New skink, Advice??

[The Bearded Derek]

Hopefully the result of having him on for a while yesterday may have been he may know my smell a bit now and what does it mean if a skink sneezes every several minutes? (It sounds like a high pitch air coming out of his nose, so I assume it's a sneeze. I'm thinking it could be stressed, since I haven't seen him sneeze in his tank and only when on me or on someone else)

By the way, I think he's loosing fear and is getting more adapted to his tank. When I put him back from holding him, I put him in the basking area (He felt cold), an hour later, he was still basking (I was afraid he was still there because he forgot where his log is) so i held him and moved him next to the log, 10 minutes later, he went basking again(I just noticed that while he's basking, he's sitting on the substrate rather than on the rock). Does this mean he might know his tank now, more or less? Also, now that I randomly just come by and see him in the tank he doesn't seem very mad at me anymore (Sometimes when I would like to hold him, he would semi-puff up but won't stick his tounge)

[Richard.C]

May just be huffing,they often do that instead of displaying tongue,have u measured basking spot temp with a thermometer

[The Bearded Derek]

I can't find them in any store here
Are sweet peas good for them? He seemed to like them. I put one infront of him around 4 inches away, he smelled it, and ate it. He ate 5 in total, there was 8 but he only ate 5 of them.

[Alioop]

I can't find them in any store here
Are sweet peas good for them? He seemed to like them. I put one infront of him around 4 inches away, he smelled it, and ate it. He ate 5 in total, there was 8 but he only ate 5 of them.

You've been given the link to the diet chart, thanks to Susann. Please read this, as she was kind enough to post the link for you. The answer to your question can easily be found by looking at the chart.

[The Bearded Derek]

I'm grateful for the chart but, i'm asking because sweet peas aren't on the list. I don't know if it's bad because it's not on the list, but they're peas which is good, So i'd like to ask.

[Alioop]

There are two types of Green Peas listed on the diet chart. While it doesn't specify sweet peas specifically, we can assume they fall under one of the two categories. So, either way, the diet chart recommends "in moderation". This means that they aren't the most nutritious food item you can offer, but they can be offered once in awhile for variety.

[Susann]

As long as they didn't come out of a can where sugar was added, they are fine.

[The Bearded Derek]

Too late O.O
Well, it was in a can but it doesn't say sugar added

[Susann]

Your skink will now turn into a pillar of sugar!

He will be fine, just make sure you read labels from now on, and don't KEEP feeding them now that you know.

OK, well, if sugar wasn't added, then they are fine to feed every now and then.

[Richard.C]

Ideally with veg you want to add variety in every meal so a good mix is the go per feeding

[Alioop]

I would stay away from any and all canned fruits/veggies. They tend to have lots of stuff added to them, especially sodium. Fresh or frozen is the way to go!

[Susann]

I agree with Alie 100%

[The Bearded Derek]

Alright, thanks for the tip!
In that case since frozen is good, i'll make him a mix of carrots, regular green peas, canned dog food with a bit of MultiV. powder

[Susann]

I hate to make you feel like I'm criticizing every decision you make,
just keep in mind that frozen carrots are usually pretty big chunks; make sure you chop those up real small. I would cut whole peas as well.

Since he is still just tiny, it's fine if you just stick with the dog food for a while, and not worry about veggies for now.

Be really careful with putting a multivitamin on dog food, a teeny tiny amount goes a LOOONG way. Like, I wouldn't even tell you to use your pinky nail to scoop it out, that might be too much. Dog food usually is plenty vitamin enriched, so I might not even worry about putting any on until he gets a little bit bigger, and eats a little bit bigger meals.

[The Bearded Derek]

It's ok, I need critics at the moment :/
Thanks for that tip too!

Is it normal If he's next to his log but not hiding in it? He's on the outside next to it, won't even burrow himself anymore.

[Susann]

Sounds plenty normal to me. Not every skink likes to burrow.
You might really seriously consider getting a heat gun. That way you will know for fairly certain that temperatures are OK in all the different spots in his tank, including inside his hide(s). It at least gives me a lot of peace of mind to easily and quickly get accurate readings in all my tanks, especially when they are that small.

But there's no need for you to worry that he forgets where his log is, or that he's basking too long. You have to just trust him to know what the best thing and best temperature is for him. Thousands of babies survive in the great, big outdoor-wild every year without anybody picking them up off their basking rocks.
He knows what to do.

Sounds like you are enjoying him

[The Bearded Derek]

I really like him, sometimes he looks stressed when my sister holds him (She acts like it's a little purse dog or fashion accessory ._.)

I used the dog food with tiny bits of carrots. He loved it! It said chicken & smoked bacon combo, canned, food for small dog (Didn't say low fat, so I assume that was good enough), brand was Purina. Is this specific one good? Can it be just any canned, low fat dog food? Doesn't matter the meat flavors?

Does anyone know any common/great food mixes (I'd call it skink chow) that would last a while in the fridge/freezer?

[Richard.C]

I dare say it is stressed,the sneezing when held is probably huffing,hence why it doesnt do it when in the cage,they can calm down pretty quick but trust takes time for some

[The Bearded Derek]

How long would it usually take? During it's young or adulthood?

Also, do I take him? Every day, every few minutes or every few days, several minutes?

[Susann]

Does anyone know any common/great food mixes (I'd call it skink chow) that would last a while in the fridge/freezer?

I just posted what I usually do in the "Bluey Recipes and Diet" thread:
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