Coloration Loss in Northern

[TJlife]

Hi All...Have any of you experienced color loss in your skink? I have a northern that was a rescue for about 6 mounts now. Her (my guess is female) health and activity is good and she accepts most of the food I provide. She eats horn worms, roaches, bananas, blueberries, and squash mostly and typically avoids the greens unless I really hide them in a banana smush.
Over the past mount I have noticed that her orange markings have faded to the tan/pink of the rest of the body and the head is slightly grayer in pigmentation. Do any of you know what is happening? I was thinking shed, but she is not utilizing the box I set up for shed.

[Linnea]

have you had her for 6 months, and she really hasnt shed before? hmm. how old do you presume your rescue is?

could we get photos of her and her enclosure?

they turn into a milky chocolate brown before shed, orange and red fades completely into greyish pink or brown. this lasts a few days, then they return to regular colour, and then one day they shed. they dont really need a humid hide for shedding, as long as they have plenty of things with slight rough surfaces, like some wood or a rock (of course i count on the humidity being normal).

i suggest trying out dog food and mix it with the squash. most skinks are picky eaters, and will aim for meaty stuff before veggies.

[Katrina]

Sounds like shedding. Just because you set up a box for her, doesn't mean that she will use it! Give it a couple weeks, she'll probably go back to normal shortly and then shed a few days later. Odd that she hasn't shed with you before - a healthy skink will shed around every 8 weeks. I've had some that I took in that had very poor diets before and it took a few months before they shed with me but then once they were getting a healthy diet they would shed more often than usual for an adult for the first few sheds. Simon didn't shed for about 6 months with his previous owner and then didn't shed for 2-3 months with me, but after that shed every 4 weeks for a few months as if making up for lost time. It's now back to a normal every 8 weeks/ish.

Good luck! Like Linnea said, dog food is great for hiding veggies in. If you're feeding mostly feeders for protein be sure to dust with calcium.

[TJlife]

Thanks...I can't seem to get photos to attach. 40 gal breeder. She is in carefresh since the aspen seemed to irritate her eyes, which at the time were still a bit sore looking after adopting her. Substrate is kept clean. If the shed box is not necessarily then I'll rethink decorating otherwise. She has a nice water bowl with fresh water. She is fed every couple days, but doesn't always eat. The pet store sayed that she was likely around 3yrs and I had her about 6mo now. The diet she was on didn't sound healthy and I try to follow the recommendations on this page. She has been eating better lately as I have been breeding the roaches on top quality dog food and fruit. She beats the vitimines off the insects and she won't eat the veggies with dust. She favors bananas so that is where I sneek the Vit. Dogfood, even the best you can buy, seems to give her loose stools so I have been avoiding that. I will give her lean meat I cook now and then. Health wise she seemed to be much healthier after having her 3mo. I hope it is a shed...I was beginning to think she would never shed, but was told that shed happens every 6mo with her. Perhaps this is the beginning of "happy, healthy times"!

[Katrina]

That sounds great! I'd try to sneak calcium powder in fairly often though, none of those foods have a particularly good Ca:P ratio. Banana is especially high in phosphorus! Maybe even small amounts of dog food? It doesn't usually cause runny stools. Muscle meat, fruits and feeder insects don't have good Ca:P ratios and a few healthy veggies won't usually compensate for that.

Sounds like you're doing everything right though!

[TJlife]

She shed!! Color is better, but still quite as vibrant as I remember. I have been sneaking in calcium, but she prefers not to eat if it is on the food. I have made a skink loaf with vits in it I just may have to do it more frequently. Thanks for your help!!

[Spindown]

how long is she? I've seen pics of babies vs adults and they can lose a LOT of color in the process of growing up! I have 2 light adult northerns and a darker 1- 1.5 yo who seems to have kept most of his strong colors
Although with the huge gap in shedding, I'm thinking probably an adult.

[dsteamn]

Its possible one of the parents had some caramel in them too, which would account for the lighter colors. When they are born, they are quite dark when compared to three or four sheds later, which all happen in a relatively short period of time. Perhaps when you got her she was getting ready to shed and you are comparing to that color?

In any event, as long as it seems healthy in every other respect, I wouldn't worry about it. Seems like you are providing it a good home and tending to its needs very well. Keep up the good work.

PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES.