BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hi everyone
Just another quick question, i thinking of giving blue a bath as he looks dirty his substrate is orchid bark and he seems to have the fine dirt in every little crevis I hadn't done it yet as he was still settling in, had him about 3 and a half weeks now, my question is how do I bath him? In our actual bath or a plastic rub? how warm do I have the water, Luke warm or warmer? Also how deep? about an inch?
Thankyou
Andrea xx

I bathe my reptiles in warm water, just a bit above room temperature. I put them in my bathtub, since a) it's easier, and b) some of them wouldn't really... fit in a tub, and some eventually will be a bit big for the bathtub!! Also it keeps them from leaping out. Make sure it is deep enough that he can cover most of himself but not above his head- and though I am sure you know this, don't leave him alone! stick with him and gently pour water over his back if you like. No soap though! just water.

It is not necessary to bathe your skink all the time.
Sometimes they will walk through their poo and that creates a stinky mess or during difficult sheds a bath can help but in your case, the tiny dust particles from the substrate are not going to go away unless you chang to a different type of substrate so your skink will likely always be a bit dusty looking (: Not a huge deal.
If you feel comfortable putting your reptile in your own personal bathtub (not my cup of tea because many times they go to the bathroom in the water ) I would make certain there are no soap residues or cleansers left in the tub beforehand.
I think it is easier and more sanitary to just buy a plastic tub and keep it for only this purpose.
Water temp should be room temp, it can seem fine to us but may be too hot for the skink and would be stressful. Better to be safe. Also if the water is too high they may panic, it could also get into their ears or they could breathe it into their lungs so please, not too deep. An inch or two should be fine!

I have yet to bath my guy and I've had him since the 21st. He's got one hell of a stubborn shed that I just can't get out of his ears or off his fingers and toes! So this post was helpful for me too. And btw, Andrea, he is sooooooooooooo cute! Love the picture!

April

Thank you for the replies he is cute when i took the photo he was sat on my foot bless him
Andrea xx

About an inch of 80-85 degree water is good. It really depends on how large your skink is for how much water, but basically just enough so that it goes around the top of his leg and he can walk around, not too much so he starts to float or get up to his head or anything. I'd use the bath tub and when I bathe my skink I put a flat rock in there for him to climb on if he doesn't want to stand on the tub the whole time as a safe area. You can also put a towel down on the bottom so that he has something safe to walk on that he can crab and not just slip around on but I don't usually do this for mine because he is fine without it and will just sit and soak when he wants. Sometimes towels or a wash cloth can just bunch up and not really work well anyway. In the pasta I've only bathed mine mostly towards the end of his sheds when there's a tiny bit left on his toes or tail, when he was having digestion problems, and the times he just happens to get dirty.

About an inch of 80-85 degree water is good. It really depends on how large your skink is for how much water, but basically just enough so that it goes around the top of his leg and he can walk around, not too much so he starts to float or get up to his head or anything. I'd use the bath tub and when I bathe my skink I put a flat rock in there for him to climb on if he doesn't want to stand on the tub the whole time as a safe area. You can also put a towel down on the bottom so that he has something safe to walk on that he can crab and not just slip around on but I don't usually do this for mine because he is fine without it and will just sit and soak when he wants. Sometimes towels or a wash cloth can just bunch up and not really work well anyway. In the past I've only bathed mine mostly towards the end of his sheds when there's a tiny bit left on his toes or tail, when he was having digestion problems, and the times he just happens to get dirty. They don't need to all the time.

btw CUTE skink!