Scary experience, what happened?

[Angcious]

I had a very scary experience with one of my bts, Duma, this morning. I'm trying to figure out exactly what happened and why.
Their lights go on at 8am. My baby is always out and awake when she knows we're up, but my older 2 usually don't wake up and come out until after noon so I was surprised to see Duma up and drinking water. She had not basked or been out long enough to be warm when she drank. Afterwards, she was standing in the middle of the cage just looking at me, which I assumed was her getting ready to beg to come out. By the time I was ready to let her come out a few mins later (I have a basking area set up for them to use when they come out) she was in the corner of her cage and not coming to me. Usually, as soon as her cage door is opened, she's out in a flash! She kept looking at me but wouldn't come.
I picked her up...and this large mucusy glob of water poured out of her mouth and there was water dripping out of her nose! A few seconds later, a couple more of these globs poured out. I'm panicking now and trying to contemplate which vet to take her to. I have a close vet who is very sweet and enthusiastic about the BTS but doesn't have much experience with them. Another vet is very experienced but an hour and a half drive away, if traffic is smooth. I wasn't sure at first that Duma could even make the drive to the farther vet, but don't know if the closer vet would know any more than I do about what Duma was going through.
The globs stopped coming but she seemed like she was trying to clear her throat and nose of the excess water. I put her under her basking light and after about maybe 20 mins of her trying to clear her airways and getting warmed up, she was fine. I've been watching her for the last hour or so, fine.
I'm pretty sure from my own observation what happened is that she drank water when her body was still cool and her body just couldn't process/digest it. But the question then is...why did she bother trying to drink before she was warm in the first place? Also, I just happened to be right there during this. I think me handling her made the globs come out. What if I wasn't there? Would she have choked? Or eventually swallowed all that back down?

[splashy07]

I personally have not experienced anything similar but I am curious to what your ambients are with lights off? I've seen mine drink many times when lights out, but my apartment seldom gets cooler than 70 even in winter. In summer the norm's about 85.

[Angcious]

Yeah in their room the temp rarely drops below 72 even in winter, overnight. For most of the summer its been between 76-80.
https://imgur.com/gallery/fG2Fgl8
I've forgotten how to put images in here. Getting ready to go to go work and she was wanting to come out again, got this pic of her. Thank God she's ok now whatever it was

[splashy07]

There should be no digestion issues at all with those temps. Hopefully just a one time thing, would have scared the crap out of me, too.

[TPceebee]

I have noticed that sometimes skinks will "throw up" water if you pick them up not long after a long drink.

Had this happen to me once or twice. It is terrifying the first time. Hopefully just that and nothing else to worry about.

[hurricanejen]

I have noticed that sometimes skinks will "throw up" water if you pick them up not long after a long drink.

Had this happen to me once or twice. It is terrifying the first time. Hopefully just that and nothing else to worry about.

Ditto what TPceebee said! I've done it a handful of times over the years accidentally to my animals, to animals I was working with...sucks but it happens. You get better at learning your pets' routines and it happens way less.

Which, re: the drinking early in the morning -
I tend to see my skinks often before the lights first turn on in the morning; if the sun has been rising for a bit (say, lights on at 7 am, but the sunrise was earlier, around 6 - 6:30), they'll be out and drinking sometimes before their heat lights go on.

[Angcious]

Omg, I did that to her?! I feel terrible. I can't believe I haven't done that to any of mine before though. So glad I have an answer to that now, thank you! She has been 100% fine since and sucked up all the extra attention she got for scaring me like that