from one halfway across the world. Hope this helps you feel better!

[Fatal_S]

Would love to see photos of the setup. How often are you feeding her? I would cut back on her feeding until she actually shows interest in the food offered.

I see no issue with your temps, look great to me. My tile tends to be 105-110 through the day.

I also only clean about weekly (usually whenever I offer food I do a quick spot-check). She could simply be feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the activity and constant food - she doesn't have to do anything to get attention, it'll come whether she wants it or not. For now, try to cut back on bothering her. Offer food every few days, leave it in the tank, and clean as you do so. See if she starts taking more of an interest in food/attention once it's not always there?

Does she show interest in new things in her tank?

[BruinsEv]

Thanks for the info ! It's really weird, because she seems to go out of her way to avoid me, but as soon as I have her out she is amazing. She has never tried to bite me or anything as soon as she's out. I am changing her tank around pretty often in terms of different hides, etc. and last week I actually split her tank in half. One half aspen, the other half reptile carpet, to give her more options

[BruinsEv]

[Linnea]

i highly recommend adding background, and maybe even something on the sides, to heighten comfort of the skink. might do the trick, along with what everyone else said.

id also say, moving around stuff that often is a bit too much. puts a lot of stress on the skink. in my opinion the hides should be as stationary as possible, they like to know where it is safe to sleep and such. a new skink will go out of his/her way to try all possible hiding spots before claimign the best, then soemtimes change sleeping places spontaneously.

[BruinsEv]

i highly recommend adding background, and maybe even something on the sides, to heighten comfort of the skink. might do the trick, along with what everyone else said.

id also say, moving around stuff that often is a bit too much. puts a lot of stress on the skink. in my opinion the hides should be as stationary as possible, they like to know where it is safe to sleep and such. a new skink will go out of his/her way to try all possible hiding spots before claimign the best, then soemtimes change sleeping places spontaneously.

Thanks Linnea. I have been meaning to get the back filled for a while. Maybe I will head to Wal-mart this weekend and get some nice wallpaper or something! And yeah, I agree about leaving her alone. I need to stop responding to her like a mammal, and realize that she has different needs/wants.

Thanks a lot!