need help plz! poop issues and i am new

[Sunny_Skinks]

Hi!
My name is Sunny and I recently purchased a juvenile blue tongue skink. I think it's an Eastern but the store owner said a Northern... and then said he is not sure. Wow, that was helpful!

General Information
Name: Cloudy Sky
Sex: Female (but sorry if I say 'him/his' it's a habit ;-;
Type: Eastern
Age: 7 months
Notes: Had some sort of jag on his body, but the store owner said it was a birth defect. Pet store supplied UV, heat so i dont really know...

Food Issue
My skink started off well, pooping but not eating well. The store owner said that the skink survived on ONLY carrots. I sort of thought this was a lie because apparently you need some sort of protein... so I began feeding him a snail a day with grated carrots, but he refused to eat the snail unless it was not mixed in with the carrots...
Later on we stopped feeding snails and began feeding just carrots and some mixed greens from Woolworths. It had kale, beet leaves and red lettuce (though I always tried to pick that out) but he still refused it. If I held the food up to his mouth he would start licking it, maybe try and eat it but end up spitting it out. I ended up just feeding him raw eggs and no greens. He refused all sorts of berries too! Finally, I made him eat some boiled chicken. He ate it up, so I mixed it in with some butternut pumpkin, bok choi and carrot. He also ate that up. Mind you, he doesn't eat the food straight away though, I have to put it in front of him and wait for him to lick it...
I am scared that he will refuse to eat if I just leave the food inside the terrarium, so what do I do? I'll try and take a photo of the food for you guys..

Poop Issue
Little Cloudy here has not pooped for about a month and I am very worried. He peed on me when I was holding him just last week and passed a urate solid (i think thats what it's called) but still no poop. I am scared he has a blockage or constipation! I have given him a bath and I fed him a bit of mashed banana and egg but still has not done anything... Help!

Enclosure is ok?
My enclosure is 4 ft and is made out of melamine. There is that plastic grass on the bottom and a pile of shredded newspaper for her to bury in. The pet shop guy used cat litter but apparently the dust can go into the eye and cause an infection or something... sad ;-;

Heating issue
My basking light is not very close to the basking rock... is the height ok? I'll put a picture of the enclosure up for you. Also, the pet shop owner said the temps should be at about 28 at the hottest at the basking spot... i did try 29 but my skink seemed to be constantly breathing out of the vent and not moving, like, his head was up at the vent like it was too stuffy. my enclosure only has two tiny vents... Help

conclusion: plz help
I did a lot of research but cannot find help
help

[Tokkay]

Disclaimer: I've only had about two years of experience caring for skinks myself (though I've done tons of research) so I'm not expert!

First thing I would recommend is adjusting your temperatures- 28 degrees C is too low of a basking spot temp, so try adjusting to get it up to somewhere between 35 and 37 degrees C! If her temperatures are too low it could be one of the reasons she hasn't pooped, as skinks need proper temperatures to be able to digest and process food properly. Your ambient temperatures should be around 27 degrees C during the day (on the cooler end). The height of your heat source doesn't matter too much as long as your temperatures are correct. Forgive me if I messed up any of the temperatures- I'm from the US so I am used to measurements in Fahrenheit! But I believe 28 C = 82 F, which is not hot enough for a skink's basking spot.

I'd be interested in seeing a picture of the cage if you could! It's important to have proper ventilation, especially for higher temperatures. Are you able to modify the cage at all to add vents? If it's a top opening cage you could also leave the top partially open for air flow.

For your food problem, I'd recommend trying high quality grain-free canned dog food mixed with a generous amount of greens and veggies (my skinks like endive, escarole, and squash the most). If you put it all through a food processor first it makes a mix that can be frozen in individual servings and thawed for feeding time. It also prevents picky sinks from picking around certain foods. You want about 50% veggies/greens, 40% protein, and 10% fruit (though I only toss in fruit like kiwi/blueberries every other week)

How often are you feeding? There are lots of different ways to do it, but personally I only feed my skinks once a week, about 1.5 tablespoons each. If you are feeding her daily that may be why she's not eating much- she just isn't as hungry and is pickier because of that! I would recommend you stay away from feeding too much banana- it can cause diarrhea in skinks. Also, make sure you provide her with a big bowl of water in her cage at all time to make sure she can soak and stay fully hydrated.

If you can, try gently feeling her stomach/abdomen to see if there seems to be any kind of blockage (though it isn't a guarantee that you'll be able to feel one, even if there is one there). If money/time allows for you, I'd also recommend a vet check up for her, especially if you fix your husbandry and she still seems to be having issues. A vet can help you identify if there really is a problem or if she might just be a little less than healthy due to the poor care she received at the pet store.

[Sunny_Skinks]

Disclaimer: I've only had about two years of experience caring for skinks myself (though I've done tons of research) so I'm not expert!

NOTE: THE RED WORDS ARE MY RESPONSE, AND THE PINK WORDS ARE TOKKAY'S ANSWERS TO MY ORIGINAL POST.
First thing I would recommend is adjusting your temperatures- 28 degrees C is too low of a basking spot temp, so try adjusting to get it up to somewhere between 35 and 37 degrees C!
Well, thanks for the information, but before I change the temps and tweak up the enclosure, I would like to know what would happen in the wild for a wild skink, because EVEN though i'm probably old enough to live in my own house, I'm still with my parents, and they think it's a waste of electricity to turn the heat up because in the WILD it's a lot colder in the wild here at Australia. (less than 28) Would a wild skink get sick too? I've heard that they slow down or even hibernate in winter.

If her temperatures are too low it could be one of the reasons she hasn't pooped, as skinks need proper temperatures to be able to digest and process food properly.
Oh ;-; What would happen in the wild?
She was pooping fine in the pet shop, but I think the basking temps were 30-35 degrees Celsius. Also, is my lizard supposed to feel cold? Occasionally when I pick her up she feels warm, but she mostly feels cold. Like ice.


I'd be interested in seeing a picture of the cage if you could!
I'll send a picture. I have to say, the vents are soooo tiny though.

It's important to have proper ventilation, especially for higher temperatures. Are you able to modify the cage at all to add vents?
Could you make a suggestion where to buy and place vents? I dont want my little baby to escape, but I want her to be happy and healthy!

If it's a top opening cage you could also leave the top partially open for air flow.
MIne is a melamine sliding door cage, orginally used for bearded dragons. Only 2 TINY vents ;-;

[]For your food problem, I'd recommend trying high quality grain-free canned dog food mixed with a generous amount of greens and veggies (my skinks like endive, escarole, and squash the most). If you put it all through a food processor first it makes a mix that can be frozen in individual servings and thawed for feeding time. It also prevents picky sinks from picking around certain foods. You want about 50% veggies/greens, 40% protein, and 10% fruit (though I only toss in fruit like kiwi/blueberries every other week)
My skink HATES berries and fruits. Is it necessary in the diet? I do freeze it in small ice cube trays, and feed one ice cube a day. The size is about equivalent to about half of my skink's head, and the head is about 4.5 cm soo...

How often are you feeding? There are lots of different ways to do it, but personally I only feed my skinks once a week, about 1.5 tablespoons each. If you are feeding her daily that may be why she's not eating much- she just isn't as hungry and is pickier because of that! I would recommend you stay away from feeding too much banana- it can cause diarrhea in skinks. Also, make sure you provide her with a big bowl of water in her cage at all time to make sure she can soak and stay fully hydrated.
[color=#FFf0040]Mine is a baby skink, so I am feeding her everyday, but I am thinking about reducing to just one feed every 2-3 days. I'll stay away from banana then.[/color]

Also, make sure you provide her with a big bowl of water in her cage at all time to make sure she can soak and stay fully hydrated.
I soak Cloudy (skink is called cloudy) every week in my sink ( ) with luke warm water as I don't want water spilling out onto my grass substrate. She is passing uria solids (wutever those white lumps) so i think shes hydrated.

If you can, try gently feeling her stomach/abdomen to see if there seems to be any kind of blockage (though it isn't a guarantee that you'll be able to feel one, even if there is one there). If money/time allows for you, I'd also recommend a vet check up for her, especially if you fix your husbandry and she still seems to be having issues. A vet can help you identify if there really is a problem or if she might just be a little less than healthy due to the poor care she received at the pet store.

[/quote]
There is a strange lump on Cloudy which seems to move a little bit each day. Maybe this could be the blockage??? Anyway, I don't want to pay $100 at the vet just in case there is nothing wrong with her. I'll see what happens.

[Sunny_Skinks]

Sorry, I forgot the image. Here it is! By the way, if you look at the picture of the enclosure, you can see there are tiny white vents on the bottom right and top left ( you can barely see the top left) Also, the food pic is showing you how much food I feed each meal. :3

[Tokkay]

Skinks will usually go into brumation during the winter, which is a bit different than hibernation in that they slow way down and don't usually each much at all. BUT it's different for captive skinks because we are in control of their environment! I would say your current 'winter' temps are fine except you are still feeding her the full amount. Generally, if an owner has their skink going through brumation, they greatly reduce feedings. A wild skink's metabolism slows way down and they don't eat much because they can't digest properly in the cold weather. Because you are still feeding her the full amounts, she should not have the cold brumation temperatures in her cage as she is eating too much and won't be able to digest it with the colder temps. I hope I said that in a way that makes sense! I'll try to find some links that explain it better if you'd like!

It's normal for them to feel a little cold sometimes, but if she feels like ice and she's still eating all the time then she definitely needs her temperatures raised. If she wasn't eating much it wouldn't be as big of a problem, as normal skinks in brumation don't eat much. But as I said, she's still eating a lot and is probably not digesting properly due to the low temps.

For the vents, I meant could you modify the enclosure yourself/cut more vents into it? I've never used that type of enclosure so I'm not familiar!

Fruits should make up about 10% of the diet, so it's necessary to add some in every now and then. What kind of fruits have you tried? My skinks like kiwi and pear a lot, and those ones are easy to mix in if you put them through a food processor because they're so soft!

And sorry- I totally missed her age in your first post! I'd say every day to every couple of days is a good amount of feeding for her since she's still growing, but as her growth slows down you can adjust your feedings to be further spread out. I feed my adult skinks once a week.

For hydration, I would really recommend you keep a water dish in the enclosure! Soaking once a week probably isn't enough for her to be getting all the water she needs. If you use a heavier ceramic dish with higher sides she probably won't spill much of it. Leaving water in the cage lets them drink as needed to regulate their own hydration needs.

I'm not so familiar with health stuff so I'm not sure what a lump like that could be. If she continues to have problems for the next couple weeks I would definitely encourage you to take her to the vet, though! It's better to be safe than sorry, and catching problems early instead of waiting until the animal is in worse condition is always best for treatment.

I hope I covered everything! If you need me to clarify anything let me know, I tried to explain best I could! Some of the experts might chime in to help you out, but to me it sounds like one of the big issues is just the temperatures, to be honest. I think if you corrected them she would have a much easier time digesting and that might fix the issue entirely!

(Anyone else, feel free to correct me if I got something wrong!)

[Sunny_Skinks]

Thanks!
So...
What do you suggest I should do? Should I tweak up the enclosure or reduce feeding?
If I reduce feeding, how often do I feed?

[Tokkay]

My main suggestions would be:

- Raise your temps! Even if you don't raise them all the way to the summer basking temps, higher temps will help her digest her food more easily and may resolve the issue.
- Keep a water dish in the cage- it shouldn't be too messy and will let her keep herself hydrated.
- If you can, you could modify your enclosure to add more ventilation. I'm not as familiar with the type of enclosure that you have, though, so you may need to look up some tutorials and see if there's any way you can fix it up if you don't think there's enough vents right now.
- You would probably be fine feeding her every 2-3 days if she's 7 months old. If you want, you could buy a cheap kitchen scale and weigh her weekly to track her growth and make sure she's doing fine!
- With the feeding, improving the diet would also probably help- lots of variation is good for them, so try different veggies/greens/fruits and see what she likes the best. Just make sure to check the chart to make sure that you're feeding her something safe! Snails are a good treat but I don't think they should be used as the staple protein source- it's better to use cooked lean chicken/turkey or the high quality grain-free canned dog food (which my skinks definitely seem to prefer)

I think if you just make some basic changes like that she'll be fine! Unless there's a more serious problem going on internally or the problem doesn't go away, you probably won't need to worry about taking her to the vet, especially if you give her some warmer temps to help her process the food in there.

[splashy07]

Looks like everyone else covered everything else except the identification issue, definitely Eastern. Best of luck with her, she is a pretty one!

[Sunny_Skinks]

Well, good news! I fed Cloudy some raw egg and everything came out (though it was a bit watery and smelled horrible)
I also raised the temperature to 29 instead of 28 and earlier gave her a soak and a massage. I did put the temperature back to 28 just in case so it wouldn't be very stuffy.
I am still a bit confused of what made my skink poop. I want to know this so it may become handy if she begins to stop pooping again. Was it the massage, the bath, the temperature of the egg?
My skink is eating every second day now and I'll make sure to add a bit more greens. I recently bough that 4 veg mix frrom Woolworths and it is slightly expired. It is being currently stored in the freezer, so I was wondering if I could use that as my varied greens. It has kale and arulga. (rocket i think it is also called)