Need advice on new BTS

[steiner302]

I just received my Blue tongue baby skink this morning and it has been a difficult day. As soon I opened the box the baby was hissing and lunging at me. I finally got the lid off and had him/her in the enclosure. He continued to his and lunge every time I walked past the tank. My husband came home and feed it worms and he went and hid until now when we went in there to see it. We dug it out and woke it up. The hissing and lunging were bad.
Does this mean I have an aggressive BTS? I really want this to work out but I'm worried. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. We do have a care sheet but nothing is mentioned about this sort of behavior. We have other reptiles that we love and are part of our family. This is very disappointing.

[Fatal_S]

It's the first day. The poor guy's having a rough day - his entire world just got changed on him and now he's in a new place with new people who are harrassing him. As with any reptile you should leave them to settle in for a week or two. During this time you still feed/water/tidy, but don't bug them too much.

After the settling in period you can start handling him a bit and getting used to each other. Depending on the skink and where you got it from it can take a couple days to several months before you're comfortable with each other. I suggest you use these next couple weeks to watch him and do a bunch of research into bringing home a new pet reptile. This forum has many, many threads about people asking how to get their skink to calm down (it's a very common problem, you're not alone) and how to start 'taming' them.

I'll suggest reading this and then browsing the forum for past threads about this
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=20375

[steiner302]

Thanks for the feedback. We received him/her from a breeder and not a pet store. He was shipped overnight which is very stressful I can only imagine. But my concern is the lunging and snapping at me. I've tried to research the internet about that behavior but I can't find much. Does this mean that his is going to be his temperament? I'm really sad about this. I love all my reptiles and I hope I have a connection with this little guy too. It's very scary to see him doing this and disappointing. Could I have received a bad BTS if there is a such thing?

[Fatal_S]

It's very normal behaviour. He's freaked out and trying to get you to back off. He can't yell or scream, all he can do it run like heck or threaten you. Hopefully once he's settled in he'll stop being so scared and his curiosity will start to show.

There's no such thing as a bad bluey, but they do have individual personalities. Some are more naturally easygoing and friendly, some are more cautious and shy. All skinks can become friendly with time and patience.

I'll add - enjoy these first moments where you have to win him over. In a few years when he's a fat lazy lump who'll spend the whole day snoozing on your lap you can look back at these times are realize how far you've come together.

[Scincoides]

Out of the nearly thirty skinks here, more than half started that way. Lunging, hissing, occasionally biting. Hes just scared. After a few weeks (or less) he will calm right down for you

[steiner302]

Thank you all! I was tearing up writing my first post. He is gosh darn so cute I just want to hold him!!!! But I understand he's scared. My 3 children keep asking my husband and I if we are going to get rid of him. We keep saying NO, but they ask that about our dog when he does something bad. We teach our children that compassion for animals is one of the greatest gifts on earth that a person can have.

[Richard.C]

Try not to picture it as aggression,as its not,its scared and natural instincts tell it it needs to do a threat display to ward off the big scary humans,most babies do it,but they quickly settle as they learn uour the bringer of food and no threat to them

[Seadation]

When you go pick him up don't try to pet him or rub him in his body or head and don't hesitate just go for it and grab him. He will settle down after a couple of days. Good luck!

[jdheff1982]

When you go pick him up don't try to pet him or rub him in his body or head and don't hesitate just go for it and grab him. He will settle down after a couple of days. Good luck!

This.

Even though my guy was relatively calm on the day I unboxed him, he did become somewhat defensive afterwards. I felt confused because he was really calm and curious. His unboxing was done at my kitchen table. Once I pulled the lid off his container and let him warm up, he took it upon himself to crawl out and explore the table top. Like any new owner, I was really hesitant in trying to pick him up, not knowing what kind of defensive reaction he would give. I slowly approached with my hand, which caused him to get hissy, then he'd approach and chomp my fingers. Since the bites didn't hurt, I let him have his way until he calmed down My second thought was he was hungry. I scooped a tsp of wet dog food and he went to town. I was like, "YEAH!" Once I felt it was time to introduce him to his new home, I picked him up w/o so much of a hiss. Of course, I didn't want to put him down or anything; but, I had to. Once in his home, he then became a bit defensive. I wish I could relive that day again. I don't believe I had ever been so excited about opening a box.

I've had my BTS since Oct. 1st and he is mostly tamed now. It took many days of sitting in front of his enclosure, reaching in and let him get used to my hands/arm, hand feed treats, and etc. All the work has paid off. He doesn't mind when I'm in his cage cleaning/feeding, and he pretty much lets me know when he wants out. He's even to the point to where I can reach in to lightly rub his back and sides. Still working on that, but he's taking it well.

I had another pet lizard in the past and things didn't go well. I am glad I chose a BTS as a second go on lizards. Give your BTS time to adjust to you and his/her new surroundings; and, be persistent and patient.

The hissing/huffing is only a warning, sometimes they will firmly bite as a warning or to investigate. Anytime my guy bit me, it felt as though someone was firmly squeezing a finger. You knew something was there, but it didn't hurt. Rosco did this at first with my hands and fingers. Over time he stopped and now knows they are not food or will not threaten him. He still gives a hiss every now and then; but it subsides quickly.

Good luck!