he hates me

[sarah]

I got a 2 yr old male Indo bts almost 2 weeks ago.He was said to be tame.He has not tried to bite me,but were just not bonding.He hisses at me every time I hold or touch him and when I sit down he climbs up my sholder and gets as far away from me as he can.I have a baby bts which I am very bonded to.What am I donig wrong and why does he act like he hates me?Maybe I made a mistake in getting him,I just love my baby bts so much I couldnt wait for him to be bigger so I could spend more time with him and he wouldnt be so fragile.

[bella3]

I am new to blue tongue skinks so take what I say with a grain of salt but sometimes it takes a while for bts to adjust. He is probably still getting used to his new environment so give it a couple more weeks.

[Gail]

It can take awhile for them to settle into a new home and feel comfortable with a new owner. That being said, many indo's are wild caught and can take much longer to tame down. Do you have any idea about your guys background? If he is a new import, you will just have to go slow with his taming.
I have a indo female that is the same way. She doesn't bite but she definitely doesn't like to be handled.

[Alioop]

Also please keep in mind that these are not domesticated animals like dogs. They tolerate us at best. Nothing in their natural instinct tells them to "love" us or want to be with us, we are predators to them. It takes a long time for bts to adjust to new situations, by long time I'm talking many months, not just a couple of weeks. Also, your indo is more than likely wild-caught, so hasn't had the same amount of human contact that your baby has. Go slow and be patient with the indo. Its a good sign that he's not trying to bite you but if he's running away from you, then he's obviously scared out of his wits! I would give him 3-4 weeks to settle into his new home, and get him used to your hand being in his enclosure, before you attempt any more handling.

[sarah]

He is cb and his owner before me had him for about a year(he is a reptile breeder)I am trying to be patient,I just want to be able to relax and watch tv with him.Thanks for the advice.

[Linnea]

it may be he needs to settle down into his new home like the others said. sounds most likely.

(but at one year old he should almost be adult size depending on how hes been fed, so im not sure what you mean by baby?)

many want a "cuddleskink", one that sits in your lap when you watch tv, but not all skinks like to sit around when theres so much to explore all around them my own skink is a perfect example of that, he is only lazy while in his cage, but when out he will just barely stop long enough so he can breathe a little xD

about sitting on the shoulder. note that they are not really good climbing lizards even if they adore climbing and can climb really high. the problem is that they dont have as much of a grip and when they climb down they tend to just fall headfirst. and the shoulder is pretty high up compared to terrarium decos.

some mellow with age, some mellow with some bonding/training, and some are full of energy theres all sorts.

[sarah]

I have the 2 yr old and a 2 month old baby bts.

[Richard.C]

he just needs time to get to know you,and you him,he may not hate u but be timid of you,bonding can take time,hissing is normal,especially when there not up to temp and just wanting alone time,especially being new,has to get used to new enclosure,new smells,new faces peering at him and grabbing him out ect,picture being a wild bluey in its own territory and getting moved elsewhere,there safety zone is gone,there familiar resting spots are gone,food supply gone,its the same in captivity with moving them,takes time for them to adjust and become comfy again,when it gets comfy,trusts the hand that feeds it ect,then they settle and mellow off with the hissing in general,though some always do it,you just have to remember its natural instinct,they cant tell u they dont want to do it,they hiss

also if they hate you,they dont just hiss,they will swing round and bite you to,aggressive ones will run over to bite you,then theres scared ones,they prefer to run and hide,but if they cant they hiss and display there tongue,and if still provoked may have a nip at you to

in time i think it should mellow,oh what were you watching on tv,maybe it doesnt like that show,lol

[Fatal_S]

Do you know the difference between a hiss and a huff? And if so, is he hissing or huffing? A hiss is an open-mouth display of aggression. A huff is a closed mouth puff of mild annoyance. Huffing is totally normal even in very docile skinks. Hissing means they want you to back off.

[Katrina]

He is cb

He is almost definitely not captive born and bred - very, very few people have bred Indonesians, there have only been a handful of captive bred babies produced in North America. He is very likely wild caught, almost all Indos are (or else born in captivity to a mother that was imported while gravid). Like Alie said, he is just scared and sees you as a predator. It will take longer than a few weeks to tame him but with lots of time and patience he will get used to you. Just remember that right now he is likely very scared of you. Good luck!

[sarah]

I guess its more of a huff b/c his mouth is closed.

[Fatal_S]

Then don't worry about it. My super-sweet skinks still huff at me. Many skinks also huff and make little sneezy noises when exploring. There's nothing hateful at all about a huff.

[sarah]

ok good to know.thanks