Taming questions?

[PepPepSkinker]

Hello, I just got my first blue tongue skink, an indonesian named Pepperoni.

I had him overnight shipped from LLLreptiles in california. Hes about 2 years old. They say hes an import.

As soon as i took him out he was hissy. I put him in his tank with a peach slice as something sweet to see if he will eat and as a welcome home gift.

Tonight hes still very hissy. Hasnt taken a bite of peach. I noticed most likely from shipping he has a broken scale on his forehead, and another on his lower torso, and some more simply damaged on his forehead. I can hardly go near him, even more so pick him up. The broken scales have a bit of blood... Should i use gloves and grab him, so i can clean the broken scales? Or simply leave him? When scould i start handling?

Thank you!

[Sarikazam]

Welcome to the forum!

I am not sure what to do about the damaged scale. My first reaction would be to leave it or maybe put some Neosporin on it. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

As for taming, I would recommend leaving your skink alone for a least a week, maybe two, so he can settle in to his new home. Imported skinks might take a little bit longer to settle in.
Fatal_S posted a great guide for taming your skink. I will link it here: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=20375
I personally recommend taking it slow and winning over him over with lots of treats. However, you will be able to decide what works best for your skink.

Best of luck with Pepperoni! Can we see some pictures of him?

[PepPepSkinker]

You can see the scales here....

[DianaBlueTongue]

the broken scales are probably because hes an import, wild collected animals typically have some damage to their scales here and there.

Adult wild collected indos are notoriously difficult to tame in general, there are some that calm down, but wild caught indo blueys are considered a much more shy, timid, and moderately aggressive sub species. Time and patience are whats needed with this guy. Leave him be a while, let him acclimate to his new captive environment and get used to just seeing you milling around the room he's kept. After a couple months when you see he's not quite so afraid of the sight of a human try hand feeding bits of favorite treat, maybe place a small piece of cloth with your scent on it in his cage. It's gonna take some time but when patience and persistence I don't see why he can't become calm enough to tolerate physical interaction. Blueys don't ever become "tame" they just tolerate handling better then other lizards of the same size.

[PepPepSkinker]

Noo, this guy was wild caught as a little one! Hes 2 and has been with humans the rest of the time.

I put my most worn pants in there and he seems to like them, laying on them. He watches me, and i was sent a "friendly" skink, atleast that you know, what i asked of LLL.

My mother held him by the front and i put neosporin on the forhead scale. It didnt bother him except the ocasional quiet hissing. I gently pet his back, and picked him up from around the tummy, while my mom held his front, so he felt my hand. Im being tought not to fear his bite or hiss, and im improving. Infact, despite my mother removing him from the tank, he likes me better than her and it ment alot.

(oh hes falling asleep on my pants as i type adorable0

He pokes his tongue out curiously, only at me. That means alot too. I want a trust bond.

Now i can see how shaken up he is from shipping after my mom was able to pick him up with just hands... He truly is a friendly skink. I spent a few mins petting him too. We will do this 2 times a day so he gets used to being picked up, my main goal right now besides him eating and drinking water.

Hes also used both hides, warm and cooler. Also burrowed a little, it was cute.

[PepPepSkinker]

Also. He likes when i sing to him, hehe~

He watches me the whole time, even moving his head a bit or licking. Maybe singing lets them here a bit more range of your voice~

[PepPepSkinker]

Gonna work with him again today. Ill report how it all goes.

[DianaBlueTongue]

Please keep in mind though that closing his eyes doesn't actually mean hes relaxed and comfortable with the situation. When a reptile closes its eyes and remains still when being handled it usually indicates the animal is highly stressed and has gone into a sorta "shut down" mode. Like a stimulation overload sorta thing. They don't respond to humans the way a dog or cat would, they only tolerate our interaction with them but luckily do it better then a lot of other reptiles. Its not always the case but is more often so with wild caught reptiles.

[PepPepSkinker]

He only closes his eyes after being in the tank a little, going to sleep, like when in his hide uwu

2 day sucsessful. He will walk around and put his tongue out curiously. Has started burrowing, and due to the lowering water level, most likely drinking water. He didnt eat, like i expected. Hissing has signifigantly decreased, and he has no problem being held by me or my mother. Friendly as described. Even walked around my bed. He will look up at you without a single hiss. Truly different when outta the tank a bit.

His warm hide is his one true love, haha! He curls up and falls asleep cutely.

[Clark]

Have you done a fecal on this import and looked him over real good for mites?

Coming from LLL, someone that deals with imports they probably had this 1 with a bunch of others in a big tub or trougth.

[PepPepSkinker]

Besides the tiny wound from shipping on his forehead, i havnt seen any uplifted scales, or bugs whatsoever. This is my first skink, and i wouldnt be the best at checking. he doesnt seem irritated. No rubbing or scratching.

[Clark]

Besides the tiny wound from shipping on his forehead, i havnt seen any uplifted scales, or bugs whatsoever. This is my first skink, and i wouldnt be the best at checking. he doesnt seem irritated. No rubbing or scratching.

You would not see what I am talking about. you should consider a wellness check up at a vet with a fecal exam to rule out any internal parasites(worms).

[PepPepSkinker]

Well. Ok... He uh, hasnt pooped yet and he probably wont a bit. I only got him a bit ago.

If im correct, he was wild caught when a little one as i said above. Wish he could have a bit more time to adjust but ill talk to my mother bout the exotic vet she knows.

You said mites, so... he doesnt have those, pretty sure.

[Clark]

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[PepPepSkinker]

Rarely hisses anymore, has no problem with handling! Very proud of pep.

[PepPepSkinker]

Today Pep had such progress. No hissing, first shed under my care (colors were lighter than thought!) and because he was shedding, made a nice warm bath. Hes in now, and he loooooves it so much. Ate for the first time (out of my hand!), drank for the first time, overall, im a proud mommy. Tommorow is my birthday, and ill have a friendly skink to celebrate with, with such pretty colors!