Hissy Skink...

[Darkangel92]

Ok so i am a first time skink owner but do have experience with reptiles. Ive been told mine is a girl (after i thought she was a boy and named her Rex of course ) but anyway she is very hissy and jumpy. She is jumpy when i reach in to pick her up and she hisses a lot but has never struck at me or tried to bite. She is fine when I hold her wrapped up in a towel or somethin or without the towel she settles after a few minutes. She also rubs her head against the glass alot like shes trying to get out or see's something...anyone know how to break this? I hold her a lot so she gets used to being handled, when i first got her she wasnt like this...it started after a day or so...

[Shaggraa]

Sounds a lot like my Indo. He is very skittish. The hissing is more like huffing and he also has never attempted to strike or even open his mouth defensively towards me. They are just scared of us. I'm assuming my Indo was WC so he may never change. Daily interaction is my only advice.

[Linnea]

first, how old is your bts and how long have you had her? could we get to see photos?

it sounds like you have started handling your skink a little quick - before it even had a chance to settle in to its new environment. usually we give the advice to let it settle in for at least a week before handling. this however is not the main reason it is hissy - hissing is completely normal.

a young skink often huffs/hisses just to say "here i am" or "youre making me nervous". this is completely normal behaviour for a skink of any age - but can be more seen in younger ones. all skink have their own personality and even with a lot of work some never tame down, while some love to sit on your lap and sleep. note that the huffing doesnt mean it will bite, unless it comes with displayed tongue etc.

my advice for taming your skink, is to not pick it out every day. if its young you may be stressing it out too much. it will need time and effort to tame it down, and i think you already have the gist of it. wrapping in a towel is nice since it gets a hide. however, id like you to think about why you are picking out your skink too - as they are not mammals, and not all skinks are suitable as out-of-the-cage-reptiles.

a good idea is to wait for your skinks "good days" - when its about and about and exploring on its own. i usually take this as a sign they are bored and open for new ideas, little by little. when they are about to shed - leave your skink be, it is very stressful for them as they feel twice as mortal. this is just how i would do it, and not a strict law or anything. some people find the every day method to work well, and some do like this, and some dont need to tame at all - just pick what works for you and your skink.

Second, only way for the person who sold her to you to know its a girl is to actually breed her - otherwise it might as well be a boy. there is no way of knowing which gender it is until you either see hemiphenes (which may or may not show at all) or till you breed it. observing behaviour is also a thing you can do, and if you post photos here they can give you a fair gender guess. we do really love photos, and people here will also help you determine species/subspecies and so on.

And now for the glass issue. make sure your bts has sufficient hides and that you have 3 sides of the terrarium covered for helping with the glass climbing. as they do not apprehend what glass is at all, it is open space to them, and stressful when they cant push through in any direction. other than this i do not know - byt skink stopped by himself after his first brumation for absolutely no reason, i had covered the sides of the terrarium long before but he didnt really stop.
check so that she doesnt hurt herself though.

[Shaggraa]

Knew I should have left it to the experts! Thank you Linnea, this is very helpful.

[Richard.C]

A lizard hissing is normal,even tame ones can do it,hissing or even huffing,some settle and stop doing it,others dont,its nothing to be concerned about,some of the tamest ones still do it

Think of it like dogs barking,growling ect,a natural trait,and not always a sign of aggression

As for the glass rubbing climbing,some do that even with lots of hides ect provided,they want to explore,in the wild they often move around,couped up in an indoor cage they cant move alot,but can see interesting things outside the cage,my outdoors ones do it to,in 6 metre by 4 metre enclosure,so its not just an indoors thing

[Darkangel92]

She/he is about 9-10 months old. Heres the post from when I got Rex. Pics are there. I have since moved the UVB next to the basking bulb. Thanks for the advice . She is also a little fatty and LOVES food lol. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21100

[Richard.C]

Younger ones are also generally more hissy huffy

[tylociraptor]

I'll add that when Misha first came home she'd huff every time I put my hands in her tank to water/feed. She'd even snap a little! Today, she still huffs, but never bites or gets aggressive. It's her saying "hey, I'm right here, don't step on me/put things on me" when she's hidden.

[Richard.C]

Thats a sign of a bluey learning to trust you,before long wouldnt suprise me if its waiting at front of cage for food ect