What is Personality?

[normalisamyth]

When people say that their bluey is full of personality what does that mean? What do you describe as a 'personable' skink. Can reptiles even have personalities? I'm not saying this to bash reptiles, I find them absolutely fascinating. I love working with them and can't imagine a world without them. Just wondering what ppl meant by 'my skink is full of personality'. I'm getting a bluey soon and kinda want to what to expect.
Thanks all!

[Richard.C]

all animals have a personality of some kind,my guess is they are referring to there lizard being friendly to them,or even just curious,but even an aggressive one can be classed as full of personality,lol

[Scotts1au]

haha "person"- ality - how we perceive it (what it does, thinks, idiosyncracies) through anthropocentric eyes.

[normalisamyth]

I guess I was wondering where to draw the line. Are fish 'personable'? It's probably only the use of the word personable instead of friendly that bugs me. Funny how I like to sit on the fence about anthropomorphizing animals. My scientific can't deal with with 'lovable reptile', yet I'm always the first person in a group to say " oh, look! I really think it likes me!" lol. Maybe its just me, I seem to like contradicting myself.

[LarissaLurid]

I think that personable means that something either tolerates or enjoys the presence of people. Depending on what you are talking about, there are different levels. I think reptiles con be personable like one who will sit in your lap and just hang out rather than one who won't want to be picked up or touched at all. Or with other things like a dog, they could enjoy your company and be happy when they see you, etc.

[Rani-May]

I see personality as what differs people/animals from each other in behavioural ways

[taniya91]

i see personality as the individual skinks behaviors for example bones my IJ (whose enclosure is on my floor-it has locks dont worry) likes to tease and even chase my cats, it looks like she makes a game of it and when i walk by her enclosure she walks with me until ive walked past her cage and when i walk back by she walks next to me again...
skully one of my northerns has cranky moods where she will open her mouth and pretend to bite me but when i pick her up she will snuggle in my blankets with me for hours and take naps, she is also the biggest baby in the world, any time someone new approaches her she hides in my shirt or armpit (anywhere behind me so i can protect her it seems). she did this alot at the vet, anytime a tech or the vet came in the room she'd run away from them and try to hide on, in, or behind me and my clothing
crackerjack my other northern doesn't really care about anything- food, water, sleep and he is happy but i think he is trying to burmate so that could be why

....and my beardies are a whole other story

[Lea]

We are going to anthropomorphise what we see in our animals. What we see as sweet, calm and friendly, may be deemed as stupid, dumb and asking for trouble, by a fellow skink. For example: a skink that 'likes' to be handled, doesn't display or run away, will be a good, sweet skink, to humans, but since he stands still and doesn't try and protect himself or run from a potential predator, a fellow skink may think him a fool.

We can interpret what is good or bad in our eyes, but that is all it is- just an interpretation.

But, saying that, I still see all my skinks as adorable!

[Richard.C]

Its funny how different people percieve there behaviour

I really dont believe they like our company for the sake of company,like say dogs or birds can

At best they tolerate us

I see them kind of like kids with santa,excited bout presents but darned if they want to sit on his knee,hes a scary bugger,lol

Blueys echange prezzies for food,some get so excited they forget and run to us like kids to santa,some hold back and wait for santa to bugger off before showing excitement and opening prezzie(eating)

Odd way to look at it,but cant say ive ever had one that wants to kick back on my lap watching telly

[Fatal_S]

I suppose my use of "personality" would be defined as "the apparent motivation behind exhibited behaviours".

The personality traits I usually use to describe my skinks are:
GROUP A:
- Adventurous - It wants to move and explore
- ex: it's constantly at the door scratching to come out, it's always getting into everything when out, it won't sit still
- Curious - It wants to see new things
- ex: it's always watching what's going on, it checks out new things quickly, it explores more in new areas than known areas
- Shy - It wants to feel safe
- ex: it's always hiding, it prefers secure areas instead of exploring or it looks for a secure area, it may urinate or defecate if held.
- Lazy - It doesn't want to waste energy
- ex: it lays around out in the open, it is content to remain in one place rather than explore or look for a hide
& GROUP B:
- Laid back - It doesn't react much (might huff a bit) when bothered
- Defensive - It tries to scare you away when bothered (displays, hissing, mock attacks)
- Aggressive - It actively tries to attack when bothered

GROUP A: I use the first four to describe how the skink behaves when not being bothered. They can have more than one trait - this scale is a continuum, not fixed points. This seems to stay fairly constant over time, with some minor fluctuation (good days and bad).

GROUP B: The last three are it's reaction to being bothered. They might react differently in different situations (in tank vs in a known area vs in an unknown area). Babies and new skinks tend to be defensive, but they usually become laid back with handling. Rarely are skinks actually aggressive.

So a skink might be normally curious, defensive in it's tank, and laid back once out. Or it could be adventurous and aggressive (Jenga!). Or lazy and laid back. Etc. Every skink is different, which is why we say they have their own personality.

This is my scale, and I only use it to get a basic idea of each skink. When they go to a new home and have to deal with a different person, things can change.

Remember that new skinks are almost always shy and defensive. They need time to settle in before their true personality shines. Some settle in quickly, others can take a long time. This is all normal, so don't worry too much

[Linnea]

i agree completely with Fatal.

id like to add that my skink is stubborn too, and i count it as a personality trait.

[Niels D]

I guess my skinks are just eating machines. When I stand in front of their enclosure they come up to me and I can almost hear them say "mine, mine, mine". Not much personality, but they make it up with their appetite.

[ashnic05]

I guess I was wondering where to draw the line. Are fish 'personable'? It's probably only the use of the word personable instead of friendly that bugs me. Funny how I like to sit on the fence about anthropomorphizing animals. My scientific can't deal with with 'lovable reptile', yet I'm always the first person in a group to say " oh, look! I really think it likes me!" lol. Maybe its just me, I seem to like contradicting myself.

I think personality has all different aspects to consider, but with reptiles it stems more towards how they react with people. When people say, "My bearded dragon has a great personality" I think they are referring more to the fact that the beardie associates their owner(s) with food/ getting out of the tank, therefore they are friendly and are at the front of the tank seeming to say "Aw, look how much I want to be pet! Take me out!". I work at a local tropical fish store and I can definitely say that fish do have personality, with exception. Fish that school are less likely to be more personable vs. predatory fish who are much more attentive to people (again, probably more food driven rather than to gain affection). I too am guilty of perceiving animals, when attentive, are showing affection in some way. It's hard not to do!

[Spindown]

I suppose I use the term "personality" to describe general demeanor of each skink, and how they differ from one another in activity, handle-ability, etc. For example, this is a breakdown of how I, after some thought, would describe each of my 4 skinks "personalities".

Creep ~ She is a "friendly" skink. She responds to new stimulus in a curious and exploratory manner. She doesnt react badly to new people or situations. She is normally quite calm, and content to explore. Not a "snuggler".
Broodlord ~ She is a moderately friendly skink. She doesnt mind being held, but usually would rather be left alone. She likes to explore and interact with new items in her cage.
Overlord ~ Cage aggressive. He is a cuddler when out of the tank, but goes nuts for movement inside of it. He is ok with being held, but HATES getting his toenails clipped, and will bite. He's shy with the ladies (broodlord), but hopefully will make some cute babies this spring/summer.
Zergling ~ Very skittish. Although he has calmed down in the 2 years we have had him, he really prefers being left alone. He has come to accept petting and the occasional short handling period. He likes to "pose" in his cage in adorable and striking ways, and LOVES the ladies. He needs a girl friend!

[LarissaLurid]

I see personality as what differs people/animals from each other in behavioural ways

Agreed :]

Everyone has a different personality, even if it's not a personable one lol

[Rani-May]

I see personality as what differs people/animals from each other in behavioural ways

Agreed :]

Everyone has a different personality, even if it's not a personable one lol

yup, and i think its a pretty solid statement considering i learned it from my behavioural classes in university lol. Humans and animals alike