Gravid or really fast weight gain?

[Buddy]

I recently got a blue tongued skink, I've had "him" for about two weeks now. A few days ago I noticed that he's getting fatter. Like a lot fatter. He lived with two other skinks before I got him (I know, you shouldn't keep them together). I've been feeding him normally, not over feeding him at all and he's pooping normally. He is 1,5 years old.

So.. To my question; Is it possible to get him this fat in 1,5 week or is it a possibility that "he" is gravid?
Also, is it possible for a skink to get this much bigger in such a short amount of time even if it's gravid?
I came across this video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NchTZDPfyS8 and my skink has had a very similar breathing the past few days as well. Is this common for over weight skinks or even "normal" skinks? He's very alert and active and does not seem ill in any way.

The first picture was taken the day after I got him, the secobnd picture was taken yesterday, about 12 days later.

[Fatal_S]

Obviously it is possible since it's happening It could be that she's just filling out from a decent diet, but that second picture does look pretty gravid to me. I'd prepare for the possibility of little ones to be safe.

[Linnea]

im sorry but i have to................SWEDEN????

fatal already responded to your question better than i possibly could.

if i may ask, where did you get your bluey?


also, a normal diet ? (just checking in case something might be off. if a skink is gravid it is even more important)

[Buddy]

Obviously it is possible since it's happening It could be that she's just filling out from a decent diet, but that second picture does look pretty gravid to me. I'd prepare for the possibility of little ones to be safe.

Yes, obviously it's one or the other of the two options It's just so frustrating not to know.. He looks pretty gravid and also there is the breathing thing.. And the fact that he is on the same diet as before I got him, and he's not over eating either...

It's just that how could he change this much in 12 days?? Seems pretty fast to me.. But I have no idea how fast they grow when they're gravid...

[Buddy]

im sorry but i have to................SWEDEN????

fatal already responded to your question better than i possibly could.

if i may ask, where did you get your bluey and how old is it?


also, a normal diet ? (just checking in case something might be off. if a skink is gravid it is even more important)

Sweden, yes!! We have Blueys here to, you know I actually got him from a pet store, since it is pretty hard to find a BTS for sale here. From what I've been reading pet stores in the US aren't that popular, the conditions here are a little different.

Normal diet yes, and same as before I got him..

(I hope my English isn't too bad:))

[Linnea]

im sorry but i have to................SWEDEN????

fatal already responded to your question better than i possibly could.

if i may ask, where did you get your bluey and how old is it?


also, a normal diet ? (just checking in case something might be off. if a skink is gravid it is even more important)

Sweden, yes!! We have Blueys here to, you know I actually got him from a pet store, since it is pretty hard to find a BTS for sale here. From what I've been reading pet stores in the US aren't that popular, the conditions here are a little different.

Normal diet yes, and same as before I got him..

(I hope my English isn't too bad:))

Im swedish too........*points at the sign to the right*

did you get him from zooab? thats what im worried about. then you might wanna do a test for parasites too.
there is actually little different about pet conditions in swedish petstores - in most cases its just as bad. and blueys are very few and far apart and when i see them they are imports.

i got my northern from Tropikhuset i Malmö. they have pretty high standards on their herps but they are not perfect either. my skink was fed crickets and salad and was perfectly healthy though i hurried to give him a better diet. he was also kept with another skink from the same batch.

what i meant by a normal diet is - what do you feed your bluey?

[Buddy]

PM'd you, easier to write in Swedish

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Cute IJ
English is the best!

[Linnea]

im sorry - i havent gotten your pm yet D:

ill hurry and write as soon as i get it.

[Buddy]

Cute IJ
English is the best!

IJ - Irian jaya? Thank you for that one.. That was actually my second question... This was sold as an Indonesian, but as soon as I saw them I knew this wasn't right.. Irian Jaya was my first guess as well.

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

Yup Irian Jaya (Tiliqua gigas sp)

[Linnea]

zooab is a skink importer that doesnt sell skinks bred in sweden - but in asia.

they give their skinks birdfeed and told me 5 months ago that it was just temporary since they were out of proper food. they have no idea about their requirements.

knowing this i will say your skink may have a bloated stomach from the diet they provided you incorrectly. you are not at fault here. quickly change the diet and see if it helps.

it may still be your skink that is preggy - but in any case it will need a different diet quick.

[Buddy]

Note: This is not a bloated stomache, he wasn't fed with bird seeds, but a form of bird granulate that is fully soaked in water, soft and mushy.

[Linnea]

(thanks for editing)

[Richard.C]

if your calling him a him,cant have any buns in the oven so to speak

it is possable if he is a she that she could be,normally females get bigger slowly though,and are solid to begin with,theres a good chance yours is just being fed more than the pet shop provided,they are capable of getting fat with just one feed,well some of mine are,sub adult blotched blueys are especially bad for it,your first pic it looks quite lean,but in saying that to,some bluetongues are actually quite good in hiding the fact they are gravid to,so every chance he/she may suprise you

if no babies,then he or she may just have no table manners so to speak



looks like a nice looking specimen

[Richard.C]

[Buddy]

:doh: if your calling him a him,cant have any buns in the oven so to speak

it is possable if he is a she that she could be,normally females get bigger slowly though,and are solid to begin with,theres a good chance yours is just being fed more than the pet shop provided,they are capable of getting fat with just one feed,well some of mine are,sub adult blotched blueys are especially bad for it,your first pic it looks quite lean,but in saying that to,some bluetongues are actually quite good in hiding the fact they are gravid to,so every chance he/she may suprise you

if no babies,then he or she may just have no table manners so to speak



looks like a nice looking specimen

I have no idea if this is a she or a he, but I just "decided" that it's a he when I got him, sine it doesn't matter to me
Maybe he's just fattening up, although from what I could see at the pet shop they had gotten a lot of food cause all of it weren't eaten. I never leave food, when he's done i take the plate out, so he has no chance of over eating.

I'll just have to what happens, or what doesn't happen

[Buddy]

:btsnet2:

Thank you!!

[Richard.C]

a wise answer,bout all you can do i guess
with the pet shop food that was left over,always the chance conditions werent right for them to want to eat,or they turned there noses up at it,some pet shops are shocking for not heating them enough,not sure they are like that there though,or not feeding them stuff they like or want,eg bird food

which would explain it chowing down food for you since being home :p

[Katrina]

Welcome!!

They can look much bigger depending on how they are lying, so if you are just thinking it has gained a lot of weight by looking at it, it probably is just a different position or more flattened. Do you have a scale you can weigh it with to see if there is noticeable weight gain?

It looks pretty young and has no signs of biting around the neck / shoulders so I would think it isn't pregnant. If it is young, they can put on weight quite quickly.