How does your BTS respond to the outside world?

[Cenetri]

I was just curious what the general experience was for other keepers.

I decided to take Phin out into town for the first time today, and I was interested with his behavior. He was very docile and easy to handle whenever I was walking around in the local petshops, allowing me to keep him still for long periods of time, but in the car he was going crazy! He didn't get overly stressed as he never hissed, huffed, or displayed, even with my dog right beside us the whole time, but he was going into a crazy exploration mode. He enjoys resting in my front sweatshirt pocket most of the time, though he was refusing to stay put in the car when I was sitting. He did end up peeing on my sweatshirt while in the car as well... though it was when I was heading home, so it wasn't too big of a deal.

He was also very docile when strangers came up to him, and he let them stroke and mess with him very well. I was worried that he might react negatively to other people, but I was glad that he did so well! I did help spread the word about BTS to other reptile people who nothing about them previously. There was even a young boy interested in snakes, but his mom didn't allow them, so he liked Phin for how snake-esque he happened to be. I may have sparked a real interest, and I always love that feeling!

I was wondering, how does your own BTS react in public, or even just outdoors? I know that some reptiles are nervous, some are great, and others just want nothing to do with it. I just want to have a better understanding for the most common behavior displayed in such a foreign environment. Thank you!

[Lea]

I don't take them into a town, but I have taken some to beaches, rural shows (where they meet children and adults for education) and schools, for the same purpose. I don't let the children handle them unless they are seated on the ground and have them firmly gripped- which excludes little handed persons! Not all of mine would cope well with this stimulation, so probably 3 of the 7 I currently own would be suitable for mixing with large volumes of people.

At the fairs and fetes, I give education about looking after the wildlife as well as how to look after them as pets. Nippy and kiah are good candidates, since they have each been handled frequently for most of their lives and don't appear to show signs of stress in these situations. These two have also been to the beach for outings, just to give them a new environment to explore.

Whilst they appear to not be bothered by these situations, I still keep public exposure to a minimum, rotating the lizards so they aren't on display or surrounded by noise for longer than 20 minutes or so. In the car, they travel in small animal boxes, I have cat boxes for the lizards, with a towel over the top. I'll also keep them in the shade as much as possible, to limit risks of heat stress.

I haven't seen any displays, hissing or agitation and I am almost certain they aren't stressed ... but, I can't be 100% sure. I know that lizards don't like to be cuddled or fussed over, so I am conscious of stress even with minimal contact, which is why I would rotate the skinks at shows, for example.

At the beach is different. It seems a much more positive environment for them, with shinglebacks occurring wild around the coastline here, so I view these trips as more of a positive stimulus, with less harassment, I guess, from people. I just let them wander and do their own thing, which usually results in a little wander, then spreading themselves in a warm, sheltered spot and going to sleep. They definitely don't appear stressed on a quiet beach!

[kenn]

Because of our climate here, in Belgium... it's not good to take animals (reptiles, coldbloods..) outside

[Linnea]

my incredibly focused and nice northern bluey litchie becomes a little monster if i have him outdoors. he will freak out, pee himself, and sprint away.
so i dont take him outdoors, its not kind of me to do so.

when theres more than two people around litchie, he turns very stressed as well. this is something we are currently working on

as for my other lizard, he needs a lot of time to settle down. so i do not know.

[Rani-May]

Mine all seem to act indifferent. Just extra tongue flickering and adventuring when outside. As for around other people. they honestly dont care lol.

[Cenetri]

See, this is what interested me so much. It sounds like a lot of skinks just don't enjoy the experience at all, but others are relaxed and just a bit explorative. Could part of it be from what type they happen to be? Or is all based on the temperament of a specific animal? I assume a combination of the two.

[Fatal_S]

Having lots of skinks I get a full range of reactions. Species does play a roll for sure, but every skink has it's own personality. Gender also plays some roll.

For shows, my female Northerns make the best hands-on animals, with IJs (either gender) and Meraukes close behind. My male Northerns are more active and some are downright nasty. My Tanimbars all panic - at best my big female silver pees, at worst my tiny WC tanny would flip, and probably end up having a heart attack.

So I base my shows off which skinks can handle what. I usually have some female Northerns and IJs out to pass around, with my Merauke lass and nicer Tanimbars as displays. Any males are kept in sealed containers, mostly to prevent skink-to-skink aggression (but also to stop them making a run for it). My show skinks are so great - I can hand them off to hundreds of small kids or random strangers in a day and they act like nothing's happened. My table at expos usually has a bunch of open bins with the skinks - people can just walk up and pet them or pick them up. Not many reptiles can tolerate that kind of handling and still beg for attention that evening

Just going outside for some sun, most of my skinks are used to it. Some are desperate to hide, some revert to wild instincts, some stay totally still and bask, some explore and have a great time. I try to provide them with a safe area to explore along with some places they can take cover. Jenga happens to be a revert-to-wild guy - definitely a treat trying to pick him up afterwards.

[Cenetri]

That's interesting that it's also related to gender, though I could easily see that. Obviously every skink is unique and would have different reactions, but I wonder if you could tell gender by broad, identifiable behaviors other than sexual-based actions.

[Snickers :)]

Snickers doesn't mind being outside as long as he's being held. However if I dare to put him on the ground he has a near heart-attack. He puffs up, hisses and tries to run away. The poor guy is just terrified!

[PlinkoPachinko]

Plinko loves being outside, he could explore for hours. I like having him in the little yard in front of our building, he'll just walk back and forth forever. He does get a little wild around strangers if he's outside on the ground, but he doesn't really show aggression towards me. I tried to show him to a neighbor and Plinko opened his mouth.. A good sign he's going to bite!

[Lea]

I should have pointed out that mine live outside year round and are used to the sounds of birds, voices and other outside interferences. That may influence how they feel about visiting new places and seeing other people.

Also, when I have had them looked after by other people, if I've been away, for example, they have reported them displaying, which doesn't happen for me. This was indicate a certain amount of stress with the unfamiliar.

I agree, it varies between the species, with the shinglebacks being the most nonchalant.

[dsteamn]

I have an outdoor enclosure I keep mine in during the summer months that is 12x18 feet, so they are used to sights and smells outside. They were all socialized with people and dogs at a very young age, so they usually don't have a problem with any of that. I take them out to educational venues and teach people what they are. Most have never seen one, and they are all thrilled and excited when they actually see one for the first time. They don't all like the car ride. One wants to be on my neck looking out the window when I drive. Otherwise, he gets a little anxious. Another one will huff at me if I take her out of the towel she curls up in. Other than that, they are all fine.

[Spindown]

I let my Indo go outside supervised of course, and he flipped out, especially when the wind started blowing...we took him inside practically immediately. Wasnt worth stressing the poor thing out

[stinkyskinky]

We've taken Stinky outside a couple times. He seems to explore the same as he does inside....please, note, i live in south Florida, and that's why I can take a reptile outaide in jan.
I hope to be able to take him to my daughter's preschool after he's settled in more. We took our snake, and did a show and tell for not only my daughter's ckass, but the other 2 pre-k classes. But i knew enough about my snake to guess that she wouldnt react badly. She was awesome! I would love to be able to do the same with the akink in a few months. I think its really good to expose kids to reptiles at this age, before they learn to have irratuonal fears and can learn a bit of respect for their differences.
Becca (written on phone, sorry for typos)

[critterguy]

Its interesting Mel you've seen a gender difference.

I'm working with a much smaller group of skinks(2) but my most trustworthy currently is a male. A younger female I have is a bit squirmier-but I bet she will calm down with age.

[jasjmm27]

All of my tiliqua get, what I would call, VERY WARY when outside, exposed to natural sunlight for more than 1 hour...(maybe less). This is the only time that most of my shinglebacks will display...some will just downright attack!

[Cenetri]

I just find this topic so interesting (hence why I asked). It seems like a lot of skinks revert back to more natural instincts when outside, even when captive bred at times. It's also interesting to hear how even very passive animals can get very skittish and aggressive outdoors. What do you think causes this? Just the vastness of their surroundings? Possibly exposure to the sky, which instinctually tells them of predators above?

Though animals housed outdoors seem to handle it well, possibly due to exposure. It's also odd to see such differences in behavior outdoors in the same subspecies. I would expect a larger generalization, but so far, it seems a bit all over the place!

[stinkyskinky]

Well, we just saw our first tongue display from Stinky. Had him outside. At first, he was exploring. Then, he stopped and was looking very nervous. My son walked up, and he whipped around and showed his tongue. I feel bad for scaring him. But he's back in his viv and out in the open, so hopefully he'll promptly forget.

[Fatal_S]

Its interesting Mel you've seen a gender difference.

I'm working with a much smaller group of skinks(2) but my most trustworthy currently is a male. A younger female I have is a bit squirmier-but I bet she will calm down with age.

I found it very interesting that my skinks never really showed any gender difference until after breeding attempts. My males who haven't done much with the ladies are still sweeties. Males who are good with the ladies are very territorial. I guess they feel like big men or something. My breeder females are sweeties, my girls who don't like to breed are jerks. Motherly hormones maybe? I think all my skinks are pretty genderless until they hit puberty and the hormones start flowing. Of course it's still a scale, nothing's black and white.

[Shortie]

Slinky when he's outside: *HISSSSSSSSS!!* *HISSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!* *HISSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!* etc. etc...

Slinky when he's at a reptile convention: *HISSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!* *HISSSSSSSSSS!!!* *Tries to launch himself at people who dare look in his faunairium!*

Slinky in his viv: 'Food?', 'Hi mum! You got any grapes? Worms? Crickets? Carrots? Apples?', 'Let me out so I can go back in!!'

Slinky in his viv with other people around: *HISSSSSSS!!!!* *Tries to bite peoples fingers off*..