Bluey Hiding

[Eidechse]

Hi,

I've had my male Northern Blue Tongued skink for some weeks now. I've gotten to know his routine - getting up early at dawn, basking under the heat lamp all day, going to bed when it gets dark outside.. His droppings have been normal after the initial first week where they were liquidy. But yesterday he didn't come out of his hide box at all to go to the warm side of his tank. Later in the day I lifted the hide box lid to check on him and he was puffing and hissing... he's never hissed at me before, but then I've never lifted the lid to his hide box before either. Today... he was still hiding in the hide box. I opened the cage doors to look at him, I could see his head was down in the bedding. and when I spoke to him he lifted his head and starting hissing allot. So my question is, has other people's skinks gone through a "I just want to stay in my hide box on the cold end all day" for a couple days and is that normal?

[MechHAN]

It do happen sometime,and before the shedding it almost always happen...

[Eidechse]

Oh, good to know. Thank you

[splashy07]

My northern has been doing that since the middle of December. Just starting to perk up a bit, had a few bites of banana yesterday. Not eating much at all, hiding most of the time even in the daytime. A little bit longer brumation than usual. but this has been a hell of a winter. For the first time, I was glad she was a bit chunky! She is going on four years old.
I worry myself sick although it is a yearly occurrence. Good luck!

[Eidechse]

Wow, yeah I never had a lizard that brumates before. I'm not sure what to expect. Indigo just came out today for the first time since this started. He looks a bit groggy but was behaving more normally ex: was sun basking and wasn't hissing at the sight/sound of me. I'm his third owner. He is 3 yrs old.

[starscream3232]

Yeah my northerns hide as lot when they are starting to shed. Just like us they can have mood swings.

[JoshChimera]

My bts started to shed today, he was him hiding out as well the day before shedding. He was quite content to visit petco with me (people are always excited to see him, he looks a lot different than a bearded dragon) and he is very robust looking lately. He will be 7-years-old in May.